Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River in the French Quarter, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas offers visitors a chance to pet stingrays, feed exotic birds, and ogle sharks in their 40,000 gallon Gulf of Mexico exhibit, which simulates ocean life under an oil rig. The colors of a Caribbean reef are featured in a walk-through tunnel, while penguins and Southern sea otters always entertain. Home to more than 3,600 animals from more than 250 species and consistently rated one of the best in the U.S. If you're walking along the river, check out the aviary at the pack of the aquarium which you can see, and hear, from outside.