Adventure Aquarium

I’ve been to this aquarium 3 times in the last decade and it is always a good time. When you walk to the front, that is facing the Delaware River, there is a really nice skyline view of Philadelphia. My friend and I got there around 3pm (on a weekday) and it was like we had the place to ourselves. It was great.
The draw for me to come back, this time, was their Giant Hammerhead Shark! Also they have a couple baby ones in the same tank (Ocean Realm area). There is a little amphitheater to sit and watch them. It is one of my favorite places here.
Also, who doesn’t love the shark tunnel? It’s a 40-​foot suspended tunnel, you walk through, that offers 360 degree views. The sharks are literally swimming over you.
Recently I went to the Baltimore Aquarium in Maryland and for the price, their animals, and parking; it was a disappointment. Adventure Aquarium is better in my opinion.
I do have to admit, my GPS had an issue finding the place at first. There is a parking lot across from aquarium and it’s $ 10. I think people have misconceptions of Camden since all you hear on the news is about the shootings. The shootings aren’t happening to tourists, they are happening where the residents live.

This is not a humane (aka: conservation based philosophy) aquarium. They may state (barely, at that) that they are but I have done my research and sadly, they are not. From the hippo exhibit to the penguins the conditions are VERY depressing (and pretty cramped, at best). Especially for those poor hippos who need MUCH more space for obvious reasons. The Penguins are not being treated as they should. It should be 100% on the part of the aquarium, nothing less. If these principals are important to you then you need to be aware. We will not be back and they will not have our support until things change and they wake up about the treatment of all life.

Great aquarium to bring your kids! Other than that, there isn’t going to be much here for adults. The best exhibits were probably the sharks and the exhibits where you can pet some of the animals were great too, especially the stingrays. I would be a lot more inclined to come here if parking wasn’t $ 10 per car. I think you’ll find that after a few visits things start to get a bit repetitive, but again if you have kids they’ll probably love it.

This is a nice little aquarium that makes for a great day trip. Getting here is pretty easy, but you do have to drive thru Camden, which isn’t the nicest of cities. Parking is $ 10 and you pay on your way out. I would suggest buying your tickets online ahead of time to avoid the lines at the ticket counters. The aquarium is really only a couple of levels so it’s not too overwhelming for little kids. You’ll find the typical animals you would expect to find at an aquarium including hippos, sharks, sea turtles, penguins, variety of fish, etc. They do have an underwater tunnel that goes thru their shark tank. They also have a couple of interactive exhibits where you can touch a shark, starfish, or stingray. You will also find a small kids zone play area along with a big slide outside by the penguin exhibit. They do have a 4D Theater show, but we did not partake in that adventure on our most recent visit. The aquarium can get very crowded and finding a table to eat during lunch time was very difficult. I would suggest eating either around 11:30am or waiting until 1:30pm or so. All in all, a fun day was had by my boys!

Skip it — if it’s better weather/​not winter — go to the zoo instead or a museum.
I find it funny they call this an aquarium — I honestly don’t think there were many fish or a good representation at all of what the expansive waters of the earth hold.
My bf knows I love aquariums — and took me here as a surprise date day as we both had off. I was alil fearful it would be packed with kids, as the schools also had off on this weekday, but we gave it a shot.
I was right.
It was a mob scene.
A mob scene filled with the type of every parent and kid you dread.
If you are adults coming to this aquarium with no children, skip it or come close to closing as it will take less than 2 hours to get through the exhibits.
The whole aquarium is designed in a poor layout. The animals look sick and had bad coloring. The arapaima was sad, very sad.
Be prepared to get shoved, kicked, coughed, snotted on, and yelled at by kids (that aren’t yours, lol) only to be met with looks from their parents like «oh well… i’m letting my kid be a jerk and push you out of the way». I get it, you’re kids have off from school, you want to spend time with them, and you need to entertain them — but maybe some manner teaching in the process would be good too.
A lot of this would be solved by just having some staff present other than the ones running the touch exhibits. Having some «policing» and traffic direction and just general reminding to the crowds to be polite and wait your turn… instead of pushing your way into a crowed of 4 deep to get up to the glass would probably remedy this easily. Big ups to that lady who did this who almost knocked me and a few kids over in the process — you’re teaching your kid valuable how to be a jerk lessons.
As I said in the beginning — my advise would be to skip this free for all frenzy or come closer to close when the masses have dissipated. My bf and I agreed if we had come at a later time — it would have been a much nicer time together. (though we did make the best of it)

Absolutely AMAZING. Totally worth it!!! My boyfriend and I loved it it was the best aquarium experience we ever had! It’s big and there are so many animals to see!!! We were so blown by this experience that we want to go back!

