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After a long week at work, it’s finally the weekend, and you cannot wait to spend time with your family and friends!
Suppose you are one of those busy working parents who try to take every opportunity to spend time educating and familiarizing their kids with various things out there. In that case, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto is one place you should add to your weekend to-do list.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is a perfect place for marine and freshwater habitats enthusiasts and people fascinated by the water world and its mysteries.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is filled with over 20,000 different species of aquatic life and features the world’s most extensive jellyfish exhibits. It has six saltwater and three freshwater exhibits.
Now that your destination for your next outing has been finalized to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, here are a few things you should look at before diving in with the aquatic animals.
1. Infrastructure
The Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is a major family attraction and is 12,500 square meters with 5.7 million liters of marine and freshwater surroundings.
It offers a 96-meter-long walkway under a deep acrylic tunnel. Visitors can move on and off the walkway to stand by a particular fish or any other animal and admire them.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is organized into nine galleries, with each section focusing on a different type of marine and freshwater habitat. One of the most well-liked attractions is the walk-through shark tank with the jellyfish gallery. Visitors may marvel at the alien-like creatures in all their magnificence.
Explore the recreated tropical Rainbow Reef, view the Dangerous Lagoon shark tank, and visit the Discovery Center to get up close and personal with more than one species and more in the displays, which are organized by region. It is a marine and freshwater education center with a dedicated learning environment. The aquarium is also an adaptable exhibition space and changes with both a restaurant and a store.
2. Location
This public aquarium is one of the three aquariums owned by Ripley Entertainment. It is located in the city of Toronto, southeast of the CN Tower in downtown Toronto.
You can also explore various other ways to reach the aquarium from Niagara falls. Save time by exploring different routes so that you have more time in your bag to admire the water life.
Well, now that we talk about having the time to admire the freshwater exhibits, the exciting thing about the aquarium is it even offers night stay to the people. So, hop in your sleeping bags and spend a night with your aquatic friends.
3. Tickets
Charges to the aquarium are fixed according to age. They offer various services and tour packages such as the Toronto and Niagara falls tours and more to make your experience worthwhile.
You can also purchase tickets online and save time and money. The Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada even has an official Facebook page and doesn’t shy away from advertising itself. Visit their official website for detailed insight into the ticketing system and many more options.
4. 7 Magnificent Attractions in Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
4.1. Ecosystems
Visiting this aquarium is a great chance for people to learn about the ecosystems comprising Canadian Waters, its Great Lakes, and surrounding waters. Knowing about your various types of ecosystems is an essential part of living. Learn about the amazing creatures living in Lake Ontario.
Visit the Pacific Kelp Exhibit to observe a wave action model along the British Columbia coast. The largemouth bass, giant Pacific octopus, wolf eel, and American lobster are some featured marine animals, among other attractions.
4.2. Dangerous Lagoon
The Dangerous Lagoon can be called North America’s longest tunnel, accessed by stepping onboard the moving sidewalk. Some of the most fearsome animals, such as tiger sharks and green moray eel, will be waiting to greet you.
A walk through this tunnel is truly breathtaking, giving you the closest experience of the aquatic life up close without getting wet. You will be bound to freeze your steps and gaze in awe. It can be called the main content of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.
4.3. Dancing Jellyfish
We all fancy the delicate-looking jellyfish, but we should also remember the adage that looks can be deceptive. These pretty-looking creatures are extremely dangerous. But don’t worry; you can see their beauty safely at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.
This aquarium of Canada is host to a section named Planet Jellies. In the Planet Jellies exhibit, you will feel transported to another world with hundreds of jellyfish of various species surrounding you dancing in the backlit and color-changing displays. You will find moon jellyfish on the top of your head.
4.4. The Shoreline Gallery
The Shoreline Gallery is situated at the top of Ray Bay. The visitors have an educational and tactile experience like no other. At the Ray Bay gallery, the instructors will provide you with the opportunity to touch a stingray!
