Washington D.C. Venue
The National Aquarium, Washington, DC, is located in the lower level of the Commerce Building.
The recently renovated Aquarium offers a 45-minute showcase of more than 250 unique and
engaging species including alligators, piranha, sharks, eels, gar, and an adorable loggerhead turtle.
This venue proudly presents America’s Aquatic Treasures, highlighting the animals and habitats of the
National Marine Sanctuaries Program and freshwater ecosystems of the United States. There are
currently more than 1,500 specimens in the Aquarium’s collection.
HISTORY
The National Aquarium has a long history of affiliation with the Department of Commerce. It was
first established as part of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries in 1873. By 1903, the
Fish Commission became the Bureau of Fisheries under the Department of Commerce. The
National Aquarium was incorporated into the lower level of the Department of Commerce in 1932,
and it still resides there today as a private, nonprofit museum.
In 2003, the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the National Aquarium in Washington, DC,
formed a partnership that would eventually lead to the venues coming together to operate as one
organization, the National Aquarium with venues in Baltimore and DC. In 2008, the DC facility was
re-introduced after a five-year extreme makeover that included major improvements to habitat
conditions, animal care, appearance, and educational programming.
Address: 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230
General Information: 202-482-2826
Group Reservations: 202-482-0852
Web Address: http://www.aqua.org
Current Exhibits/Attractions: America’s Aquatic Treasures TM highlights the animals and habitats of
the National Marine Sanctuaries Program and freshwater ecosystems of the United States.
ADMISSION PRICES:
Adults $9.95
Seniors (60+)/Military $8.95
Children (3-11) $4.95
Under 3 FREE
Tickets are available for purchase online and onsite. The National Aquarium, Washington, DC, accepts Visa,
MasterCard, American Express, Discover, checks, traveller’s checks, and cash as forms of payment.
HOURS
Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last admission at 4:30 p.m.
Closed Christmas and Thanksgiving Day
Please visit aqua.org for extended hours during the National Cherry Blossom Festival and summer
seasons.
Daily animal feedings and aquarist talks at 2 p.m.
EXHIBIT DETAILS
National Marine Sanctuaries and National Parks
In 1972, exactly 100 years after the first national park was created, the nation made a similar
commitment to preserving its marine treasures by establishing the National Marine Sanctuary
Program. These sanctuaries protect more than 18,000 square miles of ocean waters and habitats, an
area nearly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. The program is part of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which works cooperatively with the public to
balance enjoyment and use with long-term conservation.
Florida Everglades serve as the cornerstone of our National Marine Sanctuaries Gallery with our
wonderful alligator display. We share the success story of the American alligator’s return from near
extinction, and raise awareness of other issues facing the Everglades, such as habitat destruction and
water quality. In addition to the alligators, there are three species of snake.
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is located 25 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara,
California. The waters that swirl around the five islands within the Sanctuary combine warm and cool
currents to create an exceptional breeding ground for many species of plants and animals.
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is located approximately 52 miles northwest of the
Golden Gate Bridge at the edge of the continental shelf. Upwelling of nutrient-rich ocean waters and
the bank’s topography create one of the most biologically productive areas on the West Coast. The
site is a lush feeding ground for many marine mammals and seabirds.
Fagatele (Fohng-ah-the-leh) Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the only true tropical coral reef
in the National Marine Sanctuary Program, and is located on Tutuila, the largest island of American
Samoa. This complex ecosystem with its exceptionally high level of biological productivity is the
smallest and most remote of all sanctuaries.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a complex marine ecosystem surrounding the Florida
Keys archipelago, an island chain known worldwide for its extensive offshore coral reef. The waters
surrounding most of the 1,700 islands that make up the Florida Keys have been designated a
sanctuary since 1990. The Florida Keys marine environment is the foundation for the commercial
fishing and tourism-based economies that are vital to southern Florida.
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is located about 110 miles off the coast of
Texas and Louisiana. It harbors the northernmost coral reefs in the continental United States and
serves as a regional reservoir of shallow-water Caribbean reef fishes and invertebrates.
Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary is located 17 miles off Sapelo Island, Georgia. It is one of
the largest near-shore sandstone reefs in the southeastern United States. The rocky platform, some
18 to 21 meters (60 to 70 feet) below the Atlantic Ocean’s surface, is wreathed in a carpet of attached
organisms. This flourishing ecosystem provides not only vertical relief, but also a solid base for the
abundant invertebrates to attach to and grow upon.
The Aquarium also features an American Freshwater Ecosystem Gallery with colorful creatures
like the hellbender salamander and the black-banded sunfish, an Amphibians Gallery with
salamanders, newts, frogs, and toads, and an Amazon River Basin Gallery with animals like the
piranha, freshwater stingrays, tropical tetras, angelfish and an electric eel.