A massive aquarium in Daytona Beach has finally opened to the public

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It’s a new place to play and learn and its little more than a mile away from the “world’s most famous beach.”

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The Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure opened Wednesday at International Speedway Boulevard and Nova Road.

The 55,000-square-foot aquarium has all the traditional tanks and exhibits people are used to seeing.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to get up close and personal with sea life through interactive tanks.

Read: Massive aquarium to soon replace former Daytona Mall

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Photos: A massive aquarium officially open in Daytona Beach

The aquarium replaced an abandoned mall, and its owners Cliff Grosvenor and Margaret Daniels believe it’s only the beginning.

“They’ve been doing a lot to revitalize, and this is another big push to make that happen,” Grosvenor said.

He opened a similar business in Pennsylvania called the Electric City Aquarium and thought Daytona Beach deserved its own version.

Photos: A massive aquarium officially opens in Daytona Beach

Visitors started lining up about an hour before opening; some even traveled from other parts of the state.

“I definitely think we will end up buying season passes if they have that because I want her to grow up in the aquarium,” visitor Preshauna Ewing said of her daughter. “It’s like my favorite place. I love the water.”

The owners’ hope to build a thriving business in Daytona Beach and create new family traditions.

Read: ‘The Canopy’: 10-acre park to be built beneath I-4 in downtown Orlando

“We’re already doing field trips -- got a lot of those booked,” Grosvenor said. “We have birthday parties already booked. We will be able to accommodate, like, 300 people for different big events -- weddings even.”

This isn’t all the aquarium has in store. It is also opening a rainforest section with all kinds of animals, which is set to open in about another year.

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