The National Aquarium

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The National Aquarium is the first public Aquarium ever built in America. Located across the Ellipse on Constitution Ave., it's only a five minute walk from the White House.

The National Aquarium is the oldest aquarium in the country, and in some places it looks it. If your kids have been to some of the more modern aquariums, the National Aquarium might prove disappointing. However, if you’ve never been to an aquarium it is probably worth the trip.

Inside the aquarium, you will find seventy tanks containing over 1,200 species of marine life. There is also "touch-tank" where visitors can handle some docile sea creatures like horseshoe crabs and turtles. Admission is $2 but you also get a chance to see a continuously running film about sea creatures and marine life. The time to go to the aquarium is daily at 2 PM when either the sharks or piranhas are fed.