Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center Reviews

Very nice. Very kid friendly. Some things closed due to COVID. But many things open.

Had fun exploring all the fish and animals. We went in November so it was a little chilly walking around the outside but there was no crowd. It was nice to explore without too many others around. A lot of the animals were out and about to be seen like the otters. It is always fun to feed the stingrays. Our trip lasted about 2 hours and we enjoyed. Could be pricey but there are ways to get a good deal on tickets like buying through your local library. Parking was free this time but they do charge for parking during the busier times of the year.

Cool exhibits, but the information for them wasn't really readable because the signage was deteriorating. It's Pandemic time. You must wear masks but you can throw distancing out the window. It will depend on how comfortable you are with that.

My wife and I and our 11 months baby girl enjoyed the Long Island Aquarium. The butterflies were beautiful and the shark tank was amazing. The entire experience was a place to create a beautiful memory.

Very cute and its variety of very nice marine species

Small but a great family place. A hundred times better than the New York City Aquarium

It's a nice place but it's rediculiously overpriced and any other activity is an additional charge.

I had such an amazing time here, everyone is so friendly and knowledgeable. Tons to see and learn

Bought some of my individuals that i worked wit here. It was pretty cool. N they really liked it. The elevator was abit small for the wheelchairs. But it was pretty cool. Penguins were so friggin cute. They have a food court which was pretty cool n gift shop was reasonable. Definetly going back.

We thought about going to the aquarium because it was near where we stayed but that quickly changed. The appearance outside is nice. You can even see the seals swimming from outside the aquarium. When we attempted to go in and checked the prices we decided not to go in. It was to expensive. We've done aquariums before so it wasn't that upsetting. The location is nice. Parking for the aquarium is across the street.

u should have a canopy covering the sitting area of the seal show
ice cream palor outside area should have a canopy covering the benchs outside because there is no sitting inside
the air quality or circulation in some of the exhibitions needs to be addressed
The information signs that explains the animals needs lighting some were unable to be read
its a fun afternoon for kids

Riverhead Aquarium is a beautiful place with friendly, helpful, and entertaining staff. Bring the kids or the date, see a show or two. Can't go wrong!

I love going to this aquarium. They have a nice selection of exhibits. The sharks are my favorite. Watching the penguins play is a good time. Those fancy little birds never stop.

Meh. Think Chucky-Cheese meets sea creatures. The commercial-washed, tourist trap-y parts cheapened the whole experience. Overall not educational enough. Some parts felt so artificial feeling, like the strange cowboy theme (why??), ugh...and my toddler pointed out that the octopus looked sad probably because it lived in a narrow tube. There were also dead crabs in the wading river, that my kid almost stepped on.

Pretty pricey at $38/adult, but was still fun and interesting and nice to see all the animals.

Its not a huge aquarium, but its got great content,it's clean, and has healthy looking fish/animals.

Nice for a day out. Many exhibits and interactive for children and adults. Sea Lion show! Penguins! Shark tank!

Sharks and sealions are cool over all a small place for the price

Great variety of animals. Interactive areas were very fun. Great prices.

Price is ridiculous and then you pay more for different events. Its a nice place but not worth that much $$. Parking is not near the aquarium so it sucks if its cold or raining.

Our family of four including our teenages thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

It s a fun place for kids and adults. The restaurant in the aquarium is pricey.

Small place, but lots to see. We spent six hours there, but we had a lot of small kids with us. Smaller groups can probably run through the exhibits in 3 hrs. The shows are entertaining and short enough to keep the kids attention. Good to go once, but probably not worth it to get the membership.

We wanted to do something with our 4 month old and decided to take her here for the day. We live in queens and it was a long ride, but so worth it. She was mesmerized with what she saw and super engaged. My husband and I were also very impressed with the exhibits, many of them are hands on unlike the Coney Island aquarium. As mentioned, it s pricy, but so worth it for what you will find there. Very clean and nice staff too. We will definitely go back. Also, they do have some discounts. Just ask what it s for or check out their website.

