DETROIT – The oldest public aquarium in the U.S. is celebrating 120 years on Detroit’s Belle Isle this weekend.
The Belle Isle Aquarium, designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn, features a collection of freshwater fish, reptiles and even a giant Pacific octopus. The building’s unique architecture complements that of the neighboring Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. Visitors are greeted by a stone carving of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, over the Beaux-Arts entryway.
READ MORE: Why the Belle Isle Conservatory’s $10 million dome renovation is taking so long
On Sunday, Aug. 18, the aquarium will celebrate the 120th anniversary of its opening in 1904 with an event featuring family-friendly activities like bounce houses, a water conservation-themed story time and interactive crafts. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will also feature free food and music from Detroit DJ Drummer B.
Danielle Jackson, director of donor experience at the Belle Isle Conservancy, says the aquarium will also host a version of their OASIS program. This interactive activity, which stands for Outdoor Aquatic Science Investigation Station, involves taking water samples from the nearby dock on Lake Tacoma and examining them for microorganisms while discussing the health of the island’s waterways.
“We wanted to treat our visitors to something above and beyond just a visit to the aquarium gallery,” she said. “We really just want them to have fun.”
The aquarium’s indoor gallery features arched ceilings lined with green glass tile interrupted by skylights that are designed to create the feeling of being underwater. The aquarium’s 50 tanks line each side of a central hall like framed artwork on a gallery wall. Under the central dome, a cross-shaped set of tanks allows visitors to appreciate exhibits from either side.
Notable exhibits include freshwater piranha, seahorses, freshwater pufferfish, electric eel and even a giant Pacific octopus. The aquarium also features exhibits highlighting invasive fish like koi and carp that plague the Great Lakes as well as a life-size 6-foot model of a Great Lakes sturgeon. In total, the aquarium hosts more than 200 species.
At various points in the aquarium’s storied history, it hosted a central tank that held more than 8,000 gallons, a basement speakeasy and, between its closure in 2005 and reopening in 2012, fish from the conservancy’s outdoor koi pond. A Detroit Free Press article covering its grand opening described it as the world’s third-largest aquarium, featuring nearly 30,000 gallons of seawater trucked in and recycled through what was then a state-of-the-art pump system.
Belle Isle Aquarium, located at 3 Inselruhe Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday until Aug. 29. Admission to the aquarium is free with entry to Belle Isle, but a $5 donation is suggested.
Vehicle entry to Belle Isle is free with a Michigan DNR Recreation Passport, $14 for Michigan-registered vehicles annually, $40 for out-of-state vehicles annually or $11 for an out-of-state day pass.
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Publish date : 2024-08-15 08:44:00
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