Atlantic City Aquarium Historic Gardner's Basin
Atlantic City Aquarium Historic Gardner's Basin
Atlantic City Aquarium Historic Gardner's Basin
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
481 reviews
Excellent
135
Very good
157
Average
143
Poor
33
Terrible
13
gmoney8162
Lawrence Township, NJ21 contributions
Jul 2020
Left harrahs went here, local fish tanks, a touch tank, a saved local turtle in the main tank. its a 30 minute walk thru, costs cheap. if your in AC and have some time to kill before the drive of shame home, go here. I have been many times, its a nostalgic quaint little aquarium off the beaten path by the harbor. I love the AC aquarium
Written 7 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justover33
Pennsylvania129 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
We were in AC earlier this week and after spending the first couple of afternoons on the boardwalk/beach, where temps were in the low- to mid-90s and the sun was scorching, we decided to head over to the Aquarium the third afternoon instead. It was a quick drive from our hotel (the Showboat) and was easy to find. There was plenty of free parking too, which was nice.
The aquarium features several touch tanks which gave the kids the opportunity to touch sea stars, some type of shark, sting rays, and some other creatures. They really loved this! The other displays featured various fresh water and ocean fish. I loved the jelly fish tank. We toured the 3-level facility in just over an hour.
The kids did mention that they liked the aquarium in Baltimore better but I quickly set them straight - the aquarium in Baltimore is much bigger, with much more to see and do, but it also costs five times as much to get into and they wouldn't have had as much time to take everything in because the Baltimore aquarium is so much busier. After that, they agreed that the AC Aquarium being small wasn't such a bad thing after all.
It was perfect for the cost of admission and was a great way to spend an afternoon, getting out of the sun and away from the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk. I would definitely recommend this for families with children!
The aquarium features several touch tanks which gave the kids the opportunity to touch sea stars, some type of shark, sting rays, and some other creatures. They really loved this! The other displays featured various fresh water and ocean fish. I loved the jelly fish tank. We toured the 3-level facility in just over an hour.
The kids did mention that they liked the aquarium in Baltimore better but I quickly set them straight - the aquarium in Baltimore is much bigger, with much more to see and do, but it also costs five times as much to get into and they wouldn't have had as much time to take everything in because the Baltimore aquarium is so much busier. After that, they agreed that the AC Aquarium being small wasn't such a bad thing after all.
It was perfect for the cost of admission and was a great way to spend an afternoon, getting out of the sun and away from the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk. I would definitely recommend this for families with children!
Written 19 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beans367
Philadelphia, PA1 contribution
Dont even waste your time or money, you can see more animals at the beach, small is not the word and there a really only fish in this thing they call an aquarium, Granted it is cheap 8 buscks to get in but I would rather gave 16 bucks to a homeless person and spent 45 mins in the john. Stop by the casino and through your money in a slot machine, you will have more fun.
Written 10 August 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JerseyHorseLover
Jersey Shore, NJ201 contributions
After seeing the Atlantic City Aquarium booth at the NJ Teacher's Convention, back in November, my niece and I brought our 2 for 1 coupon and checked it out (Entertainment Book). We had so much fun here. There were many families here, and we were lucky to watch the feeding show. A diver was in a tank with sea turtles, sharks, and other species of fish, and was answering questions. There is a touch tank, as well as fish tanks with exotic fish. And, there is aven a frog exhibit. It is located at the North end past Showboat. A lot of fun for all ages.
Written 7 April 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
erinoneill09
Brick, NJ3 contributions
Sept 2013 • Couples
The aquarium was the type of unique location my husband and I were looking for when we were scouting wedding locations. It turned out better than I could have hoped. The area around the aquarium is a great space for guests to wander and check out the boats and marina. There are great views at night from the widows walk on the third floor. And there's not a lot of decorating needed when you have fish and turtles and other sea creatures swimming around.
I'd definitely recommend this location for other people who aren't looking for a typical wedding location. But you do have to be flexible. The aquarium remains open during the day, so your caterer/florist/decorator/whatever can't start setting up until 5 p.m. when it closes.
I'd definitely recommend this location for other people who aren't looking for a typical wedding location. But you do have to be flexible. The aquarium remains open during the day, so your caterer/florist/decorator/whatever can't start setting up until 5 p.m. when it closes.
Written 14 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sparklerblue
Upstate NY64 contributions
Instead of spending more time at the pier playing games....take your family to a real and important part of Atlantic City....you will find that the kids will be entertained while learning something. There is a nice picnic area over looking the marina area...so spend some quality time they will remember and adults can relax for awhile.
Written 21 August 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hollis G
9 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
We try to see something different when we travel to AC, the first time was Lucy the elephant. This trip we decided to visit the aquarium. This was my first visit to any aquarium so I may not be the best judge. But I will say it was a pleasant experience and the price of admission didn't break the bank. ($10 for adults) I would recommend this attraction to anyone looking for something different to do in AC.