It's a great day out. The kids love it. The butterflies exhibit is amazing. They land on you sometimes so be careful when leaving. The sea lion show is too cute. Check out the times and plan your day. Definitely a fun time.

There were many exhibits that did not list the species inside.

This place is the highlight of my childhood (besides the LICM). I could spend every day here and there would still be cool things to see. I'd say this place is worth going out of your way to visit and I can't wait for the next time I take a trip back home so I can visit all the fishies!!!

its a beautiful place very nice alot to see not much open outside understandable its winter going to go back in summer i thought it would be bigger but you can kill a few hours there

At first you think you've seen one aquarium you've seen them all. But visiting this one was extremely special. Awesome butterfly exhibit, you get to enter into the butterflies habitat where they roam about freely as you carefully walk around. They also provide many different inactive stations both indoor and out. One adventure I hope to do soon would be diving with the sharks. We've decided visiting this aquarium will be a family tradition.

Great place to take the (younger) kids, esp when it's on a bday! (FREE admission week of your bday.)

This was a very fun little trip. I was surprised to be honest. My expectations were low going in but was pleasantly surprised.. some exhibits and presentations were high quality and not cheesy at all. I'd suggest taking your time at each display and interactions as the visit can go quickly. It is not a very large place however they did manage to get a lot packed in the experience. Inside is warm (my visit was in November) I had on a sweater which was ok but really got hot in the butterfly room. The bird room was very underwhelming, easy to see why it is an optional free experience. If traveling a distance to see this attraction I'd recommend having additional plans in the area as the trip goes pretty quick. All things considered I'd go again, but I'd certainly look for coupons. They do have free parking a few blocks north of the location with a shuttle. Walking the distance is also very reasonable, I carried my 2yr. old the distance.

This was an unexpected treat. We stumble apon the aquarium. We were given a guided tour by a very knowledgeable guide. We spent an enjoyable 2 hours on a rainy day.

Did not actually go into the Aquarium. we did take the educational boat ride to Flanders Bay. Great trip

i heard good things about this place but when i came visit with my family this place was super dead not much to see at all, maybe its cause i went on a Thursday ? maybe ill com visit another time during the weekend and see how things go

Amazingly beautiful place to explore. Great for kids and adults alike. I went did the Shark Dive there and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! Worth every penny; highly recommended. Definitely worth the trip!

Pricey but a good mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits. Definitely take the boat ride out to the island, it's worth the extra cost.

I would like to thank the Aquarium staff for their professionalism in dealing with my daughters wedding dilemma in this extremely emotional time. They were utmost professional in handling the reimbursement of the funds back to my daughter so she could have her wedding outdoors and within the Covid guidelines. Thank you for being so professional.
Dore' Seely

Great Place .....went here for a party the food was delicious, and all the guests had a great time ...

I love this aquarium so worth the trip. Designed beautifully like you are part of the sea. Huge exhibits and i highly recommend shark diving cage experience.

Met my mom s nursing home group there and it was awesome!

We got a one year membership and I can't wait to go back.

Woman at front desk was very unprofessional and rude bit we made the best of the experience.

Most amazing, organized and fun birthday party my kid has ever had!!!! Staff was awesome and very easy to speak to. Brooke, Raleesha, Alex, thank you for all your help!!! Best team i could have had to help us!!!! Lots of fun and a activities. They provide you with with a schedule and you get your moneys worth. The food was amazing. Thanks again for a mielestone in our childs life. It will stay in mind and heart forever.

Brought my 1 year old a few weeks ago.
The pros:
its close to home
it wasn't crowded
Parking is free (although you have to walk a bit)
Lots of things to see up close (stingrays, turtles, fish tanks, shark tank)
Seem to be doing construction to improve exhibits?

The cons:
The penguin and otter exhibits are hard to see for young children and the water was so cloudy.
There are many tanks that don't have any labels so I don't even know what I am looking at.
The winter/off season price, isn't much of a discount.
There arent many staff members around/available to ask questions (other than at the front desk).

