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New England Aquarium
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Waterfront
1 Central Wharf
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 973-5200
1 Central Wharf
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 973-5200
- Nearest Transit:
-
Aquarium (Blue)
State (Blue, Orange)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
176 reviews for New England Aquarium
Right before getting to the Aquarium, I had texted a friend from the area we were going. He texted back, "oh, enjoy- it's very 70s." Hm, this doesn't sound promising.
Well, I still had a lot of fun. Despite my reputation of enjoying seafood, I wasn't at the Aquarium to pick out dinner. I loved looking at the jellyfish display. Those were pretty neat. The exhibit is downstairs.
Then we headed "outside" to see the harbor seals. The harbor seals exhibit was cool too though I wondered if they were allowed out of their area?
With these two great exhibits under our belts, I thought for sure the interior exhibits would be just as fun. Well, they're all right. I guess this is where the 70s thing comes from. It smells inside. Fortunately, not too badly but there's definitely a stink about the place.
There's a couple of stories of exhibits. I liked how they divided things by water bodies. You could see everything from deep sea to the streams to vast oceans. The center is a huge tank of "stuff." When you get to the top, you can look down at the giant tortoises from the Gallepegos.
We spent about an hour looking at everything. I did think it was cheesy they stopped you when you first walked in to take a picture against a green screen. They then try to see you the picture. The background is all sorts of marine life.
Since I can't really remember how I felt about the Monterey and Long Beach aquariums in California, I'm going to say the New England one was fun and fascinating.
There's a lot of mixed reviews on this aquarium and I can understand why. This is not /*insert epic aquarium here*/ but you know what I've been to some of those epic aquariums and this place does a good job at educating and sharing, isn't that why we're here?
My wife and I are avid aquarium hobbyists, her more than me, and we always like to hit the local aquariums, again her more than me ;). The aquariums collections are mostly tropical, I did catch a couple of tanks filled with the local wildlife which is always exciting to see. The wife's favorite part of the aquarium was the fact that all of the fish were properly labeled with scientific names, yes she can actually name damn near every fish in the place.
Yes it's definitely an expensive place to go. My recommendation is to pick up a Boston City pass if you're a tourist. You can't go wrong!
Yo Crush from Finding Nemo, I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you finish, but Myrtle the Turtle is one of the best sea turtles of all time. OF ALL TIME.
If you're an aquarium snob who needs sharks to be jumping through fire and seahorses performing long division, then this isn't for you. If you're someone who just wants to see some cool sea creatures and entertain the kid in you for a couple hours, then this place is perfect.
The New England Aquarium is small, dated, and expensive. I've been to better aquariums in other cities - but I've still come back to NEA because Myrtle the Turtle is my home girl and I effing love penguins. Sure tickets are pricey and the tanks are small, but it's not everyday you can hang out with penguins - zupgais? Oh, and the African Penguins, AKA Jackass Penguins, that sound like donkeys - best.ever.
I also went on a whale watch through the aquarium and it was amazeballz. I've been on a handful of whale watches (mostly setting sail off the Cape) but this was by far the best. I was about to dive into the ocean and ride one of the humpbacks!
So at the end of the day, if you're looking for THE.BEST.AQUARIUM.EVAR then head down to Mystic or Tennessee or Antarctica. But if you're cool with some chill penguins and a hot turtle named Myrtle then lets go on a date there.
I want to give four and a half stars, really. My husband and I were staying nearby and were woken up early. We were one of the first people at the museum. There were so many kinds of penguins. We loved the noisy ones (I think they were from Australia). They made the funniest sounds! The huge tank with the many kinds of fish and turtles was awesome. There was a huge green moray eel that just looked so absurd and alien. There was also a very large turtle that seemed to follow us around the tank as we were walking around and up it on the ramp and just appeared to be looking at us in anticipation of something. We were very amused by this. Later on we discovered the turtle is called Myrtle and is very friendly. It is the only animal that is hand-fed lettuce in order to be distracted and not greet the divers trying to feed the other animals and clean the tank. Very cool turtle. There were really interesting looking seahorses that appeared to be plants (it took me a while to see that they were really not pieces of plants) and a few aquaria with jellyfish too. I think going early in the morning made all the difference in terms of our enjoyment of this place (I know, an early start is not very appealing). The animals were not fed yet and some of them seemed very interested in people. The crowds were not there yet, so we didn't have to battle our way to be able to catch glimpses of the more popular animals. Very enjoyable!
