- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Marine Science Center Hatfield Osu
Categories: Aquariums, Colleges & Universities [Edit]
2030 SE Marine Science DrNewport, OR 97365
(541) 867-0100
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Marine Science Center Hatfield Osu
It is so very rare to actually get to interact with an octopod anywhere on the planet. In this very spot, you can actually touch an octopus. These shy creatures are usually huddled in the darkest corner of any other aquarium. Here "Amigo" is front and center, the main attraction, the Hatfield's Shamu. Step right up and touch the Octopus, kids!
The touch tank is also cool because this aquarium is not as crowded as the commercial attraction next door.
The day we want was "Oregon Commercial Fisheries Day". I had a nice chat with a fisherman who was displaying his kiosk concept that helps consumers learn about where their fish comes from. Fish are filleted and packaged with bar codes and URLs so you can scan the package or type in the code on a web site and get lots of data about who caught the fish, where they caught it, when, etc. I told him that he should just organize a Twitter campaign b/c consumers just care about the lore of the sea, not so much the detailed data.
And this perhaps is the lesson of the Hatfield Science Center. Consumers are sheeplike animals, attracted to the flashy stuff and bored by the information that might help them truly survive as a species.
Extinction happens.
My cheap-ass parents have been taking me to the Hatfield Marine Science Center multiple times per summer since I was a little kid. For an aquarium that is roughly twelve dollars cheaper than its neighbor to the south - or exactly $14.95 cheaper if you keep your head down and run past the "suggested donations" lady - the Hatfield isn't too bad. The big ol' octopus is always fun to watch, even if they don't let visitors stick their arms in the tank anymore. The touch pool has a child-pleasing array of anemones, rockfish and skates. Everybody likes the chaos wheel and the whale-song exhibit, and while the collection of actual live exhibits is sparse, it's always fun to watch the fish do their thing.
Yet the tourist appeal of the Hatfield is limited by its low funding and advanced academic purpose, and those who do not consider themselves amateur marine biologists may find themselves without much to do. Exhibits do not change often, and what is there can be very dry. Clunky exhibits on pinworm infestation and different types of silt are about as child-friendly as is humanly possible, which is to say that most kids who are not into biology will find them completely lame. Customer service at the Hatfield is usually good, but my last visit there was a disappointment - the bathrooms were trashed, and someone's kid had obviously taken a whizz in the auditorium.
But it's a good deal. If you're a parent and you want your kids to sincerely appreciate marine biology, and if you can afford it, take your kids to the Oregon Coast Aquarium before you take them to the Hatfield. Get their excitement and enthusiasm going at the big aquarium, then when they've mastered some of the basic background information and are hungry for more, hit them with the heavy academic stuff at the Hatfield. Otherwise a lot of what the Hatfield has to offer will be lost on them.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
I loved it, very entertaining, very customer driven. loved all of the different marine animals
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
This is an interesting spot to take kids. I actually preferred the old school one that I went to as a child.
The huge ass octopus is cool, as well as the changing displays.