The Mississippi Aquarium opened in 2020 on the Gulfport waterfront, replacing the Marine Life Oceanarium that Hurricane Katrina destroyed in 2005. It is a nonprofit institution focused on Gulf of Mexico ecosystems and the wildlife of the Mississippi watershed, and it is the state's largest aquarium.
The centrepiece exhibit is the Gulf of Mexico tank, a large open-ocean display with sharks, rays, and the kind of shoaling fish that characterise the warm, shallow waters of the northern Gulf. Other exhibits cover freshwater ecosystems — the Mississippi River and its tributaries — with alligators, gar, and paddlefish in substantial tanks. There is a touch pool, a sea turtle rehabilitation programme where recovering animals are displayed before release, and an outdoor riverboat section along the waterfront edge of the complex.
The aquarium positions itself as both attraction and conservation facility, and the recovery programme for sea turtles is genuine — animals found stranded on Gulf beaches come here before being released. The building is modern and airy, a deliberate statement of post-Katrina renewal for the city. It is a good rainy-day option and worthwhile on its own terms.