I'm pretty new to the message board, though I've been following it for the past couple months as my interest in OKC has grown, so if this post is redundant, I apologize.

One of the things I'd really like to see in downtown (perhaps as part of C2S) is a state-of-the-art aquarium. I know Tulsa has one, but I think one in OKC would be a big tourism draw as well as a general enhancement to the area. I'm sure it would cost a ton of money. I just think downtown needs things like this, along with an expanded Botanical Gardens to draw in and keep tourists coming back.

What do you guys think about it? Has this already been discussed?

I'm pretty new to the message board, though I've been following it for the past couple months as my interest in OKC has grown, so if this post is redundant, I apologize.

One of the things I'd really like to see in downtown (perhaps as part of C2S) is a state-of-the-art aquarium. I know Tulsa has one, but I think one in OKC would be a big tourism draw as well as a general enhancement to the area. I'm sure it would cost a ton of money. I just think downtown needs things like this, along with an expanded Botanical Gardens to draw in and keep tourists coming back.

What do you guys think about it? Has this already been discussed? Agree! Anything to make the "quality" of life better for OKC residents. Since cities have become so "regionalized" economically, it seems cities have to compete and be in competition for tax dollars, tourist dollars and business dollars.

i always wanted a aquarium in downtown okc area, the zoo hasa good one, but i want something moore, like amoody gardens theme along the river would be nice

Correction, the town of Jenks have the Oklahoma Aquarium, not Tulsa.

I think it is a great idea to have a huge state-of-the-art aquarium that rivals the one in Jenks somewhere near C2S or along side the river.

We do kinda have an outdoor aquarium at the Myraid Gardens :LolLolLol an outdoor pond complete with amazing 2 feet plus Kois and turtles.

I think I have seen that the zoo intends to rebuild an aquarium has one of thier future develpment goals...

Hmm a under "sea" tunnel /room to see them past over head?

Since we do not have one downtown, I will bring a mini one to the members here.

Thx to gmwise, my friend, mentioning the "under the sea" reminded me of the video I created and posted 2 years ago. I do not have them anymore.

Okay, this is a video that I had taken after doing tank cleaning, which explains the lack of bowled plants.

Turn the sound on/up, because it has the song. :LolLolLol This was during the time I was still hearing pretty good.

Enjoy!

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I've never been to the one in Jenks, I'd like to at some point.

I'd have a jaded opinion though after having been to some of the US's best aquariums. The Georgia Aquarium is the best I've been to, it is truly amazing. I've also been to the one in Baltimore, and Moody Gardens. Haven't been to Monterey though..

I went to the Zoo yesterday ($ .75 Wed. through August) and Aquaticus really stinks.. As much as I would like to see something like that here, I really think that other attractions are more important. Let the coastal states do the aquariums.

Something like an Air & Space Museum might be more relevant to our state. Even more relevant, an Earth Science Museum.

I want this:
YouTube - Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7deClndzQw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2F)

Actually, I do agree that the city needs an aquarium. I wouldn't really consider the one at the zoo to be adequate for the whole city. I definitely think there is a market for a new aquarium and I can't think of a better location than downtown either! :D

I echo that I would like to see a true Air & Space museum here...as well as an earth sciences museum.

Not to rain on the parade, but, I think anything that would be done in the nature of an aquarium, here in the middle of the continent, would always seem second rate to the super aquariums on the coasts. I feel OKC could better spend it's bucks on something else. Just my opinion.

A big aquarium sounds awesome. It's one of the first suggestions I've seen that made me say "oh yeah!" I don't think we'd have to have a Shamu or anything, but a nice, scenic aquarium with an underwater tunnel would be something really cool to have in our downtown area. It would bring a lot of people here, and would make OKC a real regional attraction. This is something that would be a must-see anytime anyone came to OKC. People would say "I want to see the bombing memorial, tour Bricktown, watch a Thunder game, and go through the aquarium."

Yeah, let the Zoo upgrade theirs and we'll be set. Quite frankly, the Oklahoma Aquarium is not particularly impressive. Maybe I'm just too old.

People would say "I want to see the bombing memorial, tour Bricktown, watch a Thunder game, and go through the aquarium."

Would they? I've been to cities with aquariums and very few qualify to be so high on a must list.

Just go to Bass Pro, they got a big fish tank there.

I love the idea of having a true tourist attraction downtown but I feel the country is a little over-aquariumed.

Seems like they are all over now.

