Sharks, alligators, fish from every corner of the world, penguins--they have it all at the Dallas World Aquarium. The aquarium is divided into four major areas: Aquarium, Rainforest, Mundo Maya, and South Africa. Each of these four sections are separate from each other. As you walk through the different sections you will realize the intricate planning and designing that must have taken place to really make you feel that you have been transported to the particular ecosystem you are surrounded by.

The Aquarium section is a room divided into multiple smaller aquariums, each containing fish from a different region of the world. They include fish from just about every corner of the world. This section is located on the bottom floor with water surrounding you so you feel as though you are actually submerged hundreds of feet below the ocean. In this room of multiple aquariums, you will be able to stare forever at some of the bright and flourescent colored creatures swimming around.

Another exhibit of the aquarium is the rainforest. The rainforest is a huge three-story room taking you through a simulation of the different canopy levels in a rainforest and the animals that live in each canopy. You will really feel part of the rainforest as you walk along the wooden pathways surrounded by enormous green trees, bushes, birds whizzing around, and the bond pelow containing manatees, sting rays, etc.

The South African exhibit is located outside and houses the penguins. Penguins don't need much explanation, they be fun to watch no matter what the exhibit looks like. The Central American habitats are portrayed Mundo Maya section. Highlights of Mundo Maya inlcude jaguras, snakes, and crocodiles. Mundo Maya is organized like the rainforest with three levels. Each level contains animals that you would find in that particular environment. All the habitats are real and authentic, with my favorite being the rainforest, where you actually feel like you are walking through South America. Another high point is that they have all kinds of animals, not just fish.

Although a little pricey, it is definitely worth a visit. It will take around 2-4 hours to walk through all the exhibits. They also have a movie theatre with documentaries on various animals that last about 30 minutes each. It is easily accessible from the major freeways. The website has directions from just about anywhere: http://www.dwazoo.com/directions.html.

They also have facilities for meetings (we've rented rooms for staff meetings, and I've been to a wedding reception there).

The aquarium has a tunnel that allows you to walk underneath the sharks. There is also a manatee pool. If you're there at 12:30 p.m. they will feed the manatees and the divers get into the pool to play with them.

In the rainforest there is a free-flight aviary with tropical birds, and the path goes high up in the tree canopy so you can see them close-up. Also there is a monkey island.

The next section had aquariums representing various parts of the world: Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Palau, Southern Australia, Solomon Islands, etc. Next to the Aquarium there was a touch-screen computer if you wanted to learn about the inhabitants of that tank. At 12:00 we attended the feeding of the South African Penguins at Cape of Good Hope. The Black-footed penguins were tiny and liked it hot. The temperature of Dallas was ideal for them.

We were very disappointed on the size of the Aquarium until we discovered that stairs from the River exhibit led to other levels. The Understory level and canopy level had many different exotic animals and plants. At the Understory level you could see the top of the River exhibit and there was a small Monkey Island in the middle. Pale-faced Sakis, Emperor Tamarins, Black-necked Swans and others lived around this island. A walkway took us through various exhibits of eel. frogs, crocodiles, bats, and snakes. The walkway made circles and took us to the Canopy level where we say Red Howler monkeys, otters, and various birds. My favorite was the toucans. I had previously seen in nature howler monkeys in Costa Rica, but although we tried very hard we weren't able to see any toucans. Of course seeing the exotic animals in a zoo or aquarium is not the same as seeing in nature but it is the second best thing.

It is a nice place to bring your kids, they will love it and you can make a half-day visit. The Dallas World Aquarium and Zoological Gardens also has two places to eat: The Jungle Cafe at the Canopy level and eighteen-O-one restaurant at the Aquatic level.

With rail transportation significantly improved in Dallas, visiting this place is much easier and less expensive than in the past. It's cheaper to ride DART than to pay for parking! Match this up with a restaurant visit on the West End and have a fine time!