Not enough space for the size of crowds they get on the weekends. Shoulder to shoulder with people the entire time. Had to skip some exhibits because the viewing area was so small for the amount of people. Overpriced and poor layout
I loved the aquarim because their anamals are as big as ever and are very lovable plus their gift shop has reasonable prices
Very cool aquarium, a bit small but worth the stop for sure. Make sure to check the schedule to catch some of the animal feeding times.
A Good experience for kids. They loved the penguins that were so close and open window to watch. Not very big size as expected,and the parking was expensive, though.
Also, good for a casual date place.
Lovely place to spend time. Very kid friendly and educational.
It was ok, a little dated and very cramped. It has a poor design, it's essentially a spiral ramp of which is just cramped trying to see each window of exhibits. I think because of that and the fact that it seemed pretty small, and there weren't really that many exhibits, the prices are way too high. I definitely had high hopes for this place and was somewhat disappointed. Parking in the underground garage is a joke, 40$ is too high when you can see everything in under an hour. Unless you're also taking in other activities like IMAX or whale watching and then walking downtown, might not want to park there.
Anyone giving this more than one star must have never been to any other aquarium. We live in the Midwest and we have a better aquarium. This is not what I would expect from an aquarium right on the water. It is incredibly hot and humid in there which I am sure the penguins on the bottom level hate. The seals and sea lions were lethargic and looked sick and having a space the same size as our hotel's swimming pool. They had one, one, jelly fish all by itself in a fish bowl sized tank. Inside, there is only one central display and a ramp to different levels to other small (and I mean small) exhibits that make you feel sorry for the fish in the tank. With all the shark advertisements you would think they would have sharks, right? WRONG...there were only videos and a stupid IMAX movie about sharks. This is not worth the price of admission and you will be hot and disappointed. Buyers beware to be disappointed.
A lackluster Experience .way too crowded and not much to see. The wait was painful to get the tickets. The Best part for the kids was to touch the manta-ray.
Nice aquarium. Not to big but has a nice collection of fish and penguins. You can also see seals and fur seals.
Very nice, but kind of small and cramped. Can't get close to an elevator so don't plan on using one. The stingray area is hands on and a lot of fun. Souvenirs were expensive and u have to pay for a bag. Whats up with that?
Very busy but that's because it was Feb vacation, but my daughter loved it and the touch tank was awesome for kids.
More for kids
I think i's too expensiv
Really fun, good for families, bit crowded, fun doesn't last for more than a few hours, but it's a must see if you're visiting Boston
You can touch the ray and starfish. Children love that!
Do NOT come on the weekend. This place is packed so tight it's impossible to really enjoy any of the exhibits.
Crazy busy, not very handicap friendly. What I could see was nice though
Nice place - far too crowded during our visit, to the point that we most exhibits - no doubt fantastic on a weekday though!
I love what they have done with this place I almost don't recognize it from when I was a kid, the attractions are great and I'm always happy to see the harbor seals at the entrance.
Beautiful aquarium. It was engaging and hands-on for my six-year-old
So... I love aquariums and this one did not disappoint! The staff were extremely kind and my favourite exhibits were the octopus, giant fish tank, seals and sting ray petting area :)
Hands down one of the beat aquariums in the US it should be on your list when visiting Boston.
We love this place. Had so much fun touching/petting the sting rays!
I definitely enjoyed walking around to see the creatures. The live action demonstrations were great and fun to watch. It was a bit crowded, but is still a must visit for any tourists in the Boston area.
Very small place, nothing much to see. The price of the ticket is not worth of the visit, suggest to have a city pass for visit.
Small, crowded, and overpriced, but something to do with kids.
It was a fun trip, but definitely very crowded. There were no absolutely amazing displays, but plenty to look at and keep young children engaged. The penguins and sea turtles were a big hit!
Our two year old had a lot of fun. It wasn't as big as I was expecting. Cool and notable exhibits: anaconda, octopus, string ray touch tank, and three types of penguins. We spent two hours there. We spent hardly any time at each exhibit. If we had stopped to read about each exhibit we probably would have been there over three hours.
A fantastic museum by the sea. Lot's of exhibits and a great view of the ocean to boot.
First time here, had a fantastic experience with a friend! Definitely coming again!
Very beautiful the structure is also inside were beautiful fish and especially penguins.
Large collection of species in the aquarium along with imax 3d theater but with a booming cost.
Parking is way more expensive than necessary. The walkways are too small and you can't move without bumping into someone. The best part is the penguin exhibit.
The aquarium is ok at best. The penguin exhibit is the highlight of the aquarium, they have 3 difference species and you can see their exhibit from above. It has some good touch pools for the kids. The bathrooms are only located on one level, whole thing is four levels.. The cafe is hard to find, not great choices of food and you have to re-enter the aquarium once you go to the cafe. The tanks don't have the descriptions for the fish that are in the tanks. Its pretty small aquarium, I would not visit again.
