We're Eel-ing Over Changes to Greater Cleveland Aquarium! It's Fin-tastic

We received admission to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium to facilitate this conversation. Opinions are mine.

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has made some turtle-y radical changes!

By the Spring of 2019, The Greater Cleveland Aquarium will have invested $250,000 in updates and improvements. Many of the changes can be seen now!

We haven't been to the aquarium since 2012!

And. we've been blown away at how much has been changed in the last six years.

Tami Brown, Aquarium GM and Splash Fund Director, gave a tour highlighting the changes and sharing what's to come.

Tami Brown, Greater Cleveland Aquarium GM and Splash Fund Director

On the left, photo from our visit in 2012 with the plain blue walls.

One of the cosmetic changes was to add decor and wall photos to make the exhibits feel immersive. Brown shared that attendees stay longer with the new decor. We can absolutely attest to wanting to stay longer.

Out first visit to the aquarium lasted maybe two hours. This visit, we hung out for nearly five hours!

What did the shark plead in the murder case?

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Throughout the aquarium are opportunities to feed turtles, stingrays, and even talk to the divers.

In the shark gallery, attendees are encouraged to ask questions of the divers while they are swimming with the fish.

Kelp! I'm scared to feed the fish!

Part of our visit included feeding the stingrays. While the stingray encounter is open all day to be able to gently touch the stingrays, once a day you can actually feed them!

As I had to explain, repeatedly to my scared guppies, it's safe. There is no chance of getting stung.

It's really neat. It feels like a giant sucker on your hand as they take the fish from your fist.

No longer turtle strangers

I have a new love for turtles and couldn't stay away from the tortoise encounters exhibit in the Lakes & Rivers of the World.

We learned that the shells of these giant, old tortoises are deformed because they were not fed a vegetarian diet. They were probably purchased at pet stores and not given proper diet instructions. It's also doubtful that the owners knew how long a turtle could live.

Your Minnows will Naut Want to Miss the Imagiquarium + Coastal Boardwalk

When I went back to look at our first visit, the one thing that was missing was a place for the little ones to play. The Imagiquarium solves that with a dedicated area for the youngest visitors to run an aquarium! They can check on fish health, create an exhibit, deep dive, sell tickets, and more.

Even the older kids had fun.

Besides the Imagiquarium, the development of a Coastal Boardwalk around the stingray touch pool is near finished. Already in place is a few structures for the kids to explore.