Written 17 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bloom424
Atlantic City, NJ8 contributions
Mar 2016
After a recent breakfast trip it began sleeting so we didn't want to walk home in it. We decided to duck into the Aquarium for a bit. We were greeted with warm smiles right from the door. While I am a person who usually just likes to explore on my own (I find it relaxing) this time, I was very impressed by the young lady at the downstairs touch tank who was so giving information and telling marine life stories. I just sat and listened to her for a while. I then went upstairs to my favorite part - the sting ray touch tank. I must have been kneeling in that spot for an hour. I may have left sooner, but once again I was mesmerized by another girl at the tank. Jess was fabulous. She made you feel like you were her best friend, and I had the best time getting splashed by one of the more playful sting rays. I almost hated to leave but we had somewhere we needed to be. I had such a great time, that I have purchased a membership. It pays for itself in just three visits! Seriously, if you are in AC and looking for something to do for a little bit, stop by the aquarium.
Written 22 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cescaa
Washington Township, NJ92 contributions
May 2014 • Family
We went to this aquarium to kill some time in AC. It was just lovely. There are coupons online which you can use....for adults I think its around $7 and kids under 3 are free. There are 3 floors, the first floor has the gift shop and touch tanks as well as regular tanks. It was great! The second floor had some more tanks and different animals. The third floor you are able to walk out and view the surroundings of the aquarium which is in a marina. This has an elevator for strollers. This also can be done in an hour or so.
Written 1 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lola P
Clark, NJ4 contributions
May 2014 • Family
This little aquarium is awesome, and was one of the major highlights of my trip (along with a spontaneous Monkees concert attendance at the Borgata!) Admission was reasonable. I probably covered the entire place within about 30-40 minutes, but the smallness made it feel cozier and easily manageable, and allowed you to spend more time with each animal (and there are some FRIENDLY ones living there! I could easily spend all day hanging out with all of them.) The girl running the register and gift shop section was very nice. I bought a really pretty green moray souvenir magnet (even has Swarovski crystal eyes), and a wonderful plush bluespotted ribbontail ray. This was a terrific place for a stingray lover such as myself.
The first floor's got a very large tank that mimics a section of ocean, with delightful cownose rays, big silver permits, porkfish, etc. Then came some small aquaria housing urchins, a wee but boldly colored lionfish, a hermit crabby, and a mantis shrimp (don't tap his glass or he may shatter it! Although, he was hiding in the back...) A pair of green morays totally won over my mom, who initially thought they were scary-looking, but then decided they were rather adorable; she wound up hoping that they had more space than their tiny display area beyond the rockwork crevices, and I believe that must be the case, as most public aquariums seem to do it that way for morays. The tank I called "surgeonfish central" is of course gorgeous and vividly colorful; they had a couple of butterflies, anthias, etc. in with them. The big predators next door included some incredibly sweet-looking cuties--among them a porcupine puffer who kept staring right at me and "waving," an energetic and amusing clown trigger, an elegant Queen trigger, and a somewhat shy Emperor Snapper who came over to say hi after the others were done with their exuberant greetings.
Then you had your teeny seahorses, your moon jellies (an aquarium staple), and your tomato clownfish who was very enthusiastic in showing off his ability to fluff around in his anemone (his butterflyfish tankmate then swam in front of him as if to say, "Yeah, yeah, we know, big whoop; but look how pretty I am.") The first floor contained all of the currently-open touch tanks, and I got to pet bamboo sharks, sea stars, horseshoe crabs, and curious, scuttling little spider crabs--all of whom felt cool, but none of whom seemed to really appreciate or notice the love all that much. ;p Well, the piled-up bamboo sharks probably did the most; they were just really calm in showing it, but they soaked up the attention. Oh, and the long turtle house was great; they had quite a number of turtles on both the first and second floors. One particular turtle followed me the entire way as I walked to the end of the tank, then sat there scrabbling at me (and at my plush pleco, who was also greeting everyfishie from my purse.) When he finally turned around and said bye, I felt okay heading upstairs.
Second story: Baby cownose rays!! A sign stated that their tank was going to be expanded, and it was roped off so that the pettings were obviously not allowed at the moment. I had a sad, because they were so darned cute and happy-looking. One was thrusting himself up and down the entire time I was there, and another lap-swimmer came over and slapped him on the head. A school of Piranha, very handsome fishies...a couple of snakes, including a big ol' boa...a tarantula who was hiding in the back like the shrimp...and a 'tropical rainforest' walk-through area housing, among others, a big bullfrog (hunkered down in his mud pit, seeming to ignore the daredevil cricket inching ever closer to him), an iguana duo, and a trio of pretty river rays. One friendly ocellate guy (or gal, heh) had a side to him/herself, while the other seemed to dominate his/her side (lying on top of the black one and forcing him out of his resting spot. N'aww. Hope he was just playing around and not being a ray-cist.)