How did I not review this a LONG time ago??? I love the aquarium!!!! I LOVE the penguins....they are pretty cool to just watch. I also like how the tank is actually layed out....a spiral ramp that goes to the top. Pretty neat! even if you do not want to pay admission, they have an enclosure for sea lions outside you can stroll by and visit for free! A definite must see when visiting the city!
Despite the reviews, my husband and I decided to try out the aquarium while we were in Boston for only a few hours because we love aquariums and it was basically as hot as hell mid-August, so we needed refuge. Having the Scripps Aquarium in our own town and having visited the Seattle and Monterey aquariums, we are probably spoiled. This one was pretty small with very few exhibits, and it was unbelievably crowded with screaming, unruly kids. The jelly fish were really cool as were the seals, but are you kidding me? No otters? I guess I just expected more and felt shortchanged for such a big admission fee.
Also, what is up with them making you stop and get your picture taken when you walk in? It makes the line to get in SO long and slow-- and if you don't have kids, why would you want your picture taken? We apologized and asked if we could just walk past, and the girl got really mad and rolled her eyes and huffed and puffed. It was a pretty bad first impression and was definitely a harbinger of things to come. Not good things.
Do yourself the favor and skip it, like we should have. It's nothing to write home about, so go and bare the heat on the Freedom Trail instead.
Our neighbor gave us her family pass to go over the weekend, and I sure am glad we used it. Tickets for adults are $20, and that's pretty steep for a tiny aquarium. Although it's four floors, about half of the space is taken up by a nice ramp system that circles the huge central tank... Which really leaves only about two floors' equivalent of aquarium to been seen. Ya follow?
The best exhibit, by far, is the elaborate penguin playground which spans the entire first level. You can see the little buggers from basically any level, strutting and gliding in all their penguin glory. Super fun.
Annual memberships do have their perks, though. Flash your fancy membership and receive $10 off the parking rate at the garage immediately in front of the aquarium.
I totally get the hated on reviews - the admission IS pricey, it's not very modern, it's always crowded, tourists everywhere, kids run amok, etc. - but the NE aquarium still has my heart.
You will be hard pressed to find a better quintessentially-Boston location or activity. Not only that but this is the best aquarium I've been to in my life. All other just don't compare.
What a great aquarium! Had a wonderful time. Loved the spiraling ramp wrapping around the 4 story viewing tank. We bought the Go Boston Cards. With that we were able to skip the long ticket line and walk right in.
Murtle the Ginormous turtle was very entertaining. They have a wide variety of creatures for your viewing pleasure. Yes it was jam packed with tourists, but a good time was had by all!
A great way to spend an afternoon.
The pros:
+ The main, cylindrical tank is the central attraction, spanning several stories and containing many different types of saltwater fish. It's nice to look at.
+ The penguins are certainly cute.
The cons:
- The price! Man, 20 bucks per adult just to see that? Really?!
- Crowds! Don't go on the weekends--especially Sundays. You'll be mowed down by tourists and their screaming children in tow. It's also difficult to actually get in to see what's in the smaller tanks, since they're usually mobbed by tourists.
- If you don't reserve your ticket two days in advance, you'll have to wait in line with the rest of the populous. Expect a 20-30 minute wait on the weekends.
- Most of their exhibits haven't changed in at least the last five years.
This place is probably okay for a one-time visit if you're entertaining family or out-of-town guests. Other than that, save your money and check out Baltimore's aquarium. It's far better than this.
