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Adventure Aquarium
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
78 reviews for Adventure Aquarium
78 reviews in English
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Review from Amy A.
Norristown, PA
5/1/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I've been a member of the aquarium for about two years. I brought my daughter there was she was around 1, she's almost 3 and loves going.
This aquarium is for families. If you've been to the Baltimore Aquarium it is nothing like it. Adventure Aquarium is geared towards children. It's amazing for kids, there's a lot of hands on activities for them to do.
The aquarium is broken down into different areas.
Fish Area-Various tanks
Sting Ray Area-You can pet and feed the sting rays, there's also an area for under 3 year olds
Shark Area-Similar to the sting rays you can touch small sharks
Kids Zone-It's brand new, it's an area for children to play, move around, and touch things like starfish.
Penguin/Seals-This exhibit is outside and they run shows through out the day.
4D Movie-They rotate 4D movies through, they run about 20-25 minutes.
Hippo/Shark Area-They have two hippos (go later in the day, they are more active) and the exhibit ends walking through a shark tanks. Well technically it ends at the gift shop, like any good musuem/attraction would. :)
There is also an area where you can purchase ice cream and also lunch. The food is sub par quality, but the price is reasonable. You receive a 10% discount as a member.
Parking is steep, $10. If you buy a certain level of membership you receive discount parking on your first 5 visits ($4).
This is a great place for families and the membership is completely worth it if you plan on going back throughout the year. -
Review from Sonic S.
Philadelphia, PA
My first time back here since this place opened back in '92. My wife and I along with our 3 month old son needed to get out of the house and go somewhere, anywhere, preferably kid friendly. why not the aquarium ? we ended up buying the season pass (90$ -2 adults age 2 and under is free) figured if anything we could always come here in the summer for the air conditioning and exercise. The entire experience was a pleasant surprise. My son really seemed to enjoy the sights and sounds and was looking around like crazy. We appreciated the fact that is was easy to get around,the facilities and aquarium were very clean,well lit and actually lacked any odors(hippo enclosure was an exception) One section was closed for renovations (section D) and another section was roped off since we arrived late for the penquin show. That being said we really didn't mind since by this point we were both kinda tired and the little dude needed his bottle.
The only bummer was the 10$ parking fee But then again do you really want to park on any street in camden ? -
Review from Robert O.
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
There's been a running joke in our family for years about this place. Everyone has gone multiple times. My wife and I are school teachers. Our children have taken oodles of class trips here. But whenever it is time to go, I have never been available. For whatever reason, we have never visited during our time off.
Last summer I declared that this year no matter what, I was going to be a chaperone on my son's trip. Finally, that day arrived!
There are four areas to the aquarium, one of which was closed today. Even so, there was plenty to see. The aquarium is attractive. There were three schools here today and probably some off-the-street folks. It did not feel too crowded.
The highlight of the aquarium is the 760,000 salt tank. It is very kewl! One can sit in a theatre to look at it. We saw a show where we could talk to scuba divers who were in the tank. My son really enjoyed that, especially when he was able to high-five one of them through the glass.
For me, the shark tunnel was the highlight. One walks through a room. Sharks swim by and overhead. It was awesome!
We saw hippopotamuses, sharks, turtles, and lots of fish. There are petting areas where children can touch starfish, sharks, and rays. There are penguins and seals outside. How neat!
The staff was extremely patient, helpful, and friendly.
The regular price to attend is quite steep with adult tickets being $23 each. Yikes! It would cost $80-some just to walk in as a family with the parking fee. That will probably relegate this to class trips only for me.
The view of the Delaware River and the Philadelphia skyline are among the best there are. What a splendid way to spend the day. -
Review from Bluejean F.
Philadelphia, PA
4/26/2012
This place is good for kids. Let me repeat, this place is good for kids. If you live local and get a membership here it really is a nice place. If you want a WOW experience for the whole family go to the Baltimore Aquarium. Really nice place for class field trips, but if you go here just once, the place is pricey and crowded. Did I say the place is good for kids so the four stars comes with kids in mind.
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Review from Gene Y.
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
4/15/2012
This is our family's first time here. We have a 6 year old daughter and we're thankful that she's fully aware of which animals are from and what each animal prey upon and who are they fearful of. You know, the biology part of it.
Positives: This is a very impressive, gigantic and new aquarium in the middle of the "most dangerous city in the country", Camden. It has an underground shark viewing area where you can see the shark swimming above you. Very cool!
