The Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, which opened in September 1923, is the oldest, still-operating grand municipal aquarium in America. The aquarium's collection includes species found at no other institution in the world, as well as species that are extinct in the wild.
The Steinhart Aquarium is currently located at 875 Howard Street in downtown San Francisco (between 4th and 5th).
The New Steinhart Aquarium will open in fall 2008. While the indoor tropical rainforest is the centerpiece of the new facilities there are a number of other exhibits planned, including those showcasing coral reefs, the oceans, California's coastal ecosystems, a "Flooded Forest Tunnel" which gives visitors an entirely different perspective on the Amazon river, a crocodile-filled swamp, and a "Costa Rican Butterfly Canopy" full of free-flying butterflies.