Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, has been named the number one aquarium for children by Parents Magazine, according to a press release issued by the Aquarium. The article, “The 10 Best Aquariums for Kids,” will run in the August issue of Parents Magazine.
We’re honored to be recognized by Parents Magazine for our commitment to kids and families,” Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard said in the press release. “If we want a future with healthy oceans, it’s so important that young people forge emotional bonds with marine life at an early age. An aquarium visit is an important part of the process, and this honor is another validation of our efforts toward that goal.”
In making its Top 10 selections, Parents Magazine visited top aquariums nationwide, sought recommendations from a panel of experts, and reviewed surveys evaluating items including the number, creativity and educational aspect of each aquarium’s interactive features. In addition, it graded aquariums on the quality of their exhibits, services, staff and educators, special programs for groups and families, and conservation efforts.
The aquarium was commended for excellent live exhibits, its family-friendly Splash Zone gallery, and for “the biggest collection of flip books, slide-up panels, light-up buttons, and other touchable, kid-friendly features of all the aquariums on our list,” according to the press release.
The Top 10 aquariums for kids as chosen by Parents magazine were:
1. Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, California)
2. Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta)
3. John G. Shedd Aquarium (Chicago)
4. New England Aquarium (Boston)
5. Florida Aquarium (Tampa)
6. Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach, California)
7. Atlantis Marine World (Riverhead, New York)
8. Oregon Coast Aquarium (Newport, Oregon)
9. SeaWorld Adventure Parks (Orlando/San Antonio/San Diego)
10. National Aquarium (Baltimore, Maryland)
The list includes some of the best aquariums in the world, making Monterey Bay’s top ranking all the more impressive. However, this type of honor is not new for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
In June, the Aquarium was ranked 8th on the list of Top 10 travel attractions in the U.S. by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community. The list of top attractions is based on both the evaluation of TripAdvisor editors and traveler popularity as reflected in online opinions posted by TripAdvisor’s six million members. And in 2004, reviewers for the first-ever Zagat Survey U.S. Family Travel Guide named Monterey Bay Aquarium as the best aquarium in the nation and the overall No. 3 top-rated family attraction in the country.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium website, the mission of the aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans.
Sources:
PRNewswire, “Parents Magazine Names Monterey Bay Aquarium the Nation’s No. 1 Aquarium for Kids.” URL: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY;=/www/story/07-17-2007/0004626680&EDATE;=TUE+Jul+17+2007,+06:00+AM
Monterey Bay Aquarium, URL: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org