My friend LOVES aquariums. I'd never been there. We got in free because of my corporate card - it was just meant to work out :)
The place was good - but I didn't find it exceptional. There were a variety of fish and sea creatures to see, but I wasn't a fan of the setup. To begin with, I have a certain bias towards zoos and aquariums anyways. I don't like the concept of them being caged - yes they're given room and they won't be eaten, but that's our justification in trapping them really. Anyway, that's a discussion for another day.
Some enormous creatures were squished into small spaces - namely the 35 ft octopus and 35 ft anaconda. Beautiful and fascinating to see both of them, but I really wish they had given them more room to breathe. Honestly their space was as big as some schools of tiny fish had and that just wasn't right.
I didn't enjoy the set up so much either. I've heard and seen pictures of the Atlanta aquarium and that is just such a big space. Basically a huge piece of glass separates you from these fish and they are given so much more room to move around and breathe and at least get a taste of what it would be like to live in open waters.
I did get to touch a clam and crab though which was super cool and we saw a huge sea turtle and some sharks as well. Overall I had a decent time and can see why kids would love it so much. I enjoyed it too :) - but I am also happy that I didn't have to pay for the time spent there either.
I know the aquarium is a great place to take your kids, but my one complaint is leave the strollers at home, in the car, in a locker, wherever it's not able to run over my feet. It can be a tight squeeze as it is often crowded any time of the year, and those strollers get really annoying.
However, once I get over the crowds, I do really love the aquarium . If you haven't been in a while, definitely consider going again for the new Marine Mammal exhibit. The seals are so cute! This exhibit and the penguins are by far the best part to most people, and I enjoy them quite a lot.
My favorite part though is finding those fish, frogs or creatures that are camouflaged. I can search for a leafy seadragon any day and find it amusing. Part of the fun is jumping back from the glass once you've found the anaconda twisted around the tree in the back, or the frog staring right at you. This is super geeky I know, but what I find most interesting!
A day at the aquarium is always good, and definitely something fun to do indoors if it's raining!
I admit I'm a sucker for this place - probably since I visited it time and again as a wide-eyed kid. On a recent visit with my niece, after many years i haven't been here - the magic is still there. It was a weekend and I hope that's the reason it was crazy packed with amazing amounts of families. Why are people so keen on procreating anyway? it's not like they are such a gift to humanity. never mind though - I hate giving my childhood fav only 3 stars, but as i get older i can't seem to be able to be enjoy myself when surrounded by thousands of screaming kids and their indifferent parents.
Next time I'll give it a go on a weekday.
"Meh, I've experienced better", is kind of a lie. I haven't experienced better, but I am sure I will in the future. This place is kind of lame. Very dated, and you definitely dint get your bang for your buck here. I am glad I had free passes thanks to the West Roxbury library. We were in here for a little over an hour, and we were done. Not too much to see. I ha vent been here in ten years, and probably wont be back for another ten.
I left after my most recent visit with a craving for seafood and a stiff drink. So help me, I am never visiting on the weekend ever again. It is like fat, ugly, obnoxious kid-central. Parents seriously need to learn to control their children before releasing them on the general public.
I still love the Aquarium, especially now that my family has a membership so I never have to pay.
The jellyfish and cuttlefish are now my favorite critters. I could watch them all day... well, weekdays anyway.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/14/2008
Even though it is expensive and you can only spend maybe two hours here before you've seen… Read more »
I grew up visiting NEA pretty often on school field trips. Its been a number of years since I've been, but with my brother and his family coming up to visit, he suggested we stop over for my niece to see the displays. I have to admit, I had a blast. They've updated a number of exhibits since the last time I took my (now) older kids. I stopped at every one of the exhibits and was fascinated by every one, taking my time. I appreciate that they've reworked the penguins exhibit, and thoroughly enjoyed the education I was getting from all of the marine professionals.