They also have "swimming with the sharks" for the teens and older for extra money. Although we didn't do this, I'd imagine this to be a cool experience. I believe that the sharks are so well-fed that they could care less for us humans.
The aquarium has a spectacular main tank along with other tanks of so many different varieties of sea creatures that we had to stay for at least 3 hours to see them all.
Negatives: Expensive! For our family of 3, we spent close to $100, including parking and the 4D experience, "Monsters of the Sea". But, it was worth it for a 1-time deal.
The workers were not that informative that we would like them to be. At other places, you have folks who are like walking wikipedia references spouting out amazing facts of certain species. We miss this here.
There's a slight ghetto element within the crowd, but that's unavoidable since it's next to Philly and the surrounding tristate area. You can see the parents' lack of control and frustration over their out-of-control kids during their family outing.
I'd suggest going during the weekdays to avoid the crowd so that your family can appreciate it much more in peace. If we had the chance, we'd go and just sit at the stadium style seating area and watch the sea creatures.
Overall, we enjoyed it very much for us to warrant this wonder in the hood a "4" star rating. -
Review from Pauly G.
4/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was not impressed, 27 dollars an adult... Cheesy decorations, lots of waisted space, dirty glass couldn't even see the hippos, boooo!!! If I had never been to the Aquarium in Chicago and Atlanta this one may have not seemed as bad.
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Review from Melissa B.
Saint Louis, MO
4/9/2012
I really enjoyed this aquarium w/ my 2 yr old son on a trip to NJ. The 2 major downfalls are it's pretty expensive & very crowded! Otherwise, it was a fun experience and we would definitely return.
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Review from Allie H.
What a fun experience! I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and we participated in the Swim with Sharks adventure.
We arrived before the facilities opened and were ready for a 9 a.m. swim time. The employees working the front doors and downstairs seemed bored and inattentive, but they're just random kids. However, the biologists working with the animals were friendly, honest and chatty about the ins and outs of working at the aquarium. My boyfriend and I were taken behind the scenes, fitted with scuba suits and given instructions about safety and diving...and just how freezing the water would feel.
We were in a group with two other people -- a woman and her young nephew -- so it was an intimate experience. The four of us got acclimated to the water first, took a snorkel test, then two biologists led us out into the tank.
You're NOT freely swimming about the tank. That would be incredibly dangerous and many people don't seem to realize that. You're actually kneeling along a ledge with water that's about waist high when you're standing. There's a rock wall where you crouch down into the water, submerge your head and view the sharks and fish as they swim close by. And they DO get close to you. When you're not on the ledge, that's an area where the sharks enjoy swimming along.
You spend about 15 minutes viewing the sharks from that location, then shuffle over to a separate side tank with dozens of sting rays. This was by far my favorite part of the day. We were given a lesson on the rays and each able to feed them, then freely swim around with them while they swam in circles. So much fun! They're like weird little water puppies and will cuddle all over you. After about 20 minutes in that tank, we went back to view the sharks for another 10-15 minutes, then got out to shower and change. All told, you're in the water for about 45 minutes -- and that's enough, really. It's freezing and you'll be thrilled either way.
We were able to leisurely stroll around the aquarium for the rest of the afternoon. I'd recommend the touch-a-shark exhibit and timing your visit to see some of the many presentations throughout the day.
The biologists are great, the regular employees are so-so and the crowds are heavy even at 10 a.m. on a Sunday. At $175 per person for the shark adventure, it is a pricey experience, the tickets also include the $23 admission to the rest of the aquarium, $10 parking, a t-shirt, snorkel equipment (~$20 value) and a souvenir photo for each person. Maybe I'm justifying the expense, but we had a great time. -
Review from Tesheca L.
Jersey City, NJ
9/18/2011
The only aquarium in NJ of this magnitude. It has every possible thing you could imagine- sharks, hippos swimming, fossils, many schools of fish, crustacean, etc.
The price was okay, about $60 per ticket. There is ample lot parking for a fee. The only cons would be the vendor food selection is crap, and the area is Camden NJ- rated worst in America. Driving through there and getting lost was not a fun experience, but I didnt witness any criminal activities, but then again I was there in the daytime. Anyhoo, I digress...
I would recommend you take your children to see this aquarium, it beats the NY aquarium. Couples could attend, but keep in mind that there are noisy little children every step you make lol. -
Review from Wes N.
Philadelphia, PA
1/17/2012
This aquarium is very expensive and caters exclusively to children. Believe it or not, adults like educational facilities too. Check out the Philadelphia Zoo or drive to Baltimore. Even DC's National Aquarium in the basement of the Commerce Building offers a more enlightening experience. This felt like a $32 episode of Romper Room.