I went here for the first time as a birthday present and it was a very cool experience . Knowledgeable staff members , the gift store has cute merchandise. I would definitely go again !
worst aquarium east of the mississippi. Scarred my children due to sexual interaction of the penguins.
A fantastic experience foe the whole family.
Many exhibits with marine life from different environments in the salt and freshwater, educational boards all throughout.
It gets very crowded on weekends and purchasing tickets online in advance can save a lot of times. The line gets very long on weekends.
Not as cool as the other aquariums I have been to. Lacked a underwater tunnel. But the large middle tank with a spiral ramp around is nice! Didn't see sharks, clown fish, some other sought after fishes. But the touch tank has good amount of sea creatures to touch. The penguins are one of the better attractions. Costly at $24.95 per person.
I do like the aquarium and it is a lot of fun especially for kids. However I do have a couple qualms.
Primarily; and I understand it is an aquarium and maybe these things are harder to execute than other children's museums, the 'exhibits' don't ever change and I've been coming here for years. It would be great to see areas where annually things are changed up and also promoted in such a way. I think even in the main tank and again I probably don't know enough about this -but from a business and customer perspective, have certain special exhibit sea creatures brought in or added. you could also have more unique hands on learning exhibit and experiences that don't necessarily consist of actual live creatures...
Maybe transform an area into the Mariana trench that you can walk through, create a dark room so that you can experience digital or created displays of what it's like to be at the bottom of the sea floor in pitch-black areas, create a large-scale or interactive submarine for kids to play with or even bring in real one, there's just so many options here and I've never seen anything happen. it makes it disappointing to keep coming back and not see this.
My first aquarium experience. I loved being here. Lot's of fish to keep up with. Petting rays was my favorite part. It was my first time seeing penguins too.
Great experience with a lot to do and look at. Great selection of unique fish and wildlife. There were even a couple of placed where you could touch and 'pet' the fish as well. The staff we dealt with, seemed very knowledgeable about the fish that they were caring for and the prices were OK in my eyes for something like this.
Other than their penguins, this is a really unimpressive aquarium, not at all worth the price for little more than an hour's worth of exhibits
Great penguin exhibit, large central tank with two huge sea turtles, nice venomous fish exhibit, several seals
Great place for the kids but can get a bit busy at peak times. The String Ray petting area is a must.
Having been to the aquariums in Atlanta and Chicago for example, this visit was not the best experience I had imagined for a coastal city like Boston. Haven t been there since my first visit.
The place has a great variety of fish and their respective food, being the largest and most complete in the USA
Great place for a date. Theoretically atleast... No but actually this is a great aquarium, one of the best I've ever been to. I was slightly disappointed by their selection of sharks, but except for that there is a large variety of sea life. There is a huge large central tank and a walkway that spirals up to the top of it, which is the main attraction in my opinion. You can also pet starfish and rays which is very cool. 5/5 stars would recommend.
Spent the day walking around the aquarium and enjoyed it greatly. Lots of tanks with a wide variety of species as well as an enormous ocean tank in the center that spirals up to the top. Definitely recommend for a visit if you're in the area as it is very enjoyable.
Reasonable price, but I expected more, it seems to me that the photos are Google are not exactly what you find
I visit with the grandkids often...the membership is great and it's their happy place.
One word: penguins.
Yes, it's a decent aquarium. The main giant tank is definitely a mesmerizing scene, though sadly, not entertaining enough for a one year old human toddler. I loved the area where I could "pet" the stingrays, and the outdoor seal exhibit is definitely a favorite.
Great place to visit but parking is reduculously expensive. 40$ for 1/2 hr !!!! If planning a visit, it's better use commuter rail.
It's pricey but they have penguins and a massive fish tank.
Excellent aquarium. There are two touch tanks that the kids really liked. One has starfish, hermit crabs, and other small animals. The other has sharks and stingrays. The staff were very friendly and helpful when the kids asked questions.
Central tank was very cool, tons of sea creatures. The sharks and turtles seemed like main draw, but the variety of fish and other creatures was incredible. The side exhibits were also very good, but it was a little hard to get to them.
The only real issue I had was the touch tanks. The employees made zero effort to get the lines moving. I know it's a busy place and getting large groups of tourists to do anything is a fools errand, but even a token effort would have been appreciated.
I went on a Wednesday around 2pm during a school vacation. It was busy, but not crazy.
If you're visiting Boston , you must visit this place. If you have never seen sea lion , penguins this this is the place, you can also watch sea lion training session here. Also penguin feeding session. They also have huge anaconda in there. Also in some part of aquarium you can actually touch the fish. Overall it is great place to visit..
neaq.org