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Plan Your Aquarium Visit We'd Love to See You!

From easy timed entry to tours and experiences, your Aquarium experience is just a few clicks away.

Daily Schedule What's Happening?

Dolphin Tour

Dolphin Discovery
Additional Fee 10 Spots Left

Sea Lion 4D

4D Theater
Additional Fee 205 Spots Left

Shark Talk

Blacktip Reef

Shark: A 4D Experience®

4D Theater
Additional Fee 225 Spots Left

Featured Animals Thousands of animals. Hundreds of species. One Aquarium.

Learn about animals from all over our blue planet—from the depths of the ocean to the canopy of the rain forest—and discover the connection they all share with water.

Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)

This species is Maryland's state reptile.

Learn More

Channeled Whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus)

Fourspot Flounder (Hippoglossina oblonga)

Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum)

What's New Stories From the National Aquarium

Multimedia Wallpaper Wednesdays: Bound for the Beach

Conservation Keeping Spotted Lanternflies in Check

News 45 Years of Memories

Dive Deeper: Featured Series

Series Mistaken Identities

In our Mistaken Identities series, we're diving into the differences between animals that share similarities—from puffins and penguins to skates and stingrays.

View Full Series

Latest in this series:

Mistaken Identities: Whelks vs. Conchs

Mistaken Identities: Sea Otters vs. River Otters

Mistaken Identities: Ospreys vs. Bald Eagles

Conservation Driving Conservation Action for the Benefit of People, Animals and the Planet

The National Aquarium's mission—to connect people with nature to inspire compassion and care for our ocean planet—begins within the Aquarium itself. It also reaches far beyond. Our work includes education, habitat restoration, animal rescue, advocacy and sustainable practices, including our commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2035.

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