I can’t tell you how excited I was to learn yesterday that we’re getting an Aquarium!!! How did I not know this was coming??? Charlotte-Concord Sea Life Aquarium, a 36,000 square foot facility, is set to open in the Spring of 2014.
Ground will officially be broken on September 25th at 10:30am at Concord Mills.The world’s second largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin Entertainments Group, will lead this new attraction.
“After careful research, Charlotte-Concord was determined to be the perfect fit for the sixth SEA LIFE Aquarium to open in the U.S.,” said James Paulding, Merlin’s Head of Openings for North America. “The North Carolina area’s proximity to mountain rivers, lakes and the ocean coupled with its high volume of tourists made it the best spot for our new marine attraction. We can’t wait to open our doors to the Charlotte-Concord community.”
The aquarium will be the home to over 5,000 marine creatures, including sharks, stingrays, an octopus, seahorses, jellyfish and more.
“The new SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium is going to be a very positive addition to Concord,” remarks Concord Mayor Scott Padgett. “Not only will it have a major impact on tourism by drawing new and repeat visitors to our area, it will also boost our local economy by creating new jobs. We are very pleased to welcome SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord and Merlin Entertainments to our city’s growing roster of outstanding attractions, hotels, shopping and dining options.”
For the latest updates and to follow the progress of SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord, visit www.VisitSEALIFE.com/Charlotte-Concord or www.facebook.com/SEALIFECharlotteConcord or @SEALIFECC on Twitter.
Who else is excited about this news? My children are going to be counting down til the moment the doors open!
SEA LIFE is the world’s largest aquarium chain with over 45 aquariums around the world that are visited by over 50 million people each year. SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord is the sixth SEA LIFE aquarium launched in the U.S. and is located at Concord Mills, 8111 Concord Mills Blvd. in Concord, NC. For more information, visit www.visitsealife.com/charlotte-concord.
About Merlin Entertainments
Merlin has nineteen attractions in the USA – including two stunning LEGOLAND Resorts – LEGOLAND Florida with its Water Park and LEGOLAND California theme park with Water Park, SEA LIFE aquarium and exciting new hotel; Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Hollywood; LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago; Dallas/Fort Worth; Kansas City Missouri; Atlanta, Georgia; and Westchester, New York; and SEA LIFE aquariums in Phoenix, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas/Fort Worth; and the Mall of America in Minneapolis – underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator.
