Sharks, seahorses and more: A look inside Sea Life Orlando Aquarium at I-Drive 360

It may not be as large as SeaWorld, but International Drive’s new aquarium is a sight to see for tourists who want to know more about our watery neighbors under the seas. Sea Life Orlando Aquarium, one of three major Merlin Entertainments attractions at I-Drive 360, held a media preview on April 27 to showcase what guests can expect to see come May 4 – its official opening date. The experience, which took OBJ Photographer Jim Carchidi and I about an hour to complete, takes you through the various oceans and natural ecosystems of the world and gets you pretty darn close to many of the lifeforms that call the seas their home. Guests can get as close as the acrylic/glass window allows to look at fish as small as seahorses to the massive Wobbegong Shark, which was my personal favorite. The attraction will join the Madame Tussauds wax museum and The Orlando Eye attractions opening on May 4 including the dozens of other attractions, restaurants and entertainment venues at the $200 million I-Drive 360 complex. New attractions like I-Drive 360 help draw more tourists to Orlando — which had more than 60 million visitors in 2014 — as well as spur economic impact in the billions of dollars for the region.