It was enjoyable and worth it but I think I'll take my son to the aquarium in BK next time.

We love the aquarium. The sea lion show is always incredible to watch, we love the shark tank as well! Butterfly exhibit is a cant miss.

My daughter loves to see all the different types of ocean inhabitants

Much more than an aquarium! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there's a walkthrough butterfly garden, and aviary too, where you can touch and hold the birds, and get some great photos.

Very nice family oriented place. Lots to do and see. Much better than the cooney island aquarium, although much farther. Cute little town also. The Cage inside is very expensive. Bring your own food and snacks.

Fabulous. They should do member only days more often.No crowds. Everyone's respectful to others. Just wonderful.

last week my grandaughter and her mom and I visited the aquarium. i had been there once to purchase gifts, the other two are regular visitors and wanted to show me everything. just wanted to say how wonderful the visit was, everyone so helpful and informative. the facility is clean and bright and always fun. so nice to have an educational/fun place to take children - she absolutely loves the butterfulys the best! thank you so much for a great day.

Long Island Aquarium is the best themed Aquarium I have ever been to. The Greek ruins motif was charming and the exhibits we're very well curated. The price is a little bit high ($120 for two adults two kids) but you get what you pay for. Parking is free and ample but about three blocks away.

Fun place and a great escape from the hot summer heat.

Just large enough for young kids. Everything was clean. Directionals in place to help keep the flow moving in the right direction.

At 1pm today I lost one of my
granddaughters they locked every door and contacted everyone within minutes they found her ! There are no words ! They made me feel comfort in a time where I could lose it ! THANK YOU ..THANK YOU for making this moment easy when it was horrible

Was more stressful than enjoyable. People are only wearing their masks properly upon entry but then either have it around their necks or only on their mouths and not their nose. It was frustrating walking around because of that and NOT ONE staff member corrected anyone about their masks. Social distancing is written in chalk on the ground as far as where to stand and arrows, but no one is following that and again, no staff members to correct or help the situation. Being an indoor facility it was very Stressful to walk around and will not be going again. Also, I messaged the aquarium about this on Facebook and they were very dismissive and made up lies and excuses about the situation. For example, "they need the money" (so they won't corrected anyone) and "the executive director walks around" which was just not true. Butterfly exhibit was packed and the girl at the counter just continued letting people in without counting or having people wait until some others got out. I saw no one going around cleaning the windows or doors or ropes or benches etc. But if you go to the Bronx zoo...well their staff members are CONSTANTLY sanitizing and wiping down signs and everything. The aquarium is a source for an uptick in cases and I wouldn't in good conscience recommend going until this pandemic is over. Oh yeah, they also said they are only at 25% capacity, well that is a flat out lie too because there were way to many people there for 25% and we went on a Thursday .

Decent aquarium, but quite small for the admission fee. On top of that you have to pay $10 for parking that's 2 blocks away. make sure you bring a stroller for your kids.

The butterfly conservatory is nice and the aviary is fun for the kids but very bland space. it's just a bare room with bird perches. Make sure you buy the feed.

So much for the kids to interact with! Beautiful day to spend with family... love the Butterfly room & bird sanctuary!! The seal show is cute n can not forget the penguins!!

Excellent. I recomend d the penguin encounter. Everyone very helpful.very clean.

It was very crowded and crazy. I fed the stingrays and there was a sea lion show but it was later than we wanted to stay. The shark tank was very cool.

This place is great for the kids. The shark tank rocks. Food is way over priced, so pack a lunch/snack. The seal show is cute so try to get to that. Overall it's an expensive journey but is a must see at once one in a while.

Great aquarium, the sea lion show was very amusing, Java was very energetic even though it was kind of a sleepy cloudy Sunday. Over all very diverse exhibits, and very fun and interactive.

Great place... Always exciting to go..
First time we did "fish and sip" and 100 percent recommend...