June 17, 2025
Provided Image/Kaleidoscope Cove
At the Jelly Wall in Adventure Aquarium's new Kaleidoscope Cove, the lighting helps highlight the jellyfish's ability to glow in the dark. The exhibit opens June 28 in Camden.
Adventure Aquarium will open Kaleidoscope Cove — which features a touchable sea star exhibit and glowing jellyfish enclosure — on Saturday, June 28, the Camden attraction said Tuesday.
The new area in the former KidZone space is included with the price of admission and is 2,000 square feet. The design celebrates the vibrant colors of the ocean with a Glowing Grotto exhibit of bioluminescence.
A Draw Alive mural allows visitors to sketch a sea creature and see it swim across a digital ocean. There's also a touch-sensitive sand table that shows the different landscapes underwater and a wall of glowing pins that people can move around (similar to a giant Lite-Brite) that's called LiteZilla.
The cove gets its name from the design, which brings in natural light from the waterfront windows and creates a kaleidoscope effect when combined with the darkness in the room.
The LiteZilla display, above, features lit-up pins that visitors can move around into different designs.
Provided Image/Adventure Aquarium
The Jelly Wall at Adventure Aquarium's Kaleidoscope Cove.
Provided Image/Adventure Aquarium
Visitors can touch starfish at the new Sea Star Shores.
Provided Image/Adventure Aquarium
Kaleidoscope Cove is home to over 100 aquatic species including flashlight fish, cuttlefish, poison dart frogs, striped jellyfish and hippo tangs. The exhibits are organized by the unique color of each creature instead of by geography or environment.
"We challenged ourselves to think beyond the traditional aquarium experience," said Mallory Hall, creative director at Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns the aquarium. "Instead of focusing solely on habitat, we explored how elements like color and light could shape a new kind of exhibit — one that invites wonder, interaction, and learning through play."