This place is old!! I had company in from CA. We went on a rainy Friday in July. The placed was mobbed. Too many people inside. I ordered tickets for the IMAX and Aquarium combo. The problem I had was someone else in my party also ordered tickets. The online ticket place said they do not offer any refund and I was out of luck. I called the customer service people at the aquarium and after 20 minutes they said they would refund my tickets. NOT user friendly at all.
They should move to the South Boston waterfront and build a stunning aquarium. It is sad that a city like Atlanta has a better aquarium than us
WOOHOO! My much anticipated first trip to the New England Aquarium!
I began my first trip to the New England Aquarium by watching the seals inside the tank right outside of the main entrance (free to everybody). Next, I ventured straight to the Penguin exhibit just in time to catch the afternoon feeding frenzy. Unable to ignore the gigantic ocean tank in the center of the room, I then gravitated towards the spiral ramp and made my way to the top, after which I spent nearly half an hour staring at Myrtle the Giant Green Sea Turtle. On my way down I even managed to elbow my way through the swarms of children to see some piranhas, seahorses, and jellyfish.
Now, where to next? Well, apparently back home, because the New England Aquarium is ridiculously TINY!
Not only did I leave unsatisfied, but I was also feeling conflicted to top it off. It's a tragedy that the aquarium boasts about the fact that Myrtle, the obvious star of the show, has been in the central tank since 1970. Without her the aquarium would be a dud. Until the aquarium grows beyond the size of a Sea Walnut (such a cool animal, look it up!) or Myrtle gets her own tank, I'm not coming back.
On the bright side, the aquarium is so close to the North End, that I was able to justify the purchase of a cannoli on my walk back to the car. Additionally, I now have a nice video of me dancing in the black light with some serious glow-in-the dark shoelace action.
This place is one of the major staples in the City of Boston and has been for many years. As a child I would see commercials of the girl saying, "I can walk like a penguin" and want to go. My parents would take us here maybe once every year. At that time we had to be lifted above up to their shoulders to see into large tanks and displays.
Today not much has changed and the aquarium is still pretty much the exact same way it was twenty years ago. I've been here a few times in the last year hoping that some major renovation has occurred causing the building to expand. But sadly all that has been added is a lab that you can see through just as you walk in which is barely stimulating.
This is an excellent location for a visitor to the city and it's a great way to spend some time down by the wharf. Prices are not cheap for a few levels of aquatic adventure. More than likely you'll be with visiting couples, schools of children and many families. So be prepared to squeeze into viewing windows and kids saying, "Look a shark, Mom! I see a shark!..It is swimming."
Went here on a visit and it was pretty awesome. As my friend and I walk around a spiral pathway to the top of the tank, we saw a bunch of aquatic organisms but the viewtop at the top of the tank was pretty breathe-taking. Naturally, like any place with animals, there were a lot of rowdy kids with their parents that loves to hog the front windows to see the animals up close and personal. Watching the seals get feed was okay but what was the highlight of this visit was me TOUCHING A STING-RAY several times, a little bit nerve-racking at first but once you touch it, it is alright and cool. But I passed on touching the shark. Just not that brave enough yet...maybe on my next visit.
I LOVE this place. I only went once or twice when I was younger, but this year I bought a membership so my boyfriend and I could enjoy it as often as we want (plus there's no need to wait in the huge lines!)
The only problem with it is that it's so popular that it's nearly always full! Parents are the rudest creatures on earth, pushing their children in front of you when you're viewing a exhibit. Parents, I urge you to treat non parents with the same respect you would treat anyone else with. It's called personal space for a reason. Let everyone have a turn, having kids does not entitle you to extra aquarium rights. When I have kids, I will teach them manners.
Other than that, I love everything about it! My favorite parts are the side exhibits because once you've seen the GOT, it gets boring. They recently renovated the back to include the harbor and made a beautiful pool for the fur seals. There are doors so you can easily go out onto the deck and enjoy the sight of the ocean on a nice summer's day.
The Penguins are cute as buttons and there's just so much to see! Also, they do an amazing amount of conservation work and every exhibit is packed with information on ways for us to help the environment.
