The Aquarium of the Americas has changed since it opened after Katrina, but with changes comes some new attractions. For the most part, the Aquarium looks just as it has for years. The same large, two-story fountain with metal scale that look like fish scales greets visitors as they enter through the front door. The gift shop to the right has a new appearance like being under the sea with more of a grotto and bright coral design. The Aquarium is open from 10am to 6pm Tuesday through Sunday. I think that they are closed on Mondays. Also, if you park in the parking lot that has a huge "Whale Wall" (off of Poydras, in the view of Harrah's), you can go to Information and get it stamped, so when you return to your car, you have $5 taken off the parking fee. Sure it's a good way to walk, but you're saving $5 on parking -- which is a good deal. Especially when you need to save money.

Some of the great views are the tunnel where fish and stingrays swim above your head and around you. The kiddies always seem to like this part, and pose for pictures. Further is more tanks of fish and eels, jarfish (yellow fishies), and a circular tank where a school of fish swims in one firection. By proceeding up the staircase beyond that is the Amazon Forest. A fun representation of the Amazon (along with a huge anaconda) and a kids treehouse to get a bird's eye view of the tanks, lush greenery, and a small grotto that makes for a great picture. Through a sliding glass doorway, penguins and tropical sharks are the next encounters of the deep. Next to the tanks is a huge mouth with big, sharp teeth that kids love to climb on and take pictures with.

Beyond this, seahorses and frogs are the next on the list. The frogs have their own chamber and a frog king to take pictures with behind Kermit the Frog (in a collage of Favorite and Famous Frogs). On the other side of the frogs are Ursula's eels, playful otters, and a glass cover that looks down on a huge tank of Carribean creatures (sharks, fish, stingrays). There is also a food court with ice cream, pizza, and Burger King. Further is a new playplace for kids where they can touch a shark, play on a pirate ship, take a picture as a mermaid, seal, or starfish. You can do this or continue to the Mississippi River section. A white alligator is the first creature you'll encounter below a Cajun cottage. Owls and hawks fly through the air as you look at the small tanks of fish. After this, you can take an elevator or walk down two flights of stairs into the Carribean waters section.

The Carribean water section has jellyfish, and the large tank that you viewed from the glass near the Otters. Now there's a larger view at all kinds of creatures existing in one tank. At 1pm, there's a show where brave divers go into this tank (with the sharks).