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Review from Thomas A.
Lyndhurst, NJ
9/15/2011
I only first heard of this aquarium from watching an episode of Undercover Boss. Then when I realized it was in Camden I said, "I think I'll pass." But I gave it a shot with the family and it was worth the drive and possible danger (literally one minute into Camden I saw a young guy walking across the street when he had a red light and then try to start a fight and spit at the older woman driving towards him, even though she had the green light).
Major complaints go to that evil gift shop (positioned perfectly to ruin your day when you have small kids that want a little of everything even though you only went through one wing of the place and have 3 more to go) and vending machines (Skittles on a hot day in the sun is never a pretty sight for two unruly kids).
All the asides aside... it's a great place but a little pricey (admission, food court and gift shop can really dent your wallet). It's big, clean and has some really wild stuff (I learned what "4D" is all about as well). And there's a lot to do when you leave there as well (like the battleship exhibit). -
Review from Secret V.
Philadelphia, PA
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great place but EXPENSIVE. And a whole section was closed when I went so I didn't even get my $26.93's worth. But hey, I like penguins, sharks, seals, jellyfish, kids pressing their faces against the glass, nice staf people, and oh yeah--HIPPOS!
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Review from Maureen M.
Philadelphia, PA
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yes, there are rude children pushing and shoving everywhere. Yes, the employees are all miserable. But we manage to have a good time every time we go here. There is a new exhibit opening Spring 2012 so one area was closed when we last went but there was plenty of other things to do. The kids got to pet the sharks and sting rays, their favorite part, so I was happy. I got to see the hippos which are my favorite even though they're smelly. All in all, a good time.
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Review from Mandi F.
Glenolden, PA
9/4/2011
Fun but could be better.
Cons:
1. Get tickets ahead of time online.
2. Bring things to eat... extra expensive food court
3. DON'T GO ON THE 4TH OF JULY... VERY VERY VERY CROWED.
4. The rays aren't much fun after you touch one.
5. The penguins don't do anything.
6. The glass arch to watch sharks is lackluster
7. Not the best neighborhood to drive through to get to
Pros:
1. The hippo loves to interact with children
2. The huge tanks are fun with all the fish and turtles
3. BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF PHILADELPHIA
Added to Philly list since you see the great view of Philly from the aquarium and it's a few minutes away. -
Review from Kenna M.
Jersey City, NJ
7/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
My boyfriend and i didnt actually go there to learn anything--just a quick sunday date. So the fact that almost all of the viewing tanks had little to no educational excerpt attached to it didnt bug me. Though, i think it would be a good idea to have.
If you can overlook rowdy children and their inconsiderate parents, then you will find this place pretty entertaining.
My only interests in this place were the touch tanks (an inlet, stingrays, baby sharks & jellyfish) those parts were pretty cool until a toddler next to me started splashing so vigorously that the stringrays almost went into cardiac arrest.
The hippos were cool, too. The exhibit was real stinky, but that was expected.
One of the biggest cons in the whole aquarium must have been the lack of staff. The shark tunnel was crowded because there was nobody to regulate it.
And, even with staff present, it seemed unorderly. Example: A woman was yelling at her son in the gift shop to put a toy back. Eventually, she got tired of her son not listening that she let him walk out with the toy, and not a staff member attentive enough to intercept the tot's thievery. As a matter of fact, i remeber the high school aged staff members standing around chatting about their work schedule. Total fail. Apparently they werent really working, huh?
Overall, if you have a tolerance for screaming kids, then this place is pretty cool for a sunday day trip (considering we drove about an hour to get there) -
Review from Phillip Y.
Des Moines, IA
8/7/2011
I visited here right before the concert at Susquehanna Bank Center. I got here at 1:30 PM and tried to park at the concert parking lot across from the aquarium. The concert parking attendant told me to come back at 3:00 PM. I visited the aquarium parking which was $10- plenty of space and already paid for admission (reg price approaching $25). That's a total of $35 if you didn't get a discount on your ticket. I got my ticket through my township recreation office for $17. More reasonable- check with your local town office for discounted pass. There are several exhibits to visit- A, B, C, D which goes through different areas of the world from ocean, stream, jungle, and arctic. Some of the highlights are listed below.
