Finding Arizona's Pages

Monday, September 5, 2016

OdySea Aquarium

     The largest aquarium in the American Southwest is scheduled to open this September on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community just to the east of Scottsdale.     The OdySea Aquarium will be the newest addition to the 35-acre, multimillion-dollar OdySea in the Desert entertainment park which is already home to the beautiful and amazing Butterfly Wonderland.
    The OdySea Aquarium is a two-level, state-of-the-art facility.  The 200,000 square foot facility will hold  more than 2 million gallons of water and expects to welcome over 15,000 visitors daily.
    Just like the nearby Butterfly Wonderland, visitors to the OdySea Aquarium will be immersed in a interactive, entertaining and educational adventure featuring some of the most fascinating marine life from around the world - from sharks, turtles and jellyfish to penguins, octopi and more. 
    Visitors will be thrilled to walk through a series of giant, submerged acrylic tunnels surrounded by thousands of sea creatures.  Heck, even the restrooms will have viewing windows that gaze right into the shark tank!  Penguins will be the official greeters of the OdySea Aquarium interacting with visitors as they waddle through the halls.
    A beautiful 3D theatre and an interactive Behind The Scene Tour will compliment standing exhibits that feature the Deep Ocean, Rivers of the World, Penguin Encounter, a Shoreline Gallery with touch pools, the Great Barrier Reef and the SeaTrek Underwater walking experience.
    This entertainment park that is home to both the Butterfly Wonderland and the OdySea Aquarium also contains some 30 restaurants and retail stores encircling a one-acre courtyard.  The courtyard has multiple water features and a stage for live entertainment.  The whole courtyard is reminiscent of the popular tourists boardwalks found throughout the world.
    Wow!  What an entertainment paradise OdySea in the Desert has become for those of us who call the Valley of the Sun home!.  So, plan now to get out with your whole family to this new and wonderful Valley entertainment park while enjoying the natural wonders found in both the rainforests and oceans of the world. 

Pictures belong to Bridges Media Group