Construction begins in July on a $10 million Sea Life aquarium that will open in spring 2014 at Concord Mills in Concord. The aquarium is expected to draw as many as 350,000 additional visitors to the area each year. Concord Mills already reports 17 million to 18 million visits per year. Initial plans call for more than 30 displays of diverse marine life – everything from shrimp and starfish to seahorses, sharks and rays. In keeping with other Sea Life attractions in the U.S. and around the world, there also will be a unique element reflecting the Carolinas’ location based around the marine creatures most associated with the region. The centerpiece will be a huge tropical ocean tank with a walk-through underwater tunnel. The relationships developed with the Cabarrus County CVB, Concord and Cabarrus County were key factors in the company’s decision to locate in Concord, according to a Merlin Entertainment representative.
Sea Life is the world’s biggest aquarium brand with more than 15 million visitors a year and 50 attractions in Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific. Concord’s Sea Life Center will be the sixth that Merlin has opened in the U.S. Merlin has other Sea Life locations in California, Minnesota, Arizona, Texas and Missouri. Merlin currently also has 12 other attractions in North America. These include the Legoland theme parks with its Water Parks in California and Florida, Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York, Washington D.C., Las Vegas and Hollywood; and Legoland Discovery Centers in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City and Atlanta with two more due to open in the spring in Westchester, New York and Toronto, Canada.