* Pet a shark tank- lots of different ones
* Pet a jellyfish, brine shrimps, underwater rollie-pollie, and lobsters with crabs
* Shark tunnel- amazing to see a sawtoothed shark lying at the top
* Hippo display- yup, a couple of happy hippos but smelly
* 4-D Theatre- watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
Overall, I think it was okay but considering the price you pay- you might as well go the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Neighboring city is not too safe so can't really visit the area. Other things to see are the ship and museum with the boardwalk. Kind of a bummer especially if you planned to see the museum and then a concert.
I came back at 3PM and was told to come back at 4:30PM because Camden police was not ready yet. Aggrrr... I drove over to Cherry Hill Mall before the concert to have dinner with friends. A slight disappointment but not bad considering I have never petted a shark, jellyfish, and underwater rollie-pollie.
Also, I got to check out the 4-D theater but was also disappointed- the movie was cut short from original 90 min to only 50 min. Well, you got windy blowing up your leg and water squirted from above. Seat also vibrated a bit as well. That's pretty good considering you don't have to travel all the way to Universal Studios or Disney Parks in CA or FL. -
Review from Mich L.
7/22/2011
Even though it's summer, there are still many field trips happening. Adventure Aquarium is simply non-stop busy during the daytime hours because I went on a Monday and it was already crowded.
Not a huge problem for me because I pretty much blend right into the screaming mass of excited children, pushing and yelling and smudging up the glass views with oily handprints. All I need is a colored t-shirt and a baseball cap and I am waaay down to accept a children's discount, guys~!
Just kidding, I was on my best behavior because I was accompanied by an adult, a.k.a the boyfriend. He felt no need to put me on a child-leash so I was free to roam the aquarium as long as I held onto his hand.
Besides the exotic fish, memorable highlights include sharks, stingrays, penguins, giant tortoises, jellyfish, seahorses, ugly animals, pretty animals, an attention-loving hippopotamus and more!
I am strangely drawn to sharks so the shark tunnel and the chance to touch tiny sharks filled me up with extreme glee and fascination. Definitely my favorite.
There's also touching stations for stingrays and jellyfish.
__________________________________________________ _
Admission is expensive ($22.95 adult + tax) but I saved $5 on admission through RecycleBank Rewards.
Other ways to save:
1. NJ PATCO Freedom card - save $2 on up to 5 tickets when you show your card
2. Ride NJ Transit - save $2 when you present your NJ transit ticket/pass/receipt
(Cannot stack savings on top of each other) -
Review from Sherry Z.
Hoboken, NJ
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Visited this aquarium over Labor Day weekend, we had lots of fun here. Different from the other aquarium, this one keep two real hippopotamuses in the African session. It is amazing to see how these two huge creatures mingle among all the African tropical fishes.
Kids love "Touch the [S]hark" session. Girls felt the sharks' skins for the first time and were amazed how smooth they are. Jelly Fish Tanks and Clown Fish Tanks are very impressive. Of course, kids can not have enough of Shark Tanks..
Seal shows are very interesting and educational.Listed in: Adventures with Kids
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Review from Aaron T.
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm mixed here because while I enjoyed most of the Aquarium exhibits (Shark Tunnel in particular) with the family a few things really stuck out. 1) The staff (outside of the biologists) all clearly hate their jobs. Don't think I saw one employee smile the entire time I was there. 2) The food was below average and the cafeteria placed far too close to the Hippo Exhibit which brings me to my next point... 3) I know it's an aquarium, but as soon as we got off the elevator on the second floor we were overcome with the stench of bird droppings and stale fish water. Whoever thought to put the entrance to the Hippo Attraction right next to the food court must have had dung for brains. It was gagtastic.
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Review from Laura P.
Minneapolis, MN
4/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Love!
Love the sharks,
love the jellyfish,
love the sting rays,
love the sea turtle,
love the sea horses,
love love love love the shark tunnel!
This place is awesome.
I love it.
Love!
It's $24 for admission....bleh.
But it's pretty worth it.Listed in: Philadelphia!!!!
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Review from l s.
Sparta, NJ
3/14/2012
Worth the trip if youre going to visit philly. Pretty pricey tho. $10 to park was a lil annoying. The tickets themselves are pricey for what u get. A whole section closed when we went. I could barely see the hippos through the dirty glass. Big disappointment. Luckily we didn't eat there. The shark tunnel was small and crowded. The penguins were hiding the whole time. This trip was worth it because when we went it was not very crowded and we were going to philly anyway. But I could picture that place full of screaming children and long lines to see everything and could see how it would be a waste of money during peak season.
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Review from Amy C.
Somers Point, NJ
2/27/2011
I thought this place was pretty cool. I don't get all the complaints about it being crowded with kids. What the heck do people expect?
