The Mississippi Aquarium Is Opening In April And You'll Want To Visit
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published March 11, 2020
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
There are a ton of great attractions here in Mississippi. However, the one thing we’ve been missing is an aquarium. Luckily, that’s about to change since Mississippi Aquarium is getting ready to open. The state-of-the-art facility boasts some amazing features – a few of which can only be found at a handful of other aquariums. Read on for everything you need to know about Mississippi’s newest attraction.
After much anticipation, the Mississippi Aquarium is set to open in Gulfport on April 30, 2020!
Pretty impressive, the aquarium itself contains 1 million gallons of water. To put that into perspective, the popular Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans has 1.2 million gallons.
But there’s more to the aquarium than, well, an aquarium. The grounds include a variety of indoor and outdoor habitats, which are home to more than 200 species of animals.
One of the aquarium’s most impressive – and unique – features is definitely the suspended 360-degree tunnel, which is completely surrounded by sea life.
Many aquariums have a 180-degree tunnel but very few feature a 360-degree tunnel. With six feet of water above and 12’ of water below, the tunnel’s unique design results in some amazing views.
Another unique feature is Sea Trek, which is a helmet diving experience that allows visitors to get up close and personal with fish, sharks, stingrays, and more. A rare opportunity, there are only a handful of other aquariums in the nation that offer Sea Trek.