To quote Ryan V below "Fun, Education, and rated "E" for everyone!!"
This is one of those rare places where everyone & anyone can have a great time, young, old, rich, poor, etc. I've been coming here since it opened in the 1960s, I was amazed by it then and still am.
Lot of the reviews here complain that it hasn't been updated lately (well since the 1960s) and it hasn't been. It's not one of those places where you visit weekly but it is great to take someone who has never been. Last Fall I took a couple from Ecuador, last week another couple from Ireland, they all LOVED it because there's nothing like it where they come from, sometimes as native Bostonians we don't appreciate the gems Boston has, this is one.
Yes the Penguins are cool, I love the sharks, my favorite are the Jelly Fish down below - such grace.
I usually park right at the garage there, with four folks it all works out cheaper than paying to park at a T station and then T tickets. Skip the cafe there, head over to Quincy Market and visit Durgin Park, hit the Common if it is a nice day.
I can't wait to take my granddaughter!
the first time i visited (couple years back), it was right after i went to the Sea World in Orlando, FL. so, granted, this place seriously paled in comparison, whether in size or in variety of animals on exhibition. but my friend got some sort of coupon, in turn i got a discounted admission, so it was not too bad. i remember their jellyfish exhibit was quite impressive. the center tank was not bad, either. just that it was over-shadowed by my sea world experience at the time, that's all.
second time i went (a year or so ago) with the children in my school (age 3-5), and the classes next door. the teacher from the other classroom got us free admission group tickets, and had marked a day for our visit. thankful for the free admission, but NOT VERY THRILLED about their "no raindate policy" (yeah we called and asked). turned out we had rain + snow on the febrary day we were booked, and we had to go because the tickets were either use it or lose it. so, with small children in tow, in snow and rain, we took the train, walked the blocks in the rain, stumbled through icy puddles, and got to the aquarium, all soaked from head to toe. who has the heart to make children go through such toil for a field trip??
we waited a bit outside for the arrangement; finally got in and found that there was NO coat/bag check, even for groups. yeah, i understand the logistics may be tough, but i also heard some place (museum of science maybe?) prepared clean trash bags for groups to throw everything inside, so we could tour the museum w/o the burden of coat, bags, and everything else that we didn't need at the moment. but nope, such things are unheard of at the NEAQ; i had to PAY out of my pocket for a locker, and stuffed all our wet coats into one tiny slot. not feeling very pleasant at this point, if you asked me.
the rest of the trip was fine; kids enjoyed the exhibits, i loved that they had the hands-on corner for them to get up-close w/some of the less aggressive animals (ex. hermit crab, starfish, etc.). lunch was a bit messy in a sense that they only have one open area and each has to fend for their own table, but other patrons are nice and children-loving so we got to sit together in our own small groups w/o waiting for long. btw we brought our own lunch coz we weren't gonna pay some $8 (exaggeration?) for a sandwich, thank you very much.
except for the no-raindate inflexibility and the lack of service to groups, it was a good experience for the kids and they enjoyed it very much. but if i had to pay admission for both adults and kids, that probably would change the whole scenario. yeap.
p.s. gift shop is blood-suckingly pricey. well, it's understandably so, this being one of the most often visited spots in boston, by tourists and locals alike. but still, it's too much! and, parking in the area... be prepared to pay $20+ for garage day-rate, or good luck finding a street spot nearby. they may have validated/discounted parking in the lot(s) nearby, check w/them for more info.
This is not the most comprehensive aquarium if you are looking for size or variety, but the layout of the building is unique yet cohesive and makes strolling through the place a joy!
The exhibits are placed here and there in a whirly walkway that spirals around a giant three (or four?) story tank.
My favorite part is the top level of the spiral, where you can peer over the open top of the whole tank, and see rocky corals, giant turtles blowing bubbles at the surface, or stingrays whizzing along their merry way --I have been mesmerized by this view for over 30 minutes at a time.