We visited early on a Sunday - got there just after opening- and had a great time. It was just getting crowded as we were finishing up our visit.
There were lots of touch tanks for the kids. The exhibits were interesting. I especially liked the shark area.
Overall, a good day. I would definitely go back. -
Review from J E.
Hillsborough, NJ
6/4/2011
Adventure Aquarium is fantastic! I've gone numerous times, have a season pass and have gone with little campers as well. It does get crowded during the week in the summer time bc of camps. The best time to go is off season. I love all of the touch exhibits and the staff there are so friendly and excited to educate people about the different animals and oceanic conservation. The shark tunnel is incredible! I also love the hippo tank and jelly fish exhibits. The new sting ray touch pool is amazing too! I couldn't believe how many swan up to me to be pet!
This is a wonderful place to come with your family. They have a food court, but to be honest, it always smells horrible, so we avoid it. I believe parking is $10 and if you have kids, be prepared bc you are forced to pass through the gift shop at some point. Ive witnessed many child melt downs in there over the years! -
Review from Michael U.
Dublin, OH
9/12/2010 16 photos
I've now been to most of America's best aquariums and would consider this one to be somewhat middle of the road. Not as exquisitely child oriented as some, that is a plus. The large viewing tanks for both tropicals and sharks are some of the best done anywhere - the tunnel is another excellent piece that the developers should be proud of as it is better than similar versions elsewhere.
The Hippoquarium is a novelty for the aquarium, though we do have it at the Toledo Zoo (the first one, I might add) and the use of aquatic birds to break up the fish monotony is a plus. A final bonus is the jellyfish exhibit - not the best, but a good one regardless.
Minuses of this aquarium are that since it is not quite as kiddie as others, the children seemed more poorly behaved. The lack of staff to enforce a "no running" or "no screaming like a little bastard" rule further exaccerbated the situation. The area the aquarium is in is decent - but getting there from the bus stop is probably one of the most dangerous stretches of walking I've ever seen. Additionally, the price of admission and the gift shop are quite inappropriate.....especially in New Jersey.
Overall a nice place to visit, but probably not an aquarium I'd recommend as a "must" to friends - that is reserved for better places. -
Review from Walt D.
Little Falls, NJ
11/13/2011
Good aquarium. Compared to Florida Aquarium (other aquarium I've been to within memory), I think it's probably somewhat better (hippo exhibit gives it extra points). One of the wings was closed, and we weren't told when we bought our tickets - so you may want to ask if everything is open. We also did the 4D theatre. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was fun - the other feature (it was double feature) was really cheesy and only suitable for kids.
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Review from Enrique P.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1/6/2011
Overall a nice experience 3.5 rounded to 4, we went on a Thursday and it was empty. I have been to a few aquariums being the nicest one in Atlanta. We saw several interesting fish and my wife that has a PhD in wildlife biology was happy. Kids can also touch many different animals more than all other Aquariums I've been to.
Negs: the layout does not make much sense just a bunch of animals together. If you want to learn something you have to watch the videos since the signs are lacking and some don't even match what's on exhibit. -
Review from Natalie D.
Philadelphia, PA
7/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
I'm torn over the Adventure Aquarium. Be prepared to do battle and spend all your time looking into aquariums from the middle of the room, because the ignorant guests and lack of staff won't let you get any closer.
Pros: Cute penguins, seals, and hippos; touching live animals; the Disney-esque viewing area along with the hippos; finished quickly.
Cons (get ready):
-Witnessed an adorable, furry little creature be wisked away to become something's LUNCH. It bothered me as a 22-year-old, watching this cute thing before it was implied with a laugh it was going off to die by the emo skater gurrrrrl carrying it. I can only imagine the damage it'd have on a kid.
-Staff? What staff? The only staff you'll find not at petting areas or shows are in the gift shop and food court, or trying to take your picture downstairs. Also, they are all about 18 and under, and would rather gossip than help you.
- The walk-through shark tunnel thing says "Max Occupancy: 20 People." (Can't remember the exact number but it was very small, 24 probably at the most.) Every person in South Jersey was in it at once, making it totally impossible to enjoy. It stunk like BO and roadkill. The one employee that was in there found it hilarious to see so many people try to jam in, along with 17 strollers, 172 kids on sugar highs, and shirtless, disgusting sweaty men. EW.
-Terrible neighborhood (but it's Camden. The only nice part of it is the Riversharks stadium. Remember to bring every defense mechanism you own.)
