In a city known for high diving horses, a diving bell that took riders to the floor of the sea, a sky tower ride that rose 300 feet into the sky, and a Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museum, it was inevitable that someday, Atlantic City would have an aquarium. It took a long time for that to actually happen, but in 1999, the Atlantic City Aquarium, located at Gardner’s Basin, opened for business.
Three organizations — the City of Atlantic City, the Department of Public Works, and Gardner’s Basin Management — are responsible for the building, the maintenance, and the day to day management of the venue, but the idea from the start was actually a part of the 1999 redevelopment of Gardner’s Basin.
The Basin itself was named for one time Atlantic City politician, businessman and Civil War veteran John J. Gardner. He served two terms as the city’s mayor, was a member of the state Senate and was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1893 to 1913. It has been said that Gardner was one of the most powerful and influential legislators in New Jersey political history. He supported laws that would improve the state’s waterways, and successfully secured Federal funding to improve Atlantic City’s inlet area, as well as other waterways in the state. His name first appeared on city maps around 1895 when, according to newspaper reports at the time, the sand and marsh at the basin were filled in to create a park and a viable locale for real estate.
Prior to its redevelopment, Gardner’s Basin was described by the local press as “a hidden jewel ignored for decades.” As for its checkered history, the basin first became well known as a spot where those transporting liquor during Prohibition hid from the Coast Guard. But as the years passed, the inlet area, beginning around the late 1960s, had become dangerous and crime ridden. Tourist-oriented restaurants like Captain Starn’s, Hackney’s and Carson’s Triangle still did good business, but enjoying a meal at one of those restaurants was literally the only reason to visit the neighborhood.
In 1974, with legalized gaming still four years away, the very slow turnaround for Gardner’s Basin began, under the leadership of area lawyer and philanthropist James L. Cooper. It took years to completely revitalize the area, and eventually, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) stepped in, built townhouses that replaced abandoned shells and did whatever possible to attract new businesses and new housing to the area. In 1999, the CRDA decided Gardner’s Basin needed was a year-round tourist attraction for all ages.
Built at a cost of $4.5 million in that year, and funded by the CRDA, what was called the “Ocean Life Center” opened for business. It was a hit. The Aquarium offers interactive experience by way of six, hands-on touch tanks, an “under the sea” coloring area for the youngsters, a “Fish of the Mid-Atlantic” exhibit that features a 225 pound loggerhead sea turtle named “Groman,” and the Tropical Reef, home to a live coral reef and species like fu manchu lionfish. But wait. There’s more. Visitors of all ages can enjoy the “Off the Docks” exhibit with moon jellies, lobsters, and blue crabs; and the “Estuary Exhibit,” where visitors can actually touch horseshoe crabs and see diamondback turtles.
It all worked. Until it didn’t. With the arrival of Covid-19 in March of 2020, the aquarium closed. It wouldn’t open again for almost five years.
Before it closed, the CRDA, an environmental consulting organization called Rutala Associates and the American Rescue Plan — the latter a part of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus bill passed in 2021 — managed to secure grant funding in order to upgrade and improve the aquarium. However, during the initial repair process, it was discovered that a good deal of work — much more than first anticipated — needed to be done, including new roofing, windows, flooring, decking, rest room renovation, HVAC and lighting replacement, painting and drywall work, and much more. Complicating matters were issues with the supply chain, just one of the unfortunate results of Covid. The process took five years to complete. There were some naysayers in the city who thought it might never open.
In March of last year, after five years and at a cost of $4.75 million, the Atlantic City Aquarium opened for business. It the renovation process wasn’t easy. As the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jason Nark wrote last March, “If turtles get lonely, Groman the Loggerhead had a tough couple of years at the Atlantic City Aquarium.”
The Aquarium, thankfully, continues to thrive, as does Gardner’s Basin. If there’s a lesson to be learned from all this, it’s that Atlantic City, with venues like the Aquarium, can be a year-round tourist destination. Just ask Groman the Loggerhead.
Note: For those interested in Gardner’s Basin’s pre-aquarium history, grab a copy of William McMahon’s 50-page booklet published in 1976, “Historic Gardner’s Basin, Atlantic City.”
The Atlantic City Aquarium is open seven days per week, year round. Hours after Sept. 6 are 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Admission prices are $15 (ages 13 & Up), $10 for seniors, $8 for children. No admission charge for children ages two and under. The Aquarium is also available for all-day, special event rentals. Further information: acnj.gov/pages/acaquarium.
