National Aquarium

The nonprofit National Aquarium opened on August 8, 1981 in Baltimore City's Inner Harbor. With a mission to connect people with nature to inspire compassion and care for our ocean planet, the Aquarium is consistently ranked as one of the nation's top three aquariums and as Maryland's largest paid tourist attraction, featuring thousands of fishes, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals living in award-winning habitats.

Today, the National Aquarium builds on its rich history of local, regional and global conservation initiatives that provide real solutions for protecting aquatic and marine life alongside human communities. We prioritize our work to focus on combatting climate change, saving wildlife and habitats, and stopping plastic pollution, and we advocate for smarter policies at local, state and federal levels. We have rescued, rehabilitated and released hundreds of marine mammals and endangered sea turtles throughout the mid-Atlantic region, and are active participants in important research efforts. We educate thousands of students each year, helping to create the next generation of environmental stewards. Through education, research, conservation action and advocacy, the National Aquarium is pursuing a vision to change the way humanity cares for our ocean planet.