-Cramped, poor layout. Whose idea was it to make the octopus tank as big as a quarter and about 6 inches from a protruding railing? Having a tour group thrust me into it so they didn't have to wait was not fun.
-Small viewing windows to 98% of aquariums in general.
-Pushy foreigners who spoke English but pretended not to when you asked them to stop pushing you out of the way
-So dark in some areas I was easily lost and afraid someone would pickpocket me, especially due to a lack of aquarium employees' presence. (I was carrying a very large, open-topped Louis Vuitton tote)
-Ill-behaved children and parents who didn't even notice they were
missing, but were sure to be the same ones on the news crying the next day
-STUNK of fried foods
-Extremely overpriced (who knew you could blow close to $100 on parking, two adult tickets, and two crappy movie tickets THEY DIDN'T EVEN CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU HAD AT THE THEATRE ENTRANCE - I don't usually advocate this, but don't even buy them, it was a waste. Just sneak in, they obviously don't care.)
-Done quickly. A pro AND con? Yep. If you're in a rush, it's good. If you blew $100 to be annoyed and stepped on for 2 hours, you're pissed.
To Jason T. that works there: Isn't that defeating the purpose of Yelp? To post the highlights about your own work? It says so right in the review box. If so many people think that it's overpriced, poorly laid out, and full of obnoxious children who aren't monitored because there literally are NO WORKERS AROUND, except in the gift shop and food court, maybe it's true. You might think your job is the most awesome thing on the planet, but it is the thoughts of the clients that matter the most, and the general concensus clearly is not a good one.
I'd rather flush $100 down the toilet, thanks. -
Review from DJ M.
Feasterville-Trevose, PA
4/30/2009 18 photos
With the Earth being covered by 70% water, there are a lot of creatures down under the Sea. This is one of the nicer Aquariums I've been to and it keeps getting better with each visit.
Button & Jenny may argue with that statement and I try not to argue with them! They are 3000 pound, each Hippos from the Nile and considered one of Africa's most ferocious beasts. Remember to look for the African porcupine. Hippos can open their mouths to 4 feet and they are smart enough not to take a bite of our prickly friend.
When you walk into the Adventure Aquarium you are greeted by a two story Rainforest, with sounds of waterfalls, tribal music and animal sounds. I think this greeting alone makes this Aquarium unique.
Have you ever dreamed of swimming with the sharks? Come on now, you know you have! You can do it here, under guidance and for a special fee. They have a 40 foot tunnel with over 20 sharks and other friendly sea creatures. This experience is for certain dates only. Cost is $150.00 for a 2 hour thrill of swimming with the sharks, for season ticket holders. It is $165.00 for the same experience for non season ticket holders. Chickens don't swim with sharks, so I decided to pass!
In another area you can view a Giant Pacific Octopus, jelly fish and Giant Spider Crabs. There is also a 4D theater, which I have not been into yet.
In the Caribbean Exhibition you will see colorful macaws, seahorses, barracudas and beautiful tropical fish and corals.
Very rare and seldom seen in an aquarium are Shark Rays, only 10 locations in the world have them on exhibit. They are native to Indo-Pacific waters. While here look for the 350-pound Loggerhead Sea Turtle and the Stingrays.
There are seals and awesome shows, penguins that walk funny and swim. They have a touch, feel and get wet area for the kids
The Feeding Frenzy Cafe serves kid friendly meals as well as salads and sandwiches for the bigger kids. There is indoor and outdoor seating.
Getting to the Aquarium is easy from many directions, but I always park at Penn's Landing and take the Riverlink Ferry across.
Open 365 days per year, the hours are from 9:30 to 5:00. To avoid lines, tickets can be purchased on the net. They also offer season and yearly passes.
Come and swim with the sharks and stare down the hippos, I double dog dare you! -
Review from Lidia B.
Philadelphia, PA
9/7/2007 ROTD 11/16/2007
I used to be hooked on the Baltimore aquarium.. WHY? no idea. That placed SUCKS! compared to Adventure Aquarium. I bought my daughter a passport here last fall, and we've definitely made good of it! Everyone raves about the hippo tank and the penguins and they're are both great, but my favorite part. Are the huge panoramic tank that can be viewed from various locations in the aquarium. Especially the undersea wreck. You walk in and it's dark folks, and they have all these huge tropical fishes. It's so relaxing watching these fishes and the music they have playing. My favorite? The HUGE puffer fish. SO CUTE! All the videos they have playing that accompanies the tanks are cool too, but definitely check out the one on octopuses near the jelly fish tank. MY GOD I did not know they did that!! Wanna know what I'm talking about? Come check out the aquarium!
