One of New Orleans' favorite places for family visits, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, is closed and will be closed for the next several months. The news is that the aquarium is closed is not breaking. In fact, the closure has been public knowledge since late October. However, the reality that the doors are now shut is the breaking reality.

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While the news that the facility had closed its doors as of this morning might come as a "shock", don't worry the aquarium will be reopening in about six months and when it does it will be even more amazing.

It was announced in October that the aquarium would undergo a $41 million dollar renovation that will see the facilities aquarium, butterfly garden, and insectarium all combined into one location. This should make it even easier for visitors to see more of the exhibits on offer.

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If it's been a while seen you've visited, here's a quick tour.

When the aquarium reopens in mid-2023 there will be more than 17,000 feet of new exhibits. The renovation will also include a new breezeway that will be enclosed. And another large change at the facility is where the front door is located. The new renovations call for the main entrance to be moved some 90 feet down river. When guests come through the new entry way they'll be treated to a 60 foot tall glass lobby, which sounds extremely impressive.

The new facility will also have a new moniker when it reopens in June of 2023. It will be known as The Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium. And yes, if you're wondering, you'll still be able to sample some of the world famous "cricket pumpkin pie". Plus from what we are hearing there will be other dishes that feature insects as ingredients in the "cultural café".

If you're wondering about the creatures that call the aquarium home, most of them are staying put during the renovation process. There were a few of the species that were sent to other facilities before construction started, other than a few otters, some eels and a few seahorses almost all of the creatures are staying put.

However, they might be moving into a new home within the newly renovated structure. If you know you'd like to go and see the changes once their complete you can book a reservation for next Summer at the aquarium's website. From what we understand they are offering discounts on memberships.

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Although no official date for reopening has been announced the speculation is that if all goes well with construction and no major obstacles are encountered a date in June does appear to be the most likely for the facility to once again welcome guests. We do know the timetable on the renovation project was estimated to be six months so a June or July target date certainly would seem reasonable.

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