New Jersey State Aquarium

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.