You get to experience the silky skin of around four species of stingrays while the instructors also educate you about these flatfishes. You will find both saltwater and freshwater rays. We all are aware of the tales of deadly tails of stingrays but do not worry at Ray Bay. They have experts who will guide you to have a delightful experience for 2 hours under controlled conditions.
This aquarium of Canada knows such an experience is special to people. Therefore, they capture you while you have a gala time with the stingrays and provide you with photos on a USB flash drive.
4.5 Interactive Dive Shows
Walking in the Dangerous Lagoon in itself is awe-worthy. Imagine how getting inside it and swimming alongside the sharks would be! Well, imagine no more because Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto also provides visitors with this opportunity.
You get to swim with sharks and green sea turtles. Observe the grace with which cownose rays, southern stingrays, and roughtail stingrays drift through the water in Ray bay.
4.6. Rainbow Reef
We all know that the coral reefs are a hub of numerous ecosystems and natural minerals. This Toronto aquarium has recreated a portion of the Indo-Pacific ocean for the aquatic life in the tropics. The Rainbow Reef has been recreated at this aquarium in Toronto. This reef is abundant in colors and ecosystems, as its name suggests.
It’s home to more than 100 species, including batfish, unicorn surgeonfish, and harlequin tuskfish gliding across the Rainbow Reef.
4.7. Discovery Center
At the discovery center, you can walk through the underwater viewing bubbles and experience touching these living fossils, such as the horseshoe crab. Play with horseshoe crabs, and you may also board a research submarine to see the shark tank. This can be called a hit among all ages.
5. How is Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada Beneficial?
Apart from being an entertainment zone for people, certain features make this aquarium in Toronto and its services more important. It is also one of the registered trademarks of Ripley Entertainment.
5.1. Economic Impact
This aquarium in Toronto is a great employer owing to its massive size. On its opening, it was anticipated that it would generate more than 600 jobs and more than $50 million in direct economic benefit, of which $35 million will be for labor income. People worldwide have found jobs in this aquarium chain and made livelihoods.
All three levels of government anticipate receiving more than $220 million in tax income from the Aquarium in its first 20 years of operation.
5.2. Conservation and Care
These aquariums have been recognized as having met the highest criteria for animal care by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a U.S. organization. It comprises a well-trained staff with great services and the highest animal husbandry standard.
A diligent team of marine biologists, divers, and scientists work continuously to ensure the animals are safe and sound. It also uses methods for maintaining aquatic life that use unique recovery basins to recover, purify, and reuse water as one of its essential features.
5.3. Educational Role
The aquarium has undertaken breeding and conservation initiatives for threatened species, such as continuous tracking and tagging initiatives for sand tigers, in collaboration with academic institutions and government organizations. It is a great step towards conservation.
It has programs for education and conservation in marine and freshwater sciences that aim to increase awareness of the aquatic environment among people of all ages. It offers students and visitors an engaging, interactive educational experience that adheres to the Ontario Ministry of Education’s curriculum guidelines.
6. Online Presence and Advertising
Keeping abreast of the time, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada has an official website and social media presence for advertising and helping purposes.
They use essential and optional cookies through Facebook products and similar technologies to improve your content. You can access more information about online advertising controlling cookies by their cookies policy. From browser settings, allow essential and optional cookies. This improves Facebook products for people with advertising and measurement services accounts.
Essential cookies are important for working on such sites as intended. They also use other companies’ tools for advertising and measurement services.
7. Reviews
It is no doubt that Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada has great reviews, as we have seen above, for the tremendous amount of activities and awe-inspiring and breathtaking views it promises to provide to its visitors. Toronto city features this great opportunity for you to explore more about life underwater and its certain features that you were unaware of.
So, if you ever happen to visit Canada or live in Canada, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada should definitely be on your list, if not on the top.
Last Updated on by alishbarehman
I really want to see what the rainbow reef looks like.