The weirdest thing was the "Pet-a-Pelt" section...opossum, squirrel, skunk, etc. I was just like, "Where...did...these...come...from?" Hoping the animals died naturally and were then skinned, rather than having been killed.
The third floor contains no live animals but antique diving helmets and implements, plus a long balcony so you can walk outside and observe boats on the water. Overall, thumbs up! Go and visit all these adorable animals if you're in AC; they truly will be happy to see you. All of the exhibits were clean, and the critters appeared happy, healthy, and well cared-for.
The first floor's got a very large tank that mimics a section of ocean, with delightful cownose rays, big silver permits, porkfish, etc. Then came some small aquaria housing urchins, a wee but boldly colored lionfish, a hermit crabby, and a mantis shrimp (don't tap his glass or he may shatter it! Although, he was hiding in the back...) A pair of green morays totally won over my mom, who initially thought they were scary-looking, but then decided they were rather adorable; she wound up hoping that they had more space than their tiny display area beyond the rockwork crevices, and I believe that must be the case, as most public aquariums seem to do it that way for morays. The tank I called "surgeonfish central" is of course gorgeous and vividly colorful; they had a couple of butterflies, anthias, etc. in with them. The big predators next door included some incredibly sweet-looking cuties--among them a porcupine puffer who kept staring right at me and "waving," an energetic and amusing clown trigger, an elegant Queen trigger, and a somewhat shy Emperor Snapper who came over to say hi after the others were done with their exuberant greetings.
Then you had your teeny seahorses, your moon jellies (an aquarium staple), and your tomato clownfish who was very enthusiastic in showing off his ability to fluff around in his anemone (his butterflyfish tankmate then swam in front of him as if to say, "Yeah, yeah, we know, big whoop; but look how pretty I am.") The first floor contained all of the currently-open touch tanks, and I got to pet bamboo sharks, sea stars, horseshoe crabs, and curious, scuttling little spider crabs--all of whom felt cool, but none of whom seemed to really appreciate or notice the love all that much. ;p Well, the piled-up bamboo sharks probably did the most; they were just really calm in showing it, but they soaked up the attention. Oh, and the long turtle house was great; they had quite a number of turtles on both the first and second floors. One particular turtle followed me the entire way as I walked to the end of the tank, then sat there scrabbling at me (and at my plush pleco, who was also greeting everyfishie from my purse.) When he finally turned around and said bye, I felt okay heading upstairs.
Second story: Baby cownose rays!! A sign stated that their tank was going to be expanded, and it was roped off so that the pettings were obviously not allowed at the moment. I had a sad, because they were so darned cute and happy-looking. One was thrusting himself up and down the entire time I was there, and another lap-swimmer came over and slapped him on the head. A school of Piranha, very handsome fishies...a couple of snakes, including a big ol' boa...a tarantula who was hiding in the back like the shrimp...and a 'tropical rainforest' walk-through area housing, among others, a big bullfrog (hunkered down in his mud pit, seeming to ignore the daredevil cricket inching ever closer to him), an iguana duo, and a trio of pretty river rays. One friendly ocellate guy (or gal, heh) had a side to him/herself, while the other seemed to dominate his/her side (lying on top of the black one and forcing him out of his resting spot. N'aww. Hope he was just playing around and not being a ray-cist.)
The weirdest thing was the "Pet-a-Pelt" section...opossum, squirrel, skunk, etc. I was just like, "Where...did...these...come...from?" Hoping the animals died naturally and were then skinned, rather than having been killed.
The third floor contains no live animals but antique diving helmets and implements, plus a long balcony so you can walk outside and observe boats on the water. Overall, thumbs up! Go and visit all these adorable animals if you're in AC; they truly will be happy to see you. All of the exhibits were clean, and the critters appeared happy, healthy, and well cared-for.
Written 26 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there free parking nearby and is it walkable to/from Absecom lighthouse?
Written 3 August 2019
We were there off season and there was no fee for parking. It is over a mile from the lighthouse.
Written 3 August 2019
Hi Is the Aquarium a place you can walk too as Im staying on the boardwalk. If so how long does it take to walk to it?
Written 12 April 2017
I wouldn't walk it. It's a cute area. We were there a few weeks ago and at that time the restaurants were open but not some of the smaller shops. It's not a huge area, but we enjoyed walking around (nice views) and although the aquarium was also small but very nice. All the personnel were well informed answered questions and helped the children get acquainted with the fish.
Written 13 April 2017
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