The National Aquarium - My Guide
You can certainly find more information and better reviews of the National Aquarium on their website (http://www.aqua.org/) or any number of Baltimore tourism pages, so what I have to offer here are my personal highlights and suggestions for maximizing your aquarium visit.
1) Take your time! There is a lot to see, but you will miss many hidden gems and quirky fish behaviors if you barrel through. Read the signs as you go too - it will greatly enrich your experience.
2) Remember - glass reflects light. Mind the flash when taking pictures. If you can adjust your camera settings so that you don't have to use the flash, that would be best. Otherwise, get close to the class and shoot at an angle. Rather than hogging all the room in front of an exhibit trying to get just the right pictures of that critter, take a picture of its name up above and do a google image search when you get home - you'll be happier, and so will the other guests.
3) Watch the rays swim from above AND below for at least 5 minutes. Their beauty and grace will soothe your nerves.
4) Try to convince yourself that Lookdowns (those tinfoil fish) are really 3 dimensional. Attempt to make the puffers blow up. Mimic the parrotfish. Try to find the octopus.
5) Spend time in the rainforest looking for large and small birds - they hide well. Also keep your eye out for the tamarins in the Amazon enclosure. The aquarium hosts neat non-aquatic creatures too!
Above all else, marvel at the beauty and diversity present in our oceans, rivers, and lakes. It may not last long!
The National Aquarium is located on Pratt in the Inner Harbor.
Map it!
