Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center Reviews

Amazing time! One of the best aquariums we have been to.

Because it is very accessible to fish, touching them is one of the best experiences.
The butterfly garden, the birds, ... and what is the winter season ... in summer we will return !!

Great place to take kids, I went for the first time over the summer and was amazed how big the place was as well as how clean it was.

Great reason to come out to Riverhead! Stunning Exhibits and many interactive displays: pet some rays, dive with sharks, walk amongst butterflies and tropical birds.

Great fun for my 4 yo and the baby enjoyed the colors and the motion. They have activities for kids to do and educational information. I wish it was a little cheaper though so we could come more often.

Great in all weather, all seasons. On the smaller side for older kids but lots of different exhibits, touch tank, shows to watch. On the expensive side and could use some updating

It was honestly depressing & overpriced. First off the "exhibits" are extremely small for the animals they hold. The monkeys were pacing back and forth in their "exhibit" ( more like cage). The monkeys were also glued to the top corners of the "exhibit" looking out from the fence holes. The front of the aquarium before you walk in, holds a couple of seals that is also a way too small exhibit. The sloth "exhibit" is extremely small with two other porcupines cramped in there.The aquarium itself can be seen all under probably an hour, which is why I believe it's way too overpriced, and they also have a bunch of other over priced add ons like feeding this & that.

Paid $10.00 to park my car in their lot. Was told they had a shuttle bus to aquarium and would be a 5 min wait. It turned into 40 min waiting in hot sun. Asked for a third time what's up.. he called in and said the driver went to lunch. Had to walk it with the kids.. i told them at office once I arrived and nothing came of it.

Always a good time. Admission is also free if it's one week before or after your birthday. My wife got in free. It's such a nice date spot. The back half is more of a small zoo and the butterfly museum is amazing.

So 3 of us went, and a service dog. We had a great day! The only thing inside is the glass/plastic windows needed to be cleaned so bad!! other than that awesome. I have to say the best part for the 3 of us was the boat tour!!! Lauren was the best! captain don and I believe Ron were also great. Everyone learned something and Lauren was filled with information for us to absorb., She also helped us out exchanging our tickets which she didn't have to do, but did!!! She went above and beyond! Thank you Lauren and your cute little pearls of the ocean. :)

Wow what a pleasant surprise.. the kids loved it. We will be returning again!

Boring and overpriced. Charge for parking. Just unnerving and inconvenient.

Awesome experience-- up close time with so many species of sea life and includes a butterfly exhibit and some birds. Penguin, sea otters, sting rays, whales, turtles and on and on. So worth the trip,

Very nice themed attractions fun for the kids much smaller than mystic but easy in and easy out.

Was taking a picture and this little guy photo bombed me several times. Had a wonderful time with the family as a day trip. Learned some new things about the aquatic wildlife.

Not as big as the one in PA/NJ area, but has basically everything one would expect in an aquarium arranged in a very nice and manageable format. Certainly worth a visit if you are already not too far away

Came here for the penguins!!! Went on the penguin encounter, the staff was amazing

Great place to visit with the family. Well laid out and constructed, one of the better aquariums I have visited. The penguin encounter is a lot of fun, even though you have to pay extra. The stingray feeding/petting tank is great.

Nice little aquarium. Has very interesting interior design. Lots of exhibits.

Love this place!! Worth the trip and the money....kids had a wonderful day here!

Overall experience was great! The price i feel was a little much but my family and I had such a great time. Highly recommend the Bug experience. Its a small upcharge but absoultly amazing. My 7 year old daughter held many different types of bugs and a tarantula!!!!. The guy who did our group tour was very friendly and was great with the kids! The sting rays were amazing and the butterfly room was a family favorite!. Would love to go back and do the penguin experience.

A mid-size aquarium with a good variety of fish and a seal show. Some of the tanks were a little murky, making it hard to see some of the sharks, etc. overall, a good place to spend a few hours. Admission is a bit pricey, but not outrageous.

Places is incredible I went there for a wedding and I had such a good time . The people were so nice there and the food was phenomenal

We were there for a party so can't tell you about the full aquarium experience but what we are was great! Looks like a great place to take the kids.

Most unique aquarium I've been to in the States. Felt like an adventure trekking through the whole place. Not the biggest, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in presentation, style, and energy

Not too big not too small, fun seal show, small African penguins are great, good for even 1 year olds, there's an outside part and an inside part and some terrestrial animals too.

Absolutely loved feeding the rays and the variety of other animal exhibits.

We are members and enjoy being able to breakup a trip out east with a quick visit to the aquarium.

Pro tip: There is a bar located behind the butterfly exhibit. They serve light fare and drinks.

Fun place to visit both for adults and kids. Learned alot for my 2 hours visit....