The aquarium also makes a terrific (and educational!) date location, as it is mostly dark, illuminated only by the ethereal glow of tanks. There are plenty of little corners and slightly hidden spots that are perfect for canoodling. If that's not enough, just chill out by the penguins--they'll make you irresistible by association.
The New England Aquarium was featured on a Forbes list I can agree with, Best Aquariums in the U.S.
The aquarium hold everything you can think of. The most amazing part about it is the huge ramp that circles the Giant Ocean Tank. It takes you through various levels of a coral reef. Simply amazing!!
I really liked that it was located right on the pier, gave me a chance to explore things around it as well.
The penguins are a really cool feature of the aquarium as well.
I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the Boston area as a must-see!!
I'm adding my two cents to the massive amounts of reviews here for the NE Aquarium.
A few perks...
In the wintertime, you wait in line in a tent. It's heated and, the day I was there, they handed out hot chocolate and cookies. They also had a few stands set up with cool things for the kids to look at (shark teeth, etc.) to keep them entertained while in line. Nice touch.
The coolest things inside were the penguins (awesome, as everyone has said), the giant cylinder tank (my personal favorite were the massive sea turtles), the jellyfish room and the touching pool (where kids can play with sea creatures).
Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's crowded. But what tourist location in Boston isn't? I would definitely take my family back next time they're in town. Good times...
There's already 152 reviews about the Aquarium, so there's probably not too much I can say that hasn't already been mentioned.
Definitely a must-see, whether you live in the Boston area or are just passing through! Oh, and HINT: check your local library for passes - they can usually get you in for free or for a reduced price.
Pretty pricey, and I'm not sure if so much sets this aquarium apart from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, but I did like the structure of it, and I witnessed a priceless moment:
One penguin was standing on an edge watching another penguin swimming right in front of him. Suddenly the penguin on the edge turns around, and his poop projects powerfully onto the swimming penguin. The swimming penguin starts shaking, gets out the water, shakes again, and walks up to the penguin kind of like, "Wtf, man?!?!" as the crowd stirs and goes "Ooooooh!" and you almost expected everyone to say, "Oh no, he di'int!" But no, there was no further altercation between the two penguins.
The Little Blue Penguins stole my heart. The walk around the ocean tank is pretty cool too (http://www.youtube.com...). Make sure to wear sturdy shoes. Go early morning or late afternoon (after 3PM) to avoid the big crowds.
$$$ Saving TIP! If you're in Boston for several days get the $44 Boston CityPass (http://www.citypass.co...). The Winter Special pass is valid for 9 days from its first use until March 31 and gives you access to 6 family attractions:
Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, Harvard Museum of Natural History, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Museum of Fine Arts and the Skywalk Observatory.
I enjoyed Ripley Aquarium in Myrtle Beach better (I'm also biased since I live in the Palmetto State...). Here's why:
* Sharks, sharks, sharks! It has a larger variety and an awesome underwater walkway to see the monsters way up close
* More parent friendly. Very open space, colorful and comfortable viewing areas. The exhibits at Ripley's have soft carpet and flat floors so little ones can crawl and play safely on their own.
Contrast that with spiraling hard-rock walkway at New England Aquarium. It can be challenging pushing a stroller around and way to steep for babies and toddlers to wander on their own.
* Better food and more places to relax, like the huge cafeteria overlooking the stingray tank on one side and the lake on the other.
If not for the fact that my husband got a free pass b/c of his place of employment, they let me in for free too, and we only paid for the rug rat who was over 3 for a grand total of $12 for 4 people, this would have been a bad time. So many people!! And what happened to the animal shows? The crowds were so dense we could barely see any of the wall displays which sucked for the kids especially.
