We’d been moored across from the National Aquarium for over a month and had passed the eye-catching facility many times. Part of the multi-story main building is glass-enclosed with waterfalls and jungles visible, and looks especially dramatic from the outside at night. We’d heard many great things about the aquarium, but James has been pretty busy at work, so we hadn’t yet had a chance to visit. The facility is impressive, with several excellent reef tanks, an Amazon River and an Australian habitat, and a wonderful jellyfish exhibit.

Trip highlights from Dec 6th, 2016 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland follow. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps

National Aquarium Position: -76 36.52, 39 17.13 This fabulous multi-story waterfall is just inside the National Aquarium entrance.

4-D Immersion Theatre Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.10 We started our visit with a showing of Sea Monsters 4-D: A Prehistoric Adventure depicting prehistoric sea life. The 4-D immersion theatre extends the 3-D experience with special effects such as mist, wind, smells and seat vibrations.

Bubble Tubes Position: -76 36.48, 39 17.10 Striking water-and-bubble filled tubes mark the entrance to the Blacktip Reef tank.

Blacktip Reef Tank Position: -76 36.48, 39 17.10 The aquarium’s Blacktip Reef Tank replicates an Indo-Pacific reef and is packed with life, including a 500-lb green sea turtle, a reticulated whiptail ray, hundreds of tropical fish and of course, blacktip reef sharks.

Looking Down Position: -76 36.49, 39 17.10 The Blacktip Reef Tank is visible below from walkways and escalators that carry visitors up to the displays on higher levels.

Marina View Position: -76 36.51, 39 17.10 The view to our marina from the aquarium viewing deck. Dirona is slightly to the left of the flagpole on Federal Hill.

Dwarf Caimen Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.09 This Dwarf Caimen in the Amazon River Forest exhibit was only about three feet long, but looked as fierce as its much larger cousins.

Rainforest Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.09 At the very top of the aquarium, visible from outside through a glass ceiling, is the Upland Tropical Rainforest exhibit.

Parrots Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.10 Yellow-crowned Amazon Parrots in the tropical rainforest exhibit.

Dart Frog Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.10 The tropical rainforest exhibit also had Several Dyeing Poison Dart Frogs. Some were bright blue like this one, and others were yellow and black. It’s amazing that these colors are natural.

Atlantic Coral Reef Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.09 Among the most impressive features at the National Aquarium is the 335,000-gallon, 13-foot-deep Atlantic Coral Reef Exhibit where visitors descend down ramps from above the tank through the exhibit.

Shark Alley Position: -76 36.50, 39 17.09 The 225,000-gallon ring-shaped Shark Alley tank sits below the Atlantic Coral Reef. A variety of sharks circle visitors, including several Largetooth Sawfish such as the one pictured. The combination of a dark display and the sharks moving quickly made it almost impossible to get a decent picture.

Ray Position: -76 36.51, 39 17.11 Jennifer taking in a ray and the hundreds of fish in the Atlantic Coral Reef.

Dolphin Discovery Exhibit Position: -76 36.43, 39 17.08 The Dolphin Discovery Exhibit includes 6 female and 2 male Bottlenose Dolphins. We didn’t catch a show, but we could see the dolphins swimming around their pool through viewing windows in the side of the tank.

Filtration Position: -76 36.43, 39 17.09 Just beyond the Dolphin Discovery Exhibit is a window with a view into the aquarium’s extensive filtration, pump and plumbing system.

Upsidedown Jellies Position: -76 36.43, 39 17.09 We love jellyfish and the National Aquarium has a fabulous exhibit. These are Upside-Down Jellyfish.

Pacific Sea Nettle Position: -76 36.43, 39 17.08 The Pacific Sea Nettles are the most dramatic in the aquarium’s display.

Waterfall From Above Position: -76 36.47, 39 17.18 Our final stop on the National Aquarium visit was the “Australia: Wild Extremes” exhibit. This is looking down from the top of the waterfall at the aquarium entrance.

Australia: Wild Extremes Position: -76 36.47, 39 17.18 The “Australia: Wild Extremes” exhibit reminded us very much of our trip through the Kimberley region of Western Australia, minus the giant crocodiles.

Eastern Roselia Position: -76 36.47, 39 17.18 The Eastern Rosella is native to southern Australia and Tasmania.

Aquarium at Night Position: -76 36.53, 39 17.15 The aquarium looks amazing at night.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps.