The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park
Closed for Remodeling

Reopens as a children’s aquarium in 2010

The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park has closed for an extensive remodeling. The historic art deco facility will be redesigned and renamed The Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park. It is scheduled to reopen in 2010.

“We are remodeling the Aquarium with the needs of families with small children in mind,” said Gregg Hudson, executive director of The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park and the Dallas Zoo. “The smaller size of the facility is ideal for young kids, and they are going to love the colorful exhibits and child-friendly features we have in store.”

Visitors can expect bright fish, exotic coral, tidal touch pools, and special programs with multi-sensory experiences. New exhibits are being developed, including a coastal touch pool filled with unique and colorful intertidal invertebrates, such as sea urchins and sea stars from rocky coastal areas around the world.

Recently, Aquarium staff traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to rescue one of the world’s most magnificent coral species, the Elkhorn coral, which can grow several meters across. Aquarists Eric Julius and Barrett Christie joined Project SECORE (an acronym for SExual COral REproduction) on an expedition to save the species, which is listed as threatened by the US Endangered Species Act, and has seen a decline of over 90% in the past decade.

“Captive cultivation techniques in an aquarium can help coral survive and thrive,” said Brian Potvin, Aquarium curator. “We will have several interesting species developing in the new exhibits.” In addition to the new look, the remodeling will include replacing glass and updates to the life support systems. A few favorite species will remain at the Aquarium during renovation, including the 150-pound alligator snapping turtle, Pacific Northwest wolf eels, Clarion angels, and bonnethead sharks.

For information about the Aquarium remodeling, please call (214) 670-6826 or e-mail info@dalzoo.org.