On the plus side, I got to see alot of penguins. My favorite Emperor Penguins ( for some reason they remind me of Grace Jones) playing with some poor baby's lost pacifier was amusing for a good 5 minutes. The kids were amazed by the sharks and brightly colored fish. It was a good day to take pictures and make memories. It would have been a better day if 9 thousand other people hadn't chosen that same Monday to do the same however. The NEA isn't exactly built for that. Kudos however for the free graham cracker fish crackers and hot chocolate that was dispensed while we were being herded towards the ticket counters. The picture they take as you are waiting was unexpected and kind of Disneyland-esque. We did buy them as we left though for $25. Should have just stamped "sucker" on my forehead too.
We also learned our lesson in parking to the tune of $30 for 82 minutes. That was after the $4 break given for validation. Next time we'll drive around the block to the parking area that was $19 for 6 hours.
I'd come here sometimes ... if it were under $5.
Instead I just took advantage of the free student night a little while ago. And yeah, there were fish. And there were jellyfish. But something about it was just kind of unfulfilling. Not that I didn't enjoy the trip, but nothing about it was insanely memorable.
Sometimes I do want to look at some jellyfish for a few minutes, but not for $20. Maybe next time I come I'll do some drugs first or something to make things interesting.
The aquarium is great for an afternoon indoor adventure. It's an escape from the city and a convenient reminder of why none of us are ready for kids yet.
Two highlights from the last trip my girlfriend and I took there:
1) Penguins! And tons of them! They have a pool that wraps the entire inside of the building. We seriously watched them for at least thirty minutes straight.
2) Plopping ourselves on one the ledges of the gigantic "fish tank" that the building is built around. There are nice little 2 person ledges between the supporting columns of the tank that provide nice viewing of both fish and people.
A very pleasant trip and perfect on a rainy day date.
Date on a Budget Tip: A night, it's cool to walk over to the harbor seal entrance exhibit. They're active at night (before 10PM at least) and it's fun/scary to see the dark masses float by and swim up to you at night. All for $0!
I've always loved this place. I have a feeling I always will. Everyone has already mentioned the penguins, so I'll skip them. I have three favorite exhibits at the NEAQ, number one is the top of the giant tank. I can spend hours up there.
Number two and three are right next to each other. The Suriname toad and the Poison Arrow Frogs. They're at the top of the ramp in between the Grouper and Anaconda tank. The Suriname toad (if you can find him) is this weird looking thing, it seems like he has two faces. The arrow frogs are crazy colors and lots of fun to watch when they're active.
Aquarium Advice: Take the train. The Aquarium stop is open again.
Oh, the kids. The kids were EVERYWHERE. Our fault for going on the weekend, I suppose, and not sticking to the weekdays like good tourists. But still, maneuvering in here was quite a chore.
That aside, this place was alright, but it made me miss the aquarium in the Henry Doorly Zoo at Omaha that much more. There were highlights though! The penguin feeding was fun to watch. We kept track of the penguin to eat the most fish. 11! I can barely eat one fish!
We also listened to the presentation at the top of the ramp. Lots of fun to hear about how the aquarium is maintained and get some questions answered about the marine life.
This aquarium is rather small. However, it has penguins! Three species of noisy playful penguins!!
It also has a gigantic salt water tank which spans 3-4 stories. At the top of the tank, which is open to the air, you can watch sharks swimming around the crest of the reef, turtles coming up for air, and other fish frolicking.
It reminds me of a teaching aquarium similar to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, but boasts this amazing tank filled with sharks, turtles, bat rays, and loads of other amazing sea creatures.
The aquarium also has an amazing jellyfish exhibit. Admission is rather expensive as well, so it only gets 3 stars.
Like many other Boston institutions (Museum of Science, Mount Vernon Hospital, Logan Airport), the New England Aquarium seems several decades past due for an update. This is not necessarily a bad thing. An old-fashioned sensibility is part of what makes Boston charming. But once a national leader, the aquarium has undoubtedly declined, surpassed by impressive new aquariums in places like Atlanta.
