Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

and fish life of the Mississippi River, and see the lush beauty of the Amazon River. Waiting for you are penguins, sting rays, sharks and other deep sea creatures, and sea otters too.
To start off, go see the frogs. Beyond Green is the exhibit name, and it's located on the second floor near the Sea Otters. You can see milk frogs, poison dart frogs and other favorite amphibians - in new habitats displaying orchids and exotic plants. If you're looking for interactive - it's here. And the nearby sea otters - Buck and Emma - provide lots of entertainment in their kelp forest. Feedings are at 2 pm daily - don't miss it!
Playtime (isn't that what you think about often in your New Orleans apartment?) is what Adventure Island is all about at the aquarium. The adventure gives visitors exhibits to crawl on, climb in, sit on and touch. The highlight of the exhibit is a 2,600-gallon pool where visitors can touch the cownose rays. These are like large gentle sea butterflies that are smooth and gliding in the water. You can help feed them at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm by purchasing a stingray feeding token and bringing it to the stingray pool during feeding time. Tokens are $2 each and may be purchased at the treasure chest gift shop in front of the Adventure Island exhibit. Only 15 tokens are served to the rays, with one token per person.
You can't miss the Caribbean Reef, the aquarium's 30-foot-long aquatic tunnel where you can admire and play with sea creatures of all shapes and sizes, surrounded by 132,000 gallons of water. Just north of there (on the map), feeding into the Caribbean reef, is the Mississippi River, where you can find "Spots," the white alligator. One of just 18 rare white alligators found in a Louisiana swamp in 1987, Spots is white but he is not albino, and lives here with his brothers.
The price for admission isn't too bad, at $17.50 for adults, $10.50 for children and $13.50 for senior citizens. Located next to the Audubon Zoo, IMAX theater and Insectarium (where you can look at all kinds of cool bugs, dead and alive), combo admittance packages are available as well. Check out the Audubon Institute website at www.auduboninstitute.org to find out a few great deals for a day of family or friendship fun, and stories to tell your friends at your New Orleans apartment.