The Audubon Aquarium is currently closed for at least six months but the good news is that it is getting a facelift along with Woldenberg Park. The $41 million renovation will be a great perk once it is finished. The Audubon project will link the insectarium and the aquarium on Canal Street.
The Aquarium has been renovated before, but this is the biggest renovation since 1990. The new attraction called the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium links the aquarium to the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium. The Entergy Giant Screen Theater will be removed and replaced with the insectarium exhibits. The plan is to have the new renovation opened by summer 2023.
The renovation will add over 17,000 feet of exhibit space. The new entrance and lobby will be an enclosed 60-foot tall glass lobby. The glass pyramid will shoot out from the building facing the Mississippi River.
The Insectarium space will have a special event space on the first floor and the second floor will include the insectarium galleries and butterfly pavilion. The new butterfly exhibit will have lower ceilings so visitors can get a better look at the butterflies.
The aquarium will get upgrades including the Mississippi River Gallery, the Amazon Rainforest Gallery and the Top of the Gulf Experience. Woldenberg Park will also get $7 million in upgrades on the entrances, landscaping and electrical system.
