American Dream's Giant Aquarium Reveals Opening Date

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - New Jersey SEA LIFE, the giant aquarium being built at American Dream, has revealed a grand opening date of April 23.

In advance of the opening, the aquarium has started filling its water tanks to prepare for the thousands of sea creatures that'll soon call New Jersey SEA LIFE home.

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On Wednesday, Camille DePascale, the aquarium's general manager, and Rich Weddle, New Jersey SEA LIFE's curator, kicked off the water fill with a ceremonial bucket pour.

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“The water fill is an exciting milestone for us because it takes us one step closer to opening day and gives a sneak peek into this one-of-a-kind SEA LIFE location,” DePascale said. “We can’t wait to entertain and educate our guests about the ocean, its inhabitants and future preservation.”

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The aquarium's theme, "City Under The Sea," will revolve around iconic moments and landmarks in New York City.

The 25,000-square foot aquarium will house more than 3,000 creatures, with approximately 75 to 100 different species of fish and invertebrates from local and international waters.

The attraction will also offer talks and events, feeding demonstrations, and more, allowing guests to interact directly with some of the creatures, according to Merlin.

The American Dream aquarium will be Merlin Entertainment's 10th SEA LIFE in the U.S. and first in the northeast. For information on tickets, annual passes, birthday party packages, and school and group tickets, click here.

Merlin will also be opening LEGOLAND Discovery Center New Jersey at the Meadowlands mega-mall next spring.

According to Merlin, it'll be "the ultimate indoor playground for families with children ages 3-10" and include several LEGO play areas, such as a brick pool, train ride, 4D cinema, party rooms, a café, retail shops and a workshop class with a LEGO master model builder.

Merlin is also slated to open LEGOLAND New York in Goshen, NY - which is about 30 miles from the New Jersey border - in July 2020.

American Dream, the massive $5 billion shopping and entertainment venue, opened in October 2019.

For now, Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, IT'SUGAR candy store, Big SNOW indoor ski park and an NHL-size ice rink are open to the public.

DreamWorks Water Park, an indoor water park that will include the world's largest indoor water coaster, a free fall slide with a 70-foot drop, a lazy river and a 1.5-acre wave pool was supposed to open Nov. 27, but the mall recently announced it would be delayed until further notice.

Other attractions, shopping and dining will follow over the next several months.

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