Where to See Dory and Her Fish Friends

When a memory of her family and "the jewel of Monterey" comes back to her, Dory sets off with her pals toward the fictional Monterey Marine Life Institute. The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California served as inspiration for the film's institute. Perched beside the Pacific Ocean, about 190 kilometers south of San Francisco, the aquarium features hundreds of species of marine life. Young adventurers can join the Underwater Explorers program. Divers-to-be get basic scuba instructions, along with a regulator, air tank and mask. They swim at the water's surface while being introduced to the wonders of the aquarium’s Great Tide Pool, including starfish, eels and sea cucumbers.

You can sleep with the fishes at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. Located about 65 kilometers northeast of Washington, D.C., the aquarium hosts sleepovers, where guests spend the night behind the scenes of the aquarium. The Guest Diver Program allows certified adult divers to swim with sharks and other sea life in the Atlantic coral reef exhibit. The aquarium's other exhibits include the tropical rainforest and blacktip reef, an Indo-Pacific reef system with blacktip sharks and dozens of species of fish and other marine animals, including a 225-kilogram green sea turtle named Calypso.

You'll feel like an unofficial member of Nemo's Tank Gang at the Theater of the Sea, about 130 kilometers southwest of Miami, in the Florida Keys. It hosts dolphin and sea lion shows, as well as boat and nature tours, but is primarily known for its interactive animal encounters. Visitors can swim, wade or paint – yes, paint – with dolphins and sea lions. Plus, you can feed, pet and hold nurse sharks during encounters in a saltwater lagoon.

You don't have to visit the Florida Keys to experience the underwater bounty that surrounds the state. The Florida Aquarium's Swim and Dive programs allows visitors the thrill of swimming with native Florida fish and even sharks. Swim past porcupine fish and other creatures as your family and friends watch from outside the glass enclosure at the Tampa aquarium.

When Dory and her pals arrive at the Marine Life Institute, they befriend Destiny, a friendly whale shark. Meet a gentle giant of your own at the Georgia Aquarium, which offers visitors a chance to swim with whale sharks in its Ocean Voyager exhibit. The exhibit also houses sharks, rays and thousands of fish and other creatures. If you'd rather not get so close to a shark, you'll have plenty to explore. The Atlanta aquarium contains more than 100,000 sea creatures.

The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, impresses with re-creations of global habitats, including a glass-enclosed Wild Reef exhibit that simulates being underwater as sharks swim over your head. Visit the three-story Abbott Oceanarium for an aquatic show that could include dolphins, sea lions and beluga whales. Children can pet stingrays at the Stingray Touch exhibit from late May to early September.