Aquarium of the Americas

Lonely Planet review

Aquarium of the Americas simulates an eclectic selection of watery habitats - look for the rare white alligator. You can buy combination tickets to the Imax theater next door and the Audubon Zoo in Uptown (; boats from Woldenberg Park go there).

New Orleans voters should be congratulated for funding the Aquarium of the Americas, operated by the Audubon Institute. Here you can go eye-to-eye with giant tropical creatures from the Amazon basin, see spotted moray eels and hawksbill turtles in a walk-through Caribbean reef tube or watch incredible specimens of Gulf species through 4m (14ft) high windows. Mr Bill, a 40 year old sawfish, even shares his tank with an oil platform (that doesn't leak). Of course, the Mississippi River and Delta wetlands environments are displayed, but the 'Americas' apparently extend to the farthest reaches of the Arctic.

The air-conditioned aquarium is at the foot of Canal St, near Woldenberg Park and next to the Canal St Ferry. Use the Riverfront streetcar if you don't want to walk from the French Quarter. The Zoo Cruise also docks here, and you can get a variety of combination tickets to both the Audubon Zoo and the aquarium, including the price of the cruise.