I love the aquarium. We go here at least once a year for my son's birthday. Free admission for anyone for your birthday. Animals seem well cared for, sea lion show is always fun. I do wish they had better food. It's like high school cafeteria grade. And parking is a little annoying. It has a parking lot down the road so you have to walk, 5-10 min depending on the traffic and cross walk lights

We need and have a marine attraction on Long Island!

My husband and I watch your live cam from the penguin exhibit every day from am until pm. We just love the way the penguins and all of their caretakers interact with each other you can see the mutual love and trust they have for one another.

It was good the kids loved the shark feeding.
Thought there was more animals because of the price.

A small aquarium with other animals besides fish as well.

Overpriced place for a small aquarium. We had to leave thru the gift shop we ended buying 2 egg toys instead.

Surprised at how many different exhibits there were...educational fun and very well worth both the drive and price. Kids will love not just the sea life but butterflies birds penguins and dont forget the shark feedings!

The cutest part is the feeding area for the stingrays at the entrance. It is a small aquarium but it definitely is fun to bring the family for the day

Great hands on for the kids - expensive - great day!

Although small, this is a very nice aquarium. A great place to take the family. We especially liked the live coral reef aquarium, shark tank, and seal show.

Cool place to see a wide variety of animals. not just your typical aquarium . It's a pretty hands on aquarium that allows you to feed and get up close and personal with some pretty interesting animals . The butterfly room is something to experience as well alot of cool little hidden things in there keep your eye open.

Must see when you are visiting Long Island. Great shows and encounters. Make sure to take them up on the FREE birthday entrance! Thanks for another great visit.

Shark tank, butterfly sanctuary, bug rooms, and a multitude of beautiful fish. Plus shark eggs you could see the babies in! And lots of fun activities for kids.

I love going here . It has gotten a little too expensive in recent years. But I assume it's a lot of money for upkeep. Still enjoy going though.

I had the opportunity to do the shark dive experience with my soon to be brother in law last Sunday. Was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. Seeing the sharks up close was a whole experience. All of this was made worry free and an existing experience with our dive instructor Jimmy. Would definitely recommend anyone who's interested in driving, aquariums, sharks, or excitement to try this out and go on Sunday when he's working.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but this aquarium is more than just animals on display! The entire place is interactive: butterfly garden, mermaid Monday's, touch tank, submarine simulator, tour boat of wildlife, a pond you can walk in and touch horseshoe crabs...it east wonderful! Well maintained place, great activity for families or even a date! Definitely plan on returning.

Always enjoy visiting here. Even better now with my little one. He could spend all day petting the "sea pancakes"

It was so nice to go with my grandson and kids to spend the day. Such beautiful fish and great habitats.

800 kids in attendance, ran like the dickens. Will have to try going back in fall.

Really enjoyed. Great shark tank. Tank glasswork needs some attention.

Chocovino Valentine's night was great! Best date ever!

Soooooo beautiful! A great aquarium for not just children but for adults as well!!

Lots of fun! Small, but we'll managed with a great staff. Super helpful and kind. A little expensive, but you can easily spend many hours there.

One thing I like is when you get out of your car you see the lovely seals and they are doing amazing thing and another thing I like is you get a membership and you get to feed the sting ray and when you are up stairs you get to go on a cool ride. And it is like you and the fish are having a good time and the hotel was so so good they had a pool and it was so nice.

Overpriced, crowded, and crumbling. It's basically Long Island with sharks

Excellent selection of aquatic animals. Had a fun time.

Such a great day trip with my kids. They have set up the place beautifully to deal with COVID guidelines. Staff was patient and happy to answer all questions from curious kids.

The aquarium is a water world of hopeless dreams!!!!! They advertise that they have a sloth but no we get there and there is an extreme lack of sloths!!!!! I ve seen more sloths in my shirt draw then that place! Also the monkeys look like they want to commit suicide!! Why!?!? Because they love social interaction and there s only 4 of them!!!!! Also I got to see 2 minutes of otters, penguins doing the mannequin challenge and a catfish that was about to get messed up by piranha!!! 1-10 won t be excited for this place again!! Only gets a 1 cause the seals outside the entrance!!!!

Attended the annual Contractors For Kids fundraiser at the aquarium. Great time was had by sll!

Great aquarium constantly expanding for a new experience. Lots of friendly staff available to answer questions and give facts. Lots of opportunities to feed the animals, for a small fee for each experience.

Eat outside of the aquarium for a fraction of the price and better quality food. Check with your local library for cheaper tickets before you go.

Great for young children and the aquarium-only membership is worth it.

Attended a fabulous wedding. The food was amazing the short rib was tender sweet and juicy. The bride had a bacon bar, I suggest you try the chocolate covered bacon it was a treat but the bacon covered grilled pinapple was a crowd pleaser. The night ended with a cappuccino cordiol bar it was a great ending to a fabulous evening.

Fun for the kids but pretty overpriced for what you get.