Latest Reopening Date of AC Aquarium Pushed Back Again

Temporary: the dictionary definition of temporary is "an adjective used to describe something that isn't permanent or lasts only a short time".

By anyone's definition, 4 1/2 years is not temporary, but that's how long the Atlantic City Aquarium will have been closed by September, the new projected reopening date.

Work on the Atlantic City Aquarium Has Dragged on Over 4 Years

The Atlantic City Aquarium has been closed since March 2020.

First, it was COVID-19 that shut down the aquarium. Then, on May 13, 2020,  the aquarium wrote on Facebook, " We miss you, look forward to seeing you all soon".

The renovations had begun.

Later, the aquarium posted on Facebook that it would be " tentatively reopening Fall 2023", but that didn't happen.

One man recently wrote on the aquarium's Facebook page,

"Closed 2020 for supposed renovation. Here we are 2024, still closed. I would assume the AC Aquarium has gone extinct."

 

Atlantic City Aquarium Was the Centerpiece of Gardner's Basin

Since opening in 1999, the Atlantic City Aquarium has been the primary tourist attraction in Atlantic City's Gardner's Basin.

It was open year-round, seven days a week, and was the home to tropical sharks, moray eels, piranhas, a bearded dragon lizard, and a loggerhead sea turtle named Groman.

The aquarium has 100 marine animals. I am told the marine animals are still being kept in the aquarium, cared for by outside contractors.

Area businesses had counted on the traffic the aquarium provided and Atlantic City benefited from having such an appealing non-casino attraction.

What Work Has Been Happening at the Aquarium?

In a previous statement, Atlantic City spokesman Andrew Kramer said that the aquarium got new roofing, windows, lighting, and flooring, a new deck and ceiling for the top-level lookout, bathroom renovations, and updates to its electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, and a fresh paint job.

The latest delay has been work on the exterior of the Aquarium building.

No exterior building or siding improvements were included in the original project and that work was added with money from American Rescue Plan funds.

Atlantic City is now looking at a reopening in September. We'll see how that goes.