PLUS I do agree w/ one of the reviewers. To come here. *ahem* intoxicated. And stare that the Jelly fish tank in the lower gallery after the hippos . definitely interesting. -
Review from Jen R.
Philadelphia, PA
10/7/2008
This place is great for kids. I've taken my little cousins for their first time and they loved it at ages 3 and 4. They were brave enough to touch sharks and jelly fish and star fish.
Its a great time for adults and children alike. I love watching the childrend's faces glow when they see the hippos jumping around or even the colorful fish.
It does get very crowded here so I would suggest going on a day during the week or very early on the weekend. It is worth taking a day off from work or even taking a half day of work so that you and your child dont feel rushed. They have a new section for kids which is great for them to play with other kids and learn about sharks.
I dont have kids of my own but I normally take kids with me when I come here. They make it more fun.
It would be a nice place for a date as well. -
Review from Monique C.
Philadelphia, PA
9/9/2011
A bit too expensive for what little you'll see and experience. Baltimore's aquarium is bigger but just as lackluster. Could be a lot better. You'll complete a full tour of this place in an hour. As one lady said "that was a total waste." Sadly, I agree since I wanted to like this place but after $100 was left shaking my head in bewilderment.
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Review from Susan G.
7/8/2007
I love aquariums.
The last time I stopped in...so as not to look too foolish...we drug my niece and nephew along, we had sooo much fun here!
I was so excited when I got the chance to pet a Shark...smooth little guys they are! Also the Parans are super cool...especially if you catch them at feeding time!
The kids got pretty excited about the hippo and the penguins as well.
I really like how clean it is here. With the large observation tank...there is always a clear view...they really take the time to clean the glass.
The food however....now theres where we could improve a bit. Maybe less fast food and some more healthy choices....a nice kept salad bar to replace the silly one they have would have been a nice start. All in all a great local place to check out! -
Review from Jing G.
Los Angeles, CA
5/18/2009
I wanted to give this place more but Yelp says 2 stars is "I've had better".. and I definitely have.
This is a small aquarium with limited amounts of everything except noisy obnoxious kids. Although I should preface and say in case Emerlyn reads this, that I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I appreciated the VIP tickets and the discount!!
Anyway, this place has a smattering of aquatic creatures, some jellyfish, sharks, fish, frogs, etc. 2 hippos, a number of birds, penguins and seals. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Three (maybe unassociated to the quality of the aquarium) complaints:
- Is it necessary to have ice cream and fried foods everywhere IN AN AQUARIUM? Goodness knows Americans don't need more of this!
- Is it necessary to bring SO MANY badly behaved kids? Or babies who are so young they can't comprehend or learn anything from the experience, but instead can only contribute to annoying others?
- They should tell parents to bring a baby backpack. It was impossible to walk anywhere with all the strollers in the way.
The "special" exhibits like the seal feeding, etc. I should've guessed catered towards the younger children in the audience.. nothing really entertaining or enlightening could be garnered from them for the average adult.
In all of the aquariums I've been to, this is a distance 3rd and I've only been to 3. The other 2 - the Kaiyuukan in Osaka and the Baltimore Aquarium - towered in scope and layout in comparison to this place.
Overall, an underwhelming experience. Although I got to poke a seaslug and I was surprised how squishy it was since when I ate one raw last week, it was really crunchy. -
Review from Dave C.
Philadelphia, PA
4/14/2009
An overwhelming amount of kids smashing the water above an interactive "Touch a Stingray" exhibit...
No one tells them to stop screaming, no one tells them to stop slapping the water...
Children vomiting on each other and tearing each other to ribbons... Bruising their hands and grinding their foreheads against the glass tanks, running into themselves and splitting and exploding into bloody messes, all of them losing themselves in a frothing-wide-mouthed frenzy. All of them, all of them horrible.
The aquarium itself is brilliant, a lovely establishment....
The schools and families that frequent it........ wretched. -
Review from michelle c.
Hudson County, NJ
7/30/2011
I've always enjoyed going to aquariums. Water is so soothing and blue and wet. When I looked up some information about this one in Camden, it said that there might be more traffic than usual because of some radio station festival taking place that day. Unfazed, I took a mental note to just leave a little earlier than usual. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, this could not happen, so we ended up leaving a little later than we should have. We kicked around the idea of not going at all or going somewhere else, but no, we had to go. We had an ADVENTURE waiting for us! About an hour later, we ran into the aforementioned traffic. Putting our two Filipino heads and Verizon GPS together, we were able to get out of it with ease. And with the grace of God, a brand new parking lot opened up just as we were passing by, so we were able to take care of that with no problem. Walking a couple of blocks to the aquarium wasn't that big of a deal, it was the fact that we were surrounded by overzealous festival fans.
