My visit to the Downtown Aquarium - Denver, CO ~ It has tigers

I went to Denver for Game 3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder v Denver Nuggets game on Saturday.  I had never been to the Pepsi Center before and wanted to check the venue off my list.  As I went to get my rental car ($23 dollars for about 12 hours), the Hertz driver told me about the Downtown Aquarium - Denver, CO.  It was still early, and I had about 3 hours to kill until game time.  The driver mentioned that aquarium had tigers (i.e. yes, you read that correctly ~ TIGERS), so I decided to check it out.

It cost $7 to park in the aquarium parking lot and my ticket was $16 or $17.  ****  I'm too lazy to look for my receipt.

I'm a huge fan of aquariums.  Last December, I checked out the Dallas World Aquarium.  Here's a link to the post:  http://www.thewirk.com/2010/11/dallas-world-aquarium-easy-like-sunday.html. 

As I walked into the Downtown Aquarium - Denver, I was immediately surprised that the place didn't smell.  Some aquariums have that animal, musty smell and eventually visitors acclimate.  However, the Downtown Aquarium didn't smell like an aquarium.

I'll admit right now that I love fish.  It's one reason why I learned to scuba dive.  Incidentally, my dad hates the fact that I scuba dive and has asked me to stop.  Oh well, we all can't do everything our parents' ask of us.  This aquarium offers you the ability to snorkel/scuba with the fish.  The information is in the image below.

When I visit aquariums I tend to skip the area where there are birds.  I like birds, but I never understood the emphasis on them at aquariums.

Although not the largest aquarium it is very kid friendly.  There is an area where you can pan for "gold" and pet the stingrays, and feed the animals, etc.

My favorite part of the visit had to be the tiger, even though it was sleeping and not too active while I was there.  ****  I believe the aquarium has more than one tiger, but I only saw one during my visit.  Being that I have a cat, I wasn't too surprised that the tiger was taking it easy.  I did catch the tiger yawn and stretch.

I'll include some of my favorite pictures from my visit in this post. 



Potbelly seahorses

This shrimp gets to be 10-12 inches long

I enjoyed my visit to the Downtown Aquarium but didn't have a chance to eat at the restaurant. 

The aquarium is located near the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field, so if you're looking for something to do before a game, definitely check it out!


THE WIRK

The Dallas World Aquarium ~ Easy like Sunday afternoon

I went to the Dallas World Aquarium over the weekend.  For someone like me, who absolutely loves aquariums and fish, this was a great idea.  Armed with our cameras, Rami and I were ready to take on the venue and see what shots we could capture.

If you've never been to the aquarium, I recommend you check it out.  If you have a sweet tooth, you should indulge and try the little cafe.  We indulged in the banana and pineapple fritters with coconut ice cream, and the dessert was fantastic.  

Ok, back to the aquarium and the animals...  Here are a few of my favorite shots.

  

Doesn't it look like it has a face? 

He has great ideas...

I've been to a bunch of aquariums and although the Dallas one isn't the largest one I've seen or the most comprehensive, I still found it fun to visit.  I especially enjoyed the "predator tunnel" where you can stand and the sharks and turtles swim around and over you.

I did a quick search to find the top aquariums in the country, and this is the list that I found:
1. Discovery Cove - Part of Seaworld in Orlando
2. Sea World - California , Florida, Texas
3. Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta <-- been there
4. Living Seas - Epcot, Orlando <-- been there
5. National Aquarium - Baltimore <-- been there
6. Monterey Bay Aquarium - California
7. John G Shedd Aquarium - Chicago <-- been there
8. New England Aquarium - Boston
9. Tennessee Aquarium - Chattanooga <-- been there
10. Aquarium of the Pacific - Long Beach, CA
10. The Texas State Aquarium - Corpus Christi.
10. Ripley's Aquarium - Myrtle Beach
****  Who knows why there are 3 #10s.  It's not my list. 

A visit to the Dallas World Aquarium was a great idea for a Sunday afternoon!

THE WIRK