I had previously gone for a party held by my boyfriend's company, and had no idea it was so expensive. A visit is $20 or $25 with an imax. For that, you basically get some really cool, cute penguins and a giant, three-story saltwater tank filled with fish, sharks, stingrays, eels, sea turtles, etc. The educational activities are also neat, with museum staff leading frequent Q&A about the animals.
One really cool thing about the penguins is that each has a partner (they call them "mated pairs"), and you will often see them cuddling, grooming each other and otherwise displaying affectionate behavior. OTOH, I did feel a bit sorry for them as I always do at zoos, as I'm sure they'd be happier off in Antarctica diving off an iceberg or something.
Everything's basically situated in one room, so there's nowhere to go but ascend the stairs encircling the giant tank. That combined with the 70s-era decor gives the aquarium a small, confined feel. Seeing it once is enough. It's too bad, because I want to support our cultural institutions, but they need to lower the price about $8 for me to call it a good deal.
I'm not changing my review of the aquarium. This update is actually for the IMAX theater adjacent to the aquarium, where on Saturday I had the chance to witness an epic battle of Sardines Vs. Everybody Else (aka Wild Ocean).
Tickets are $9.95 for adults and you can purchase double features for $14.95. Sooo if you really felt like getting your IMAX on one day, you could see two movies for ~$7.75 apiece. Not a bad deal, but personally I don't think I could handle that much 3D. Plus those glasses are terminally dorky and don't fit my head right.
I have this feeling that if you've seen one IMAX theater, you've seen them all. They really don't vary too much in terms of ambience. However, when a friggin' shark is coming rightatchya out of the screen, you're not really thinking about your seat. Amirite?
So yeah. The movie. It was all sorts of awesome and was all about the migration of sardines up the Wild Coast of South Africa, and how basically EVERYONE has it in for them (sharks, seals, these crazy diving birds, and humans) so they have to form these crazy bait balls of like 10 million sardines in order to fend off predators. Pretty cool, huh? It made me wish I could live under the sea, or that I could visit South Africa.
Of course, it was a Saturday and everyone had brought their rugrats, but it really wasn't too bad. The thing is, if you go to something like this, you gotta expect it's gonna be saturated with kids and their parents toting impossibly heavy strollers around. Meh, comes with the territory. We had a great time anyway, because come on, sharks and bait balls in 3D on a cold Saturday afternoon? Sign me up.
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12/18/2006
I went to the aquarium for the first time in years the other day, while on a date. I'd forgotten how… Read more »
The New England Aquarium has two very cool exhibits that are definitely worth a visit; the penguins and the main tank in the center of the building. Go check it out; you'll really enjoy yourself. Take a peek at the side exhibits while you're there. Then don't bother going back.
The problem with the New England Aquarium is that it's small and it never changes. I took a friend this weekend, and the entire building was exactly as I remember it when I was last there, six years ago. Six years ago, it was exactly the same as it had been ten years before that.
It wouldn't be so bad, were it not for the whopping $25 price tag on admission. Parking and admission alone cost my party of 3 over $100 for a three hour visit. So the next time my friend is in town, we'll go to the MFA, ICA and Museum of Science instead.
Certainly this place does not take hours to walk thru. It does have some pretty good stuff for such a small aquarium.
I was amazed that they have so many species of penguins. Really, I didn't know there were that many types. Maybe, I did when I was 10 but I'm not playing "Who's Smarter than a 5th Grader".
There were colorful fishes, ugly fishes, camouflage fishes...
Of course, this is really for families and not 2 30 yr old wierdos.
Small, and expensive. What saves this review from the doom of a 1 or 2 star review.... is the penguins. I love those little guys, they are so cute! I'm spoiled, I guess, with aquariums.... being that I lived a short drive from the Baltimore Aquarium.... which is huge, and I loved it!
The movie that we added on to our aquarium admission was just OK as well.
If you've never been.. it's worth going to... once.... but try to get discount tickets.
If you're from out of town and just looking for another thing to do, take you $$ and spend it elsewhere - unless you come from an area with NO aquarium, and then.... try to get discount tickets.
