New Jersey State Aquarium

Pros: good for a day trip. Shark tunnel, Hippos
Cons: expensive, can be very crowded on weekends

My husband and I first discovered Adventure Aquarium on our own. He had an appointment in Philly and we had a couple of hours before that scheduled time. We decided to stop in Camden, New Jersey, across the river before we went to Philadelphia to ...

Pros: clean, new, helpful staff, ample petting tanks
Cons: outdoor exhibits miserable, food awful, small

Background: The New Jersey state Aquarium in Camden has been going downhill in the past years. In 2004, they closed for renovations, and this year, in May 2005, they reopened under new private management, and are now known as Adventure Aquarium in ...

Pros: petting the sharks! active animals!
Cons: small, not a ton of variety.

With one seven year old and two toddlers in tow we ventured out for our second trip to the New Jersey State Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey.

After a short ride via ferry or over the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia you enter the...

Pros: New animals, new building, and world-class feel bring life to a dying, old aquarium
Cons: Can be crowded, a little expensive, some large animals nocturnal

I'm an 18-year-old high school student just two weeks from graduation, who recently visited the Adventure Aquarium in Camden for probably the fifteenth time in as many years. My family and I had been members of the former aquarium since its opening (when ...

Pros: Tons of sea creatures, great exhibits
Cons: They didn't allow us to use a stroller

Want to swim with the fish? Well, I’m not sure you can do that here, but you can always pretend. Actually, it does feel like you are underwater when you see The Deep Atlantic, which is one of the world’s largest fish tanks with over 1,500 fish...

Pros: Ocean Base Atlantic is impressive
Cons: Not that much else is

My wife and I love visiting zoos, botanical parks, and aquariums. We've been to a number, both in and out of this area. We felt our visit to the NJ aquarium was fine, but when you build an aquarium within 75 miles of two other excellent facilities (New...

Pros: Small, but well done.
Cons: Not as big and flashy as some other attractions nearby.

When you think of marine tourist attractions, face it, New Jersey is probably not the first place that comes to mind. What possessed the State of New Jersey to build their aquarium in Camden of all places? Probably the fact that that perennial tourist...

Pros: The aquarium is small so you don't waste a whole day there
Cons: Not much, just from when I paid my admisson to when I left.

A few years ago, my wife's family and I went to the Camden aquarium. They promised me a great day of seeing great sealife. I was excited.

I've been to dozens of aquariums, from the large park Seaworld in Orlando, Florida to true aquariums,...

Pros: it is an aquarium, the exterior looks nice at night
Cons: small, uninspired, could have been so much more

When I heard they were building an aquarium just across the river from my hometown of Philadelphia, I was filled with excitement. I had been to the fabulous Baltimore aquarium, I had been to the incomparable Monterey Bay Aquarium and I had always longed...

Pros: good exhibits, large tanks, ferry ride trip
Cons: no strollers allowed

Whether you live in Philadelphia or one of its surrounding counties, live in New Jersey or are just visiting this area, make The New Jersey State Aquarium one of your "must" stops.


The Aquarium was built only a few years ago so...

Pros: Clean
Cons: Boring

When I went to the NJ State Aquarium I expected so much. After all, it is the STATE Aquarium. What a let down. We went in July and it was very crowded. I didn't have to worry about parking because we took the ferry over from Penn's Landing in...

Pros: fun, affordable
Cons: small, can be crowded

The NJ State Aquarium was a fun day for my four children (ages 4 mos. to 7 years) this summer. Although we went on a weekday, it was just a bit crowded with summer camps attending. Despite that, I was able to keep up with my children as they were in...

Pros: Educational, all in doors for rainy day
Cons: not much to see or do

I was so unimpressed with the New Jersey State Aquarium this is going to be hard to write. My basic impression of the day we spent at the aquarium is one of disappointment and boredom. I'm actually having a hard time remembering what's there...
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Pros: New Shark tank is good.
Hippos
New design
Better exhibits
Parking space has improved

Cons: Children's garden is gated off in amateur manner
Cafe too large, waste of space

The Aquarium main attraction has been its 760,000-gallon tank, which is the third largest in North America. It is an impressive site, especially when viewed from the seated theater section. The problem is that it was the only real star attraction for the ...