After some quick Googling, we learned that it was a country music festival. The aquarium website didn't mention that. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate country music. I actually have some country on my iPod and I'm not talking about Taylor Swift either. But some of these fans were drunk, throwing bottles, fighting, reppin' confederate flags and rockin' swastikas on their bodies. I wasn't ready for that. I just came to see some freakin' fish!
Finally getting into the aquarium, I was delightfully surprised at the serenity and the lack of kids. Perhaps, the warning about the traffic scared the crowds away. I touched everything that could be touched (baby sharks, stingrays, the crap in the hard bodies pool) and never used so much anti-bacterial in my life. Thankfully, the aquarium provides it for you. They must have a lifetime membership to Costco. Note to you: if you got small arms like me (I'm no T-rex, but I'm petite) wear something sleeveless to this joint or your clothes will get wet when you're reaching. I couldn't push my sweater high enough up my arms. Hippos are ginormous. Their chew toys are tires. Ridiculous. We sat in this one spot just staring at the tank (where the shark ray and hammerhead lounge) until they told us we had to leave. When the day started I had no idea how much I was going to enjoy this place. Two enthusiastic big thumbs up. Just wish I didn't have to suffer through the fear of being the victim of a hate crime to get to it. -
Review from Daniel C.
Branchburg, NJ
7/23/2009
If you are an adult with no children, stay away from this overpriced , small, poorly designed aquarium. Parking plus general admission was a steep $52 for the two of us!
I thought it was poorly laid out..after you walk in, you must go thru the eating area, which smells like one big oily french fry. The signs to guide you around are kind of pathetic and it was rare to see any guides anywhere. Even the displays would not list all the different types of fish or whatever in them.
The place was crawling with noisy little snot filled kids, many in strollers which made it hard to walk around. We were finished looking at everything in under 2 hours.
The biggest areas were the eating area and the gift shop where they can gouge you for more of your hard earned dollars.
It was not worth the money we paid, and even if you have kids, I think you can find a better value for the money. -
Review from Alan C.
McLean, VA
12/20/2010
This aquarium has done a poor job of supporting its staff and volunteers.
While this aquarium does have some fun things to see, i would drive a few hours to a different aquarium to avoid supporting this facility.
http://www.philly.com/... -
Review from Kevin W.
Philadelphia, PA
7/9/2007
Well Russ, some of our friends hooked up on more relaxing drugs might want to visit the aquarium. It can be a very rewarding and relaxing experience on a hot summer day. You know, sitting in the air conditioning, watching the colorful fish drift past, eating french fries, watching the colorful fish drift past. It's a very chill experience. Not that I've had this exact experience per se. :-)
All joking aside, the penguins are the cutest freaking things in the world. They, alone, are worth the trip. Plus, the big giant hippo makes amazing poops. Have your camera ready! -
Review from Russ C.
PA
2/23/2007
There are very few reasons to visit our neighbor to the east, Camden (unless of course you are hooked on smack). But, the Aquarium is one of the few attributes which are worth the trip. Did you know Camden is one of the largest cities without a major grocery store? Why? Because it does not have the economy to support one.
While it is nowhere close to as good as the Baltimore Aquarium, Camden holds its own as a respectable venue for marine life. At $17.95/person, the Aquarium is an affordable place to spend a boring rainy day. Make sure to check out one of the coolest exhibits; the Hippo tank, where two 3000 pound Hippos spend their days. -
Review from Alana M.
Chalfont, PA
8/3/2008
Went here a few months back with my boyfriend as an anniversary surprise (which included a blindfold, and me navigating him through the public transportation systems of PA and NJ with a sign on his back) as he hadn't been there since he was a tot.
I myself hadn't been there since it was redone and changed to "the adventure aquarium!" but oh my god! It was amazing! The exhibits are much more interactive and since it was Winter the crowds were not bad--well unless you cound the scuba santa swimming with sharks--that got a bit busy--haha.
Who knew you could even touch jellyfish..and weird shrimp-ish things.
Since we went a bit later, one of the girls at a station was putting the aquatic life "away" and let us pick up the sea cucumbers!! haha! quite fun!
Definitely a place to go either on a nice date or a fun family day!
One of the only things that I would ever go to camden for other than for the s.b.arena.