Yeah, let the Zoo upgrade theirs and we'll be set. Quite frankly, the Oklahoma Aquarium is not particularly impressive. Maybe I'm just too old.

But I loved the Oklahoma Aquarium. I've been to it twice. It was interesting at looking at all the fishes native to Oklahoma. The second biggest aquarium in the place of Carribean fish was so cool. The fish were so beautiful. The room with the two raccoons, two beavers and a 3 member otter family was quite captigating. It has been the only big aquarium I've been to, so I was easily impressed.

Great responses.

I still think an aquarium would be a great attraction to downtown, but I understand the points against it. So, besides an aquarium or Air and Space Museum (another idea I like), if there was one really cool, unique, creative attraction you think would bring tourists in and also attract locals to downtown, what would it be?

I'm just trying to think of way to make downtown even better as far as attraction selection goes.

assuming it survived katrina, or was revamped if it did not, the one in Nawlins was very nice when i was there several years back, oh my, make that several, several years back at this point.

assuming it survived katrina, or was revamped if it did not, the one in Nawlins was very nice when i was there several years back, oh my, make that several, several years back at this point.

I used to live there up until I was eight (1998) and it was the first aquarium I had ever been too. I thought it was awesome. Looking back at pictures, it seems that it was a pretty good aquarium after all. Wish we something like that here. Seems like it would be a big attraction seeing as we don't see a whole lot of underwater creatures in the great plains on a daily basis. . .

Long term, a good compromise would be to leave the Aquarium concept to the Zoo, use the Science Museum Oklahoma space to build a new aquarium. Then re-establish Science Museum Oklahoma in a brand new building near downtown..

Long term, a good compromise would be to leave the Aquarium concept to the Zoo, use the Science Museum Oklahoma space to build a new aquarium. Then re-establish Science Museum Oklahoma in a brand new building near downtown..

Only if they promise to change the name. :-P

i thinka musuem kinda like the tunica river museum would be neat along the oklahoma river by downtown.. the musuem at tunica has mix of native fish turtles water animals etc aquarium, and its land history and findings . I think it would be neat for something like that to be built on the river front plus maybe add a nice riverfront restaurant to the museum. and have one of those river taxi ports right at the museum so people can get off and on right there!

Only if they promise to change the name. :-P

Does anyone actually call it Science Museum Oklahoma?

This is something that would be a must-see anytime anyone came to OKC. People would say "I want to see the bombing memorial, tour Bricktown, watch a Thunder game, and go through the aquarium."

Are you talking about people from outside Oklahoma?

Does anyone actually call it Science Museum Oklahoma?

everyone I know still calls it the Omniplex

everyone I know still calls it the Omniplex

Oh, we're talking about the place next to the zoo. Yeah, it is the Omniplex to me.

okc has a lot of potential for more tourism, i think something big like an aquarium would be agreat add to the mix.. my realtives who stuck there noses up 20 years ago to our city, last time they where here they stayed in bricktown and loved it, they had agreat time, they caughta blazers game, movies in brictown tried the restaurants the museums, and loved the street vendors at night in bricktown. we just needa little bit more stuff to keep them entertained in brictown for more than just a couple days or give them a different options on there next visit.. something likea dave n busters would be fun to add to the bricktown area, an aquariun around the myriad would be great.

Are you talking about people from outside Oklahoma?

Anyone who comes into OKC. Maybe I'm just imagining something bigger and better than we have room for. The last aquarium I went to was at Sea World, so it was pretty awesome. I haven't been to the one in Jenks, so the only comparison is one I've got in my head.

Anyone who comes into OKC. Maybe I'm just imagining something bigger and better than we have room for. The last aquarium I went to was at Sea World, so it was pretty awesome. I haven't been to the one in Jenks, so the only comparison is one I've got in my head.

yeah, the one in jenks is no comparison to Sea World, and there's zero chance of getting anything like that here in OKC.

While it would be nice to have something to draw people to OKC, it just seems to me that those in charge of the city are doing everything they can to not make that happen.

I seriously don't know a single person who wants to come here by choice. They'll come here on business and go to bricktown, because there's nothing else to do. They would have gone to a Blazers game, but that's never going to happen again. The 3 times we took clients to Thunder games were disappointing, one of them was extremely upset and insulted by the pregame prayer.

Adding an aquarium with a underwater tunnel isn't going to change the minds of any of them. If they want to see an amazing aquarium, they'll go to one of the Sea World parks.