Came here back in October with my fiancé, he kidnapped me and my daughter for the weekend (he lives in Pennsylvania I live in Virginia) we loved it.
It was Penguin Awareness day. My daughter got to see a penguin up close and had fun chasing him when he got loose, then we went along the exhibits, we had lots of fun. The shark tunnel and shark levels were her favorite.
We will definitely be back :-)

If it’s between this and the Philadelphia Zoo, go to the Zoo. But in those chilly winter months, the aquarium can be a good refuge while giving kiddos an animal/​fish fix.
Highlights: hippos, sharks, and the diving show with the sea turtles and the only hammerhead shark at any aquarium in the United States.
I’d recommend an annual pass if you plan on coming here more than once, like all attractions like these, it’s worth it. Keep an eye out for a groupon ($ 100) and we’ve gone three times and made our money back. Being a member provides discounts at the store, eateries and halves your parking cost.
The exhibits aren’t bad, although I’m surprised there aren’t more of them. The museum itself is poorly laid out, with the winding corridors being overly narrow and lacking any true direction or signage that makes sense. I’ve been here a few times, and just realized at my last visit that the clown fish (hello Nemo!) were on a second floor in an entirely different part of the museum.
There are quite a few touch/​kiddo experiences, but it’s a bit of hullabaloo and can get quite busy and a free-​for-​all.
I can’t stress this enough but come EARLY, or late. That is, arrive as it opens and leave before lunch time. Or come a couple hours before closing. Mid-​day is absolute, utter mayhem. Their website also states that hours from 12 — 2 pm are their busiest. Heed their advice.
Staff on the whole are a little ho-​hum, especially those in the eateries and maintenance, and not friendly in the least.

We had such a great time with the kids. It was our first time there. And we loved it.
We are a family of 4, 2 adults, 1 teen and a toddler, so we pay $ 75 for the tickets. Normally, they charge $ 10 for the parking but today was free :)
We would love to go again.

Visited on a Monday during December for their Scuba Santa special sightings. Kids are 4 and 2. Overall, we enjoyed the trip. Highlights:
Pros
Aquarium was a good size for a 3 hour visit. Didn’t feel overwhelmed, as some children’s places can be. They had Good exhibits with plenty of touch & feel experiences for the kids.
Scuba Santa and his elves did not disappoint. They were on time into the tank and took their time to wave, high five and pose for pictures with the kids. It wasn’t overly crowded for a Monday so we took advantage of the time with Santa.
Easy parking and access to entrance.
Cons
** Staff needs improvement in terms of attention and engagement, from the entrance to 4D theater to exhibits. Ticket attendant acted as if he had better things to do than check us in, didn’t offer us a map or directions. It actually felt like there weren’t staff around during the majority of our visit — they were either just roaming around or non existent. We had to really search for a staff member for help at one point — not an easy thing!
Food court — bring your own food unless you want cold, uninspired food. Not enough healthy choices either. we brought our own food but ordered fries and slice of pizza. Not worth the $ even though it wasn’t too pricey. Good amount of seating though.
4D theater. — not impressive at all. Theater was small and old. Also, the show (we saw Sharks), couldn’t keep the attention of my kids and a few other kids around us. Not worth the extra $ spent.
Overall, we’d go back but only for another special event but won’t be regulars to this place.

i went this past weekend, a sunny day in December.
it was not busy at all
this is a very nice aquarium
it has a really large shark tank
a nice hippo exhibit with two hippos
the hippos seemed to have enough room to move around. i thought if them as pampered pets so i wouldn’t feel bad about their captivity
i liked it better than sea world, the Miami sea aquarium and the Boston aquarium
it is very kid friendly
i thought the food concessions were decent, less expensive and better quality than what you find at a sports stadium
it is a nice place to go to learn a little about our planets oceans

Awesome.
1) The shark tunnel is fantastic. It is basically the highlight of the aquarium.
2) You can touch the stingrays, which is cool.
3) Seeing the hippos was also excellent.
4) Come here when there is a Groupon deal.

Although they have the largest shark collection and the shark tunnel is awesome, the variety of sharks is limited. You won’t find hammer head or tiger shark and most of them are great whites.
Overall fish collection is wonderful and overall trip with kids take between 3 to 4 hours. Open touching areas are wonderful for getting a fishy feeling and they portray star fishes and stingrays. Penguin collection is disappointing.
Tickets should be little less for general admission (around 15) to promote multiple visits from same family as at current prices you only think to go there once. For multiple visits with guests the Family explorer plus annual pass is the best.

Not my favorite aquarium. Much smaller than what they describe on the website. Lots and lots of children running around.
Highlights include —
— Feeding the stingrays, which is a very interesting sensory experience to say the least.
— Penguins? (Just because Penguins are kind of cool, not because they have a good penguin exhibit.)
— The shark tunnel, which really feels like you are swimming with the sharks.
— Two hippos, which begs the question, are Hippos generally in aquariums?