Pros: A Whole New Way to "Sea" Life, opening Spring 2005!
Cons: Only good things could come from such a grand new facility.

For the past four years, I have been privileged to work as an educator at the New Jersey State Aquarium. While many of the reviews prior to my own list the negatives associated with our facility, I must point out that, for a building designed to display ...

Pros: shark tunnel
Cons: price, small size

We took my toddler to the Adventure Aquarium this past summer (August 07). I had been to the aquarium when it had first opened a number of years ago and I was looking forward to seeing all the recent changes that had taken place. I was disappointed. ...

Pros: Kid friendly
Cons: Garden is babyish

The New Jersey State Aquarium is only about fifteen minutes from my home, so although I knew from the outset that it would not compare to the Baltimore Aquarium, I decided it would be a nice morning out for me and my kids. We went in early summer last...

Pros: lots to see& do
Cons: located in a changing neighborhood still

We recently revisited the New Jersey State Aquarium, & were thrilled to see how much it had to offer! It is located on Camden's waterfront, an area which is developing rapidly as a unique tourist spot. The aquarium is now connected to the Camden...

Pros: Fun family activity
Cons: Not a world-class aquarium

The NJ State Aquarium in Camden makes a good day trip for young families. If you are expecting to see a great world-class aquarium – this is not the place to go. However, if you are looking to spend 3-4 hours in a place that your children will enjoy,...

Pros: Beautifully arranged
Cons: Pricey

Ten years ago my wife and I visited the Aquarium shortly after it was built. Back then the fee was only $7.
Given that the exhibits were outstanding.
Just recently I visited the aquarium again. The price was $13.00 to get in and that added to...

Pros: Extremely child-friendly, small-size.
Cons: Cost and small size.

While I am unable to compare the NJ State Aquarium (aka the Adventure Aquarium) to what it was before the new ownership, I can say that I was more impressed than I thought I'd be when I went this past summer. It is a small aquarium by comparison to ...

Pros: None
Cons: Too many to list here

Today I went to this aquarium for the first and LAST time. The place is horribly dirty. The tanks are so foul they smell and you cant see the fish well. But if you like looking at fish poop this might be the place for you! The staff is rude and not very helpful. The food is way overpriced, even for a place such as this. In fact it seems as if the whole place is geared towards getting Mom and Dad to spend, spend, spend. Save your money and go to one of the other aquariums, such as Baltimore. Its well worth the extra ride. In fact if I were to rate the aquariums on a "fishy" scale, Baltimore is a whale and Camden is a guppy.

Pros: 2 hours and you're done. New parking lot. Show in main tank with scuba divers.
Cons: Cafe, "touch a shark" exhibit, hippo tanks, seal tanks, penguins

Save your money and don't waste your time. This aquarium is marginally better than it was as the New Jersey State Aquarium, and that's not saying much. For the amount of money they charge, you really don't get to see a whole lot.

The tanks were filthy. I can't comment on the hippo exhibit, as the water was so dirty you couldn't even really see them. Same is true of the seals (all three of them!). Who ever heard of an aquarium with no dolphins?

For $3.00 more you can see the 4D movie. It lasts about 10 minutes tops, so be prepared. One of the worst 4D experiences I've had.

The cafe is very ill-prepared to deal with crowds of any kind (and may not have to in the future), and the "touch a shark" tank makes it virtually impossible for anyone under 12 to get their hands into the water to actually touch anything.

If you have to rely on a gimmick like "come swim with the sharks" to make money, that says a lot.

Pros: Good for kids of all ages!
Cons: Having to walk through the eatery to get to exhibites, not good with kids!

My family with 3 kids ages 5,7,10 along with another family with kids ages 3,6, had a great time at this Aquarium. Not too big, not too small, just right, for all. We got to the Aquarium when it first opened. There was no line to get in. We stayed there about 4 hrs. When we were leaving there was an unbelievable long line waiting to get in.