The things that OK is known for, even stereotyped as, should be what the city uses and promotes to get tourism here..

The cowboy hall of fame, the rodeos, the softball world series, etc..

Stop trying to emulate other cities to get the tourism they already have.. We aren't going to be able to match what's already been done in other major cities, so stop wasting time/money on it. play on our strengths and our own uniqueness.

The things that OK is known for, even stereotyped as, should be what the city uses and promotes to get tourism here..

The cowboy hall of fame, the rodeos, the softball world series, etc..

Stop trying to emulate other cities to get the tourism they already have.. We aren't going to be able to match what's already been done in other major cities, so stop wasting time/money on it. play on our strengths and our own uniqueness.

I agree... there are too many yuppies around here (especially OKCTalk) that would love to sweep our culture... which is what is is... under the rug.

I met a Finnish couple just today that wanted first and foremost to go the the Western Heritage Museum.

i lived here all my life and never went to the cowboy hall of fame or western hertiage museum (where is the whm at anyways?)

its Near the Zoo, I think...

yea i know i'm a big help

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
1700 NE 63rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
(405) 478-2250
http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/default.aspx

I don't think we can get another Sea World here, but I think OKC can certainly build something more impressive than Jenks.

The cotton seed mill is actually a big enough site that I think we could put a pretty impressive aquarium there. Something like that would be within easy walking distance of Bricktown, and would be something a lot of people would want to see.

I think we've got a lot more than cowboy culture here. Texas plays up the cowboy aspect, but they don't limit themselves to that, either. I'm not looking to compete with San Diego or some other coastal city when it comes to an aquarium, but I think we can certainly have something very cool, and better than anything within a day's drive. There are a lot of people who don't live near a Sea World who would still like to be able to take their families to see stuff like this. Plus, I'm not worried about being a poor copycat, this is something I would really enjoy visiting.

agree with hoyasooner, we can have something nice thats an aquarium out here, i think it would be neat to add it close to crystal bridge to havea moddy gardens theme like in galveston

I think we've got a lot more than cowboy culture here. Texas plays up the cowboy aspect, but they don't limit themselves to that, either. I'm not looking to compete with San Diego or some other coastal city when it comes to an aquarium, but I think we can certainly have something very cool, and better than anything within a day's drive. There are a lot of people who don't live near a Sea World who would still like to be able to take their families to see stuff like this. Plus, I'm not worried about being a poor copycat, this is something I would really enjoy visiting.

Of course we have more than Cowboy culture here, and people will see that, but why do we have to COPY some other city or state to try and entice people here? Play up what we have, if the other stuff if as incredible and interesting as all the people on this site claim, then visitors will see that and come back.

Sea World is 7 hours away. There's absolutely no reason to waste the money or the land on something that can never compete.

Improve the current attractions, relocate them if necessary to centralize the experience, stop playing the "But Houston has this and New Orleans has that" game. It doesn't work.

If you want to drive to an aquarium in less than 7 hours, go to Bass Pro, or go to the one in Jenks.. I refuse to pay more money in taxes just so a few of you can look at some fish.

I still think it is a shame and missed opportunity that we did not allow the artist Wyland to paint a whale mural downtown. If we had some forethought we could have done that and built an aquarium downtown. Aquariums are not just limited to the coasts -- Dallas has a great aquarium and the whole point behind things like zoos is to bring things to people who otherwise would have no opportunity to see those animals.

Maybe regionalize it. Like the "Oklahoma Trails" exhibit at the zoo, the majority of the aquarium could consist of the different ecosystems and habitats offering aquatic life in Oklahoma. The lakes around here are too murky to see anything, I think an Oklahoma-centric aquarium would shed some insight into our own state.

I've been to the one in Jenks it's very nice!I dont know if it would draw people off of the highway,But for locals it would be a great place to take kids to,I guess it depends on the the location if something like this were built!maybe a huge aquarium in a new convention center,for the C2S plans! that would be cool to have

I'd really like to see the Land Run Moment completed... It's already impressive and the final version will be awesome.

And adjacent to that, a Land Run / OKC History Museum. The Land Run aspect is one of the most unique aspects of our history and culture.

That, combined with the American Indian Cultural Center, could be huge draws and also tie into what makes Oklahoma different than any other place. Perhaps we could even tie in the Cowboy Hall, Zoo and bombing memorial as part of a visitor's package.