What a small, small aquarium. I was expecting so much more. The shark tunnel is really the main draw — and people just stand in it for minutes, taking videos and bumping into people because they’re not paying attention. I don’t think the drive into scary Camden is really worth it, especially because it’s so expensive!
The jellyfish were cool. The hippos were cool. But really, I spent most of the time wandering around saying, «I paid 30 bucks for this?»
I’d rather drive across the bridge and hit the Philadelphia Zoo.

Went here with my family and parents for my son’s 2^nd birthday celebration.
Location: if you stay on the highways to get there and not go off the beaten path you will not be scared. It feels safe and there are plenty of cops present around the area.
Love their shark exhibits and the fish areas. The stingray touch area is great.
Downside: we went when they were doing construction, so there were a lot sections being worked on.
It was raining like crazy so the outside section was closed. No penguins :(
The 4D was closed because of a malfunction. :(
3 stars because there isn’t too much to do when things are being worked on or things are broken.
I don’t think it’s cool for a 2 year old as they are frightened with the fishes and exhibits. My friends suggested the please touch museum for that age group. Next time!

If you have to be in Camden New Jersey at all, make this your destination.
Went here a few years ago for my son despite the location (Camden is notoriously known for being the second unsafest city in the United States), we all had a great time… until the crowds came and dampened the day. We had to pay for the parking lot, though $ 10 isn’t so bad compared to other places.
We arrived early on a Saturday (I know, a mistake that will never happen again) with a pre-​purchased ticket. All was nice and we were among the first to enter for the day. Without the crowds of course, this place was excellent. Just about all you could want in an aquarium. My son loved seeing the Hippos up close in the tank — which was a great design.
Our favorite was the ‘shark tunnel’, which was a very impressive exhibit. He loved being able to see the small sharks and stingrays up close and touchable. Overall, we got to walk through the majority of the place and liked it all. We never got a chance to see the 4D movie, because our son didn’t want to sit through it.
A nice time, until the crowds came and the way people are, they either hog up the exhibits or are just slow, and sometimes rude — this is everywhere and this place was no different. Next time, we’ll be going on a weekday, to avoid the mess.
The gift shop is a bit pricey like most places, as is the average food — if we learned from other places, we just decided to get something after we left, which saved my wallet and our stomachs.
Definitely recommended. A fun time was had by all, especially our son, which was most important. If you want to avoid crowds, go on a weekday, which will make it a better time. And the $ 10 charge for the lot (average cost, but better than some other places) is a better bet than walking the streets in Camden.

Very family friendly and geared toward up close interactions with the guests, especially the younger kids. The diver shows in the main tank are not to be missed, besides being able to actually «talk» to the divers during the show, they come up to the glass to pose for pictures with the kids and give them hi-​fives.
Rainy days and weekends are a little crowded but sunny summer midweeks are a great time to visit. Def. head there in the off season as well for the mermaid show and the santa show

First off, I’m basing my review off of a conference I attended. Wow! This place is super amounts of fun.
When I first arrived, I was in awe of the layout. It seemed like I was walking into a lagoon. Straight ahead I noticed a tank full of sharks and beautiful fish. There was also a sting ray who was pretty fun to watch. Behind you is a glass wall where you can see the tall buildings of Philadelphia. So much beauty to be seen.
The setup was great. The food was even better. They served breakfast and lunch. Our breaks consisted of small meals that tasted just as delightful as breakfast and lunch. By 2pm, there was a room full of students in a deep food coma and we were happy.
I have to attend another conference here in January and can’t wait to return. Bravo, Adventure Aquarium!

AMAZING! MEMORABLE! FUN!
We got to pets sharks.
We pet sting rays.
Pet starfishes.
And, we walked through a crazy shark tunnel.
This was stop number 2 of our mini road trip over the weekend. Purchased tickets on their website for their Independence Day Splash event, tickets were sold out on the day of! Doors opened at 6:30PM (normally closes at 5PM) and we were greeted with red, white and blue colored leis, star shaped beaded necklaces, little flags… just little things to get the big celebration going, we also got a great view for the fireworks show afterwards.
It was a bit crowded, I guess it was due to the July 4^th event. Karen was crazy over the fish. Kaylen and her cousins were enjoying their time over at the kid zones, where they got to pet the creatures. I thought the hippo was cute, my sister was just fascinated over those cool looking jellyfish, think she wanted to eat them, lol. One word, WOW. I’ve seen them on Groupon before, will be returning once I see that deal again, and to see Gill, their super cute shark mascot.
Tip: Purchase tickets for the Camden Children’s Garden for only $ 4 at the aquarium gate. They do not have their own lot, public parking is right across the street — $ 10 CASH ONLY.