Audubon Aquarium

4.4(17K)google

3.7(682)yelp

$45 - $55 USD(The Aquarium and Insectarium are now combined into a single ticket, with individual pricing fluctuating within this range)

FamilyIndoor

Overview

Audubon Aquarium is an aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. After a $41 million dollar renovation that would see the Audubon Insectarium merge with the facility, the aquarium reopened with new exhibits and experiences on June 8, 2023. The Audubon Nature Institute runs the aquarium, and the institute also supervises the Audubon Zoo, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES), Coastal Wildlife Network, Audubon Wilderness Park, and Audubon Park.

Practical Info

1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA

Suggested Duration2.5-4 hours

Best TimeExcellent year-round, ideally during weekday afternoons (1:30 PM - 4:00 PM). Visiting during this frame successfully bypasses the massive morning school field trips, allowing a peaceful viewing experience inside the 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico exhibit. This time also aligns beautifully with live diver-feeding presentations.

Getting ThereLocated directly on the Mississippi riverfront at 1 Canal Street. Drivers must utilize paid commercial parking garages like the ones at the adjacent Hilton or JAX Brewery. For public transit, take the Riverfront Streetcar to the dedicated Aquarium Station, or take the Canal Streetcar to its riverfront turnaround loop.

Travel Tips

Located at the foot of Canal Street along the river; street parking is non-existent, use the neighboring Caesars Casino multi-story public parking garages.
Weekend peak bottlenecks paralyze entrance turnstiles between 11 AM and 2 PM; purchasing digital timed-entry passes beforehand is mandatory to bypass the queues.

Photo Tips

Photo Rules

The main underwater walk-through tunnels operate under low ambient light; tripods and camera flashes are prohibited to avoid blind-stressing endangered marine life.

Reviews

Positive

The aquarium has recently been completely renovated, boosting its visual impact; the massive Gulf of Mexico walk-through tunnel lets you watch sharks and sea turtles swim overhead.
Exhibits beautifully merge classic marine fauna with Louisiana's native wetland ecology; you see colorful coral reef fish alongside incredibly rare albino alligators.
Interior amenities are highly modern and clean; accessible paths cover the entire layout, and powerful A/C makes it a heavenly refuge from intense Southern summer heat for families.
Flawless location right on the Canal Street riverfront next to ferry docks and streetcars; booking a combo package with the insectarium offers top value, backed by warm staff.

Heads up

Single-entry tickets and nearby multi-story parking garage fees are quite steep; partner lots practice heavy surge pricing on weekends, making family expenses high.
Weekends or school summer camp peak seasons bring heavy crowd density waves; penguin tanks and touch pools get jam-packed with shouting kids, spoiling a quiet view.
Despite renovations, for travelers who have visited mega-aquariums like Georgia's, the physical footprint here feels compact, taking only 1.5 hours to finish.
The cafe hot food assembly lines run very slowly during peak lunchtime hours; long queues are common, and the food tastes plain while carrying a notable tourist price markup.