BTW, I can really see fuzzytoad's point about getting too caught up trying to copy other cities. We need to look for things that are unique about Central Oklahoma and the state in general and play those up. Why would people bother coming/staying if we just have a smattering of the same stuff that every other city already has?

For this reason I think we need to look at keeping at least part of the Co-op silos.

I also think sports & recreation are a big part of the area's identity and I'd like to see more parkland and recreation facilities as part of Core to Shore.

What about a private venture aquarium like the Landry's Aquarium (http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com/flash_content/flash_content.html) concept?

What about a private venture aquarium like the Landry's Aquarium (http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com/flash_content/flash_content.html) concept?

Yeah that's pretty cool!

i lived here all my life and never went to the cowboy hall of fame or western hertiage museum (where is the whm at anyways?)

It's a good way to see huge, awesome paintings.

What about a private venture aquarium like the Landry's Aquarium (http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com/flash_content/flash_content.html) concept?

We should sponsor a drive to build up the demand for the owners to build one here in OKC somewhere along the river.

A lot of other cities already have aquariums. Lets think outside the box and do something else.

An aquarium would be nice but building and having an aquarium is no guaranty it is going to be a success. The one in Denver was a flop and had to be bailed out of bankruptcy by Landry's restaurant chain. Aquariums are high maintenance and have high operating costs. It would truly be a risk in OKC - but it could succeed if they included a school of noodling to it.

I'd rather focus on improving and expanding Aquaticus at the zoo.

I agree with the zoo idea. I think our zoo is the city's best kept secret. Its far better than the zoo in Denver or Dallas or Ft. Worth. If they can't figure out what else to do with that ferris wheel they bought in California, the zoo would be a nice place for it.

I too hope they complete the Land Run monument. We have so much unique history related to our 'American Frontier' past... I wish we would do more with that downtown.

I'm glad to see more and more instate tourism ads.
Alot of people here in state dont know what we have as a state to offer.

Native American Cultural Institute
Boathouses
Regatta Park
Fishies@The River
Humphrey's Wheel and Housing
Future Expansion
Regatta West or whatever they call the Meridian area landing for the boats
Poo Ridge

What else ought to fit along the river?

I think the aquarium is a great idea, but with Tulsa having one just up the road there would have to be something unique about the Oklahoma City Aquarium that would make it a destination. Just another crackerbox aquarium will not do it anymore. There needs to be some attractions on or near the river to draw folks to ride the cruise boats. I went and was underwhelmed. The pick up schedule was not accurate and there were essentially no facilities to wait for the shuttle. It was horrible and I thought one poor gentlemen was going to pass out from the heat. The Pennsylvania bridge seems to interesting and if lit properly could be something to see. A large water jets shooting out of the water, statues and to pick up kevin's ideas the Native American Cultural Institute Boathouses,Regatta Park Fishies @ The River and some restaurants would all be great. Look how successful Louie's, Redrock and the other restaurants are at Lake Hefner. There was not one wow factor natural or man made to keep anyone's attention. Though a great idea, the cart was definably before the horse on the cruise boat. Everyone could not wait for the trip to end. Having landings where tourists and locals to get on and off would also be great feature.

I seriously don't know a single person who wants to come here by choice.

That's very far from the truth. Spend a couple days chatting with people staying in our downtown hotels and you'll find quite a few who are making this a stop on some sort of vacation--completely by choice. Even TEXANS (gasp).


Maybe regionalize it. Like the "Oklahoma Trails" exhibit at the zoo, the majority of the aquarium could consist of the different ecosystems and habitats offering aquatic life in Oklahoma. The lakes around here are too murky to see anything, I think an Oklahoma-centric aquarium would shed some insight into our own state.

They've already done this with the one in Jenks.


I'd really like to see the Land Run Moment completed... It's already impressive and the final version will be awesome.

And adjacent to that, a Land Run / OKC History Museum. The Land Run aspect is one of the most unique aspects of our history and culture.

The land run is our single most unique piece of history. It's our Alamo. I agree they really need to finish the monument as planned. And I think they should push for National Monument or at least National Historical Site status, and a nice museum. That's something unique that East Coasters and Europeans would eat up.

i think a nice large walking bridge over the oklahoma river would be nice, have it a art deco bridge unique one of a kind that lights up, leading to a river museum and restaurants on entertainment on both side of the river

I think a pedestrian bridge accross the river to Wiley Post Park is already part of the plan, actually.