More details have been released about what visitors can expect at the new ‘Aquarium at the Boardwalk’ that is planned to be built on the site of the former Grand Palace theatre in Branson, Missouri.

The exterior of the 46,000sqft. aquarium will be modelled on a huge octopus. Its interior will be home to a thrilling Jelly Fish Infinity Room, in which visitors have control of the colour-changing environment.

Other leading features of the ambitious new aquarium include a water tunnel that takes guests to an ancient sunken city at the heart of the aquarium.

Another key attraction of the Aquarium at the Boardwalk will be a themed area known as Mermaid Palace, where guests can enjoy gazing at a colourful array of fish, butterfly fish and seahorses.

Guests will have the opportunity to touch sharks and rays and have their photo taken wearing a high-tech diving suit.

Plans have also been announced for an ‘Amazing Rays’ viewing area, a slide that takes visitors though a real tank and a coral reef.

There will be a children’s area at the aquarium where children will be able to climb on a replica of a sea nettle, which is essentially a giant-sized jellyfish. Kids can slide through a swarm of lionfish on the 14ft climber enclosed by nets.

The Aquarium at the Boardwalk is due to be completed by March 2020. It is being constructed by Kuvera Partners, a Los Angeles attraction-building company, focused on creating attractions to drive customers and “generate a perennial buzz.”

The project will come at a cost of $51million and is hoping to secure $7m in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to be approved.