Cleveland, grab your wet suits.
Hundreds attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium today.
The $33 million investment features more than 5,000 fish in one million gallons of water.
“There’s a lot of investment in downtown Cleveland, a lot of renewed interest in the waterfront,” said Mayor Frank Jackson. “And this project helps us to refind Cleveland and redirect in ways that will be the future of the City of Cleveland.”
City officials expect the aquarium with bring 500,000 visitors to downtown, generating up to $27.2 million to the local economy.
“We don’t have to go across the world to see God’s hand in nature. It’s right here,” said Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman. “And when this place begins the first and next chapter of the flats revitalization, we will recognize today is the reason why we’re here, why there’s going to be more retail, why the infrastructure will improve.”
Yet, visitors aren’t restricted to the site’s 35 tanks.
People can actually touch some animals and walk through a 500,000-gallon tank, offering a panoramic view of 15 sharks and various species.
Tony Fertal, 7, was most impressed by the sharks, with some that measure up to seven feet long.
“I like the Sharks,” Tony said. “Like how cool it was and stuff. How they could move that fastly. Seeing the hammerhead sharks, that was pretty cool. I’ve never seen sharks up that close before.”
The aquarium will officially open its doors to the public on Saturday morning.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is located at 2000 Sycamore Street. Tickets cost $21.95 per person, $15.95 for kids 2 to 12. Parking will cost $3 during the week and $5 during the weekend.
For more information, go to http://greaterclevelandaquarium.com