The Estuarium is a small but well-designed public aquarium operated by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama's primary marine research institution. The exhibits focus on the four ecosystems that define coastal Alabama: the Mobile-Tensaw Delta (one of the most biologically diverse river systems in North America), the Mobile Bay estuary, the barrier islands, and the open Gulf of Mexico. Each habitat is represented by live animals in tanks designed to reflect actual conditions.
The facility is educational rather than spectacular — this is not a large commercial aquarium with sharks and whale shows. But the quality of the tanks and the specificity of the information is high. Sea turtles, rays, fish from the Gulf, and invertebrates from Mobile Bay are all represented. It is a good rainy-day option, particularly for families with children, and the proximity to the Sea Lab means the science is current and explained with authority.