Adventure Aquarium (Camden, NJ)

July 2, 2017

I know, I know…this destination is not actually in PA…BUT it is marketed to tourists in Philadelphia, included with the Philly CityPASS booklet, and is a quick jaunt over the Ben Franklin Bridge on the Camden riverfront (without driving into the shady part of town). Formerly the New Jersey State Aquarium, this educational destination is home to 8,500 species of aquatic animals and boasts the largest collection of sharks on the East coast and the only aquarium in the world to exhibit hippos! Just weeks before our visit, my son had visited the Baltimore Aquarium on a class field trip, and he claimed Adventure Aquarium was better! He is into sharks, so their superior shark exhibits is what won him over. Although smaller, there were enough unique aspects that definitely made the trip worthwhile.

Since this was part of our CityPASS package, we decided to end our Center City Philly trip at the aquarium and then drive home from there. We arrived around 3:30PM on a Friday and knowing it closed at 5PM, we figured we would just see what we could before it closed. Turns out, it was a fantastic time to visit as most people had left for the day and we nearly had the place to ourselves. We were able to see the whole aquarium, and look at the exhibits unimpeded by crowds. It was so refreshing after visiting the Franklin Institute earlier in the day and fighting the field trip crowds.

Some of the highlights included watching a feeding of the Little Blue Penguins, watching the hippos go swimming, getting our hands wet and touching lots of cool, slimy invertebrates in multiple tanks, and being mesmerized by the 760,000 gallon “Ocean Realm” tank containing myriads of aquatic animals. However the show stopper was definitely the one-of-a-kind Shark Tunnel and Shark Bridge. Imagine being able to walk right through an ocean filled with sharks and rays…that is the effect the see-through tunnel creates. It was pretty sweet to have a shark swim right over our heads! Then we crossed the totally unique rope suspension bridge hung across the top of the shark tank for another fun encounter.

Other amenities include a gift shop, café, and 3D Theater, which is actually included with general admission. Don’t get too excited about that as it was for real little kids and didn’t even seem 3D to me, but made for a nice place to take a break and rest your feet. Actually, one of our favorite aspects of the aquarium came when we left and had dinner delivered to us by my awesome cousin Ken from Chick’s Deli (winner of the Best Cheesesteak in Philly award even though it’s in New Jersey!) and we went around back and sat at a picnic table on the Camden waterfront. Here you can see the Philadelphia skyline and the Ben Franklin Bridge for a spectacular view. It was a perfect and peaceful ending to our fabulous 2-day Philly trip.

For a special combo price, you can ride the Riverlink Ferry from Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia to the Aquarium and back.

Parking at the Aquarium is $10 in their lot.

Admission: $28/adult, $21/child ages 2-12

(included as part of CityPASS, see www.citypass.com/Philadelphia for details)

Hours: 10AM-5PM weekdays, open until 6PM on weekends.