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| - Atmosphere: The Cleveland Aquarium is a refreshing change from the aquarium norm- it's nestled in the basement of an old powerhouse versus the massively large, built from scratch aquariums I've been to previously. As of the last couple months, crowds are not bad which therefore make it rather comfortable moving around. It's also right along the river which is a plus for the summer, as you can walk along the riverbank by the Nautica boat launch site.
Price: Fail. As a for-profit aquarium it seems to a bit steep on a ratio basis, but I'm assuming they are also setting themselves up for a round two build by taking on the extra dollars and helping finance a future expansion. The aquarium clearly gets expensive for families versus some other large attractions in the area (zoo, science center, botanical gardens, etc.).
Time: Realistically spending 1.5-2 hrs there is reasonable but can certainly not become an all-day event.
Don't Miss/Highlights: 1, shark tank tubes- not that other aquariums won't have them but when a shark is swimming towards your face it's always fun. 2, petting a stingray if they have this going on when you're there. 3, there's an illumination chamber that shows jellyfish in a tank above your head that's pretty awesome. Apparently some other aquariums have something like this but I've never been to them.
Best For: "Something different" to do than the standard Cleveland sightsees. Going ahead of a Nautica Pavilion night time concert, with a mezzanine visit to the nearby Shooters restaurant on the water for dinner. After reading 20,000 leagues under the sea. Families w/ kids if you can afford the steep price.
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