New England Aquarium, Boston

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We visited the aquarium during my second trip to Boston in January 0f 2008. There's so much to see, and we arrived pretty late in the day. The staff were friendly enough to give us free admission for the next day. It was extremely helpful as there was a Jellyfish exhibit on at the time that we completely missed the first day. You can walk forever checking everything out and the giant tank in the middle of the aquarium is pretty cool. By far, the coolest would be the penguins who live in the middle as well - they have a ton of varieties. There are also a few sealions they have. Worth a trip, would be great especially with kids. Make sure you give yourself a good amount of time to check it all out though.

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This isn't my "favorite" aquarium since I have have my favorite Aquarium in Sydney. For the most part the only thing I enjoyed was the penguins which were rather amusing especially during feeding time. We came here on a Saturday(during a holiday weekend) and it was packed with tons of kids; big mistake on our part. The line to get tickets was long and I was already getting frustrated before we even got in. Inside the kids were crazy; runnijng aorund and backing up the walk ways. Getting around the aquarium became a nightmare especially with all the sidewalktanks (carriages). After we had had our fill of the penguins we decided to hightail it out of there for a less crowded scene.

**Basically expect a crowd if you visit on the weekend and lots of kids.**

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The Simons IMAX Theatre is a must see when in Bostion. Liz and I enjoy watching movies in Imax especially movies with a nautical theme. The Imax is relatively cheap at $10 for an adult ticket. The screens are huge and the 3-D films are a must see. On our last trip here we didn;t check out a mivie since we had already seen The Undersea Movie and the Dolphins and Whales Movie.

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Located right on the waterfront the New England Aquarium is a great place to spend a few hours with their nice selection of sea creatures. There are three floors to explore and in the middle of the aquarium as you enter the main building is the Giant Ocean Tank a 23ft deep, 200,000 gallon artificial reef. It is lined with windows so you can take a glance into its depths.

The Aquarium has over 50 species of sea creatures. There are a few presentations and even a an IMAX theater.

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The New England Aquarium opened it's doors on June 20, 1969 and ever since that day has been a major attraction for visitors to Boston. Their website reports 1.3 million people visit them each year. There were three aquariums in Boston prior to it's opening in 1969. The Boston Aquarial Gardens opened in 1860, and was the first public aquarium in the world that was devoted to marine life. Following that was the Boston Aquarial Gardens and Zoolological Gardens then the South Boston Aquarium, which closed in 1954. The Aquarium has aquatic guests from all over the world, including sea turtles, rays, jelly fish, harbor seals, lobsters, octopus, penguins and a host of other species. Exhibits currently include the Marine Mammal Center, Atlantic Harbor Seals, Amazon Rain Forest, the Giant Ocean Tank, Gulf of Maine, Sea Dragons and Amazing Jellies. Oh, and who from Boston could forget the star of the old Aquarium commercials? Penguins! "I can walk like a penguin!" I loved that commercial when I was growing up. The Aquarium also has a whale watch that runs from early April to late October and lasts between 3-4 hours. Pricing for the Aquarium is $20.95 for adults, $12.95 for children 3-11, and $18.95 for seniors. Children under 3 are free. The whale watch is not included in your admission to the Aquarium. Forty years later the New England Aquarium is truly still a place where "It's Fun to Find Out!".

New England Aquarium is a good way to spend half a day looking at the wonders of the seas, especially if you are travelling with children. The aquarium is located on the Boston waterfront, easily accessible with the public transportation.

There are seals, penguins and huge number of fish in the aquarium. The most interesting tank is located in the middle of the area; it is several storeys high and the walkway spirals around it. Various species of fish and other sea creatures swarm in it. Some of them are pretty big and a bit scary, too, so some children might get anxious. There is plethora of other, typically smaller, fish on the tanks circling around the big one.

As usual, there is a well-stocked shop that focuses mostly on toys, and a café with a nice view to harbour. Nothing spectacular on the menu, mostly snacks and beverages.

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During the time that I lived in Boston I visited the aquarium on several occasions, mostly at night. My friend Tim and I loved to come here to watch the seals late at night after going out with friends. There are of course dozens of other sea creatures to stare at, but for me I will always remember the seals. When I moved to Wisconsin Tim gave me a stuffed seal as a remembrance of our evenings by the seals.

My very first trip here was back in 1991 when I came to Boston with the music department of my high school. This was one of the touristy spots they dragged us to. We all had a great time of course. One of our favorite things there was the touch pond where we all got to pick up a starfish.

For me the cost of admission here is a bit steep for what you get.

General admission is $19.95 for an adult and $11.95 for children 3-11. There is also a special senior rate of $17.95.

The aquarium also offers whale watch tours for $35.95 for children under 11 and $29.95 for adults.

Don't miss the IMAX show while you are here. Prices start at $7.95 for children 3-11 and $9.95 for adults.

Check the website for combination ticket prices.

The aquarium in generally open during the cooler months from 9-5 Monday thru Friday and 9-6 Saturdays and Sundays. In the hot summer months the hours of operation are Monday thru Thrusday 9-6, Friday and Saturday 9-7 and Sunday 9-6.

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The New England Aquarium is the main drawing card to Boston's revitalized waterfront. It is a massive building containing over 15,000 forms of marine life. The central drawing piece here is a massive reef filled tank which has a corkscrew shaped pathway twisting around it. You cannot help noting that there are about a half dozen sharks swimming about the tank and wonder why they don't eat the fish. Well that is because divers feed them twice a day. Although the marine life here do not normally cohabitate, they seem to live quite peacefully here. On the surrounding the tank is filled with penguins that are playful and fun to watch. There are also massive jellyfish exhibit two stories in length that are amazing. As with most aquariums of this type, there are various exhibits that show you marine life in various parts of the world such as along the coral reefs, Artic, freshwater and Amazon. All of it is very interesting.
The New England Aquarium is pricy to visit with admission set at $16.00 for adults and $9.00 for children. It is open from 9am to 6pm during the summer. During the rest of the year it closes at 5pm.