New England Aquarium Reviews

I didn't think there was a lot there. My husband a 2 yr old were there for about an hour.

Absolutely packed the weekend between Christmas and New year, and very expensive for how crowded it was but beautiful tanks and animals. We'd love to go again

It s amazing, I love it. They have lots of different cute fishes, very colourful! It s really worth to go. Recommend!

I hadn't been in over 30 years when my children were young and was looking forward to going as a quick getaway. It was unbelievably crowded and I was very disappointed. It was the beginning of a school vacation apparently, and my friend and I, who are both seniors had no idea until we got there! I've never seen so many strollers in one place!

Nice aquarium with plenty of aquatic animals to see. The aquarium is located right next to the harbor. They also have whale watching boat you can book tickets for, but I haven't done it before. The easiest way to get here is to take the T to Aquarium station.

They're handling visitors while social distance very well. That does mean that some exhibits are closed but it was still a stellar experience.

Thousands of water lives and information about them.

My 3 and 2 yr old had blast here. They loved looking at the fishes.

Quite a sad place to visit actually. On par with seaworld. A throw back to the days of old, a relic, a Victorian peep show which lacks basic information on the preservation of our oceans and the impending doom that is climate change.

So much to see, easy to spend hours walking around.

It's a small, expensive aquarium but our kids always have fun.

Kid central, but you have to expect that. Lots to see and explore.

This is a great place to bring your family and especially your children but the service is a bit slow.

What a fun venue for a wedding! This is such a cool spot and I'm so glad they do weddings here. I photographed this wedding this past summer and I especially loved the ceremony spot right on the harborwalk!

Pricey but the exhibits made up for the price. Would go again!

Too much money for the size aquarium. Not a lot of exhibits to see either.

Parking was way to high. $40 and we were only there for a little over an hour.

Do not recommend for a tourist destination. Spend your time visiting a historic location, on the harbor, or the freedom trail.

Amazing Aquarium, love their touch tanks and scheduled exhibits. For the best experience, get there early (even before they open) and do your parking research in advance. Cheapest parking is on weekends is International place (2.5 blocks away). Get your parking validated as soon as you get there so you won't forget. Skip the initial photo booth unless you plan to buy the $25 photos. It'll save you time. Also, if you bring a stroller you can check it for free (store your gear in the stroller) and won't have to pay for a locker. Also, you can leave and come back in, so don't feel like you have to eat there. During summer there is a water fountain play area for children (a block away).

Had fun there will go again. PARKING as usual is over priced but overall a good trip

Fun spot to spend a Saturday! Just wish they had better crowd management, but otherwise the experience was lovely!

One of the best aquariums in the world! Highly recommend to anyone coming to Boston

We liked this place. The penguins offer hours of entertainment. Good location too.

Wonderful place to see & learn about 2/3 of the planet. Lot's of books & reference material regarding the oceans & climate change.

Loved going. It's a wonderful aquarium, you will not be disappointed.

A little to pricey, My grandson enjoyed seeing all the fishes.

Great ocean wildlife, but parking will cost you dearly

Way overpriced and there was way to many people there to enjoy anything without a line..

Should have a limit on people that can go inside, i paid over 100$ to see penguins and thats about it. everything else had so many people we could not see it or there was such a long wait that we just gave up.

Will never go back.

You can't just come to Boston without visiting the aquarium. Just wouldn't be right.

Touch tanks, penguins, seal training sessions. Reasonably priced tickets. Food so-so. Great Aquarium to visit.

Nice place to bring the kids to explore the animals.

Great for kids but thought it was bigger for the price

Great family activity. Mystic in Connecticut seems larger but in Boston this was a great experience.

Great customer service... Asked for a place to nurse my infant and I was easily accommodated.

Whale watching tour....great fun need to update sound system on top deck other than that I would bring my children . At least the college student came and enjoyed ( my youngest son).

This place was amazing. I could have stayed there all day. Everyone should experience the New England Aquarium.

Nice place in Boston to visit with friends or family. Lots of coll things to see and to do. Waterfront is beautiful and great place to relax.

Very nice but very small and many people are saturated

Missed the live show. This place is bit cost compared to others I have aeen

I was lucky that on a visit to Boston I had several hours between check out time and and my flight leaving so I visited this aquarium. I was blown away with the displays. Truly enjoyed my visit.

Had a great time. Very easy to get into the aquarium

Our family loved the Boston Aquarium! Again we used our City pass to get us into the Aquarium but we would have paid for it if we had to. The penguins and Myrtle the turtle were our favourites. The stingray petting areas was also a hit with my son.

Great for kids. High priced tickets. Crowded on the weekends and holidays. Don't miss the opportunity to touch the Sharks and Sting Rays.

Great aquarium! The touch tank is definitely the best part. We spent a solid 45 minutes just "petting" the Ray's and sharks. My 2.5 year old LOVED it.

You have to go ... It's really pretty and there are divers who play with the fish. Parking is not very expensive.

Very informative and love seeing and hearing about how they help the marine life. However be prepared for a very large crowds. Wasn't able to get close enough to alot of the exhibits.

The aquarium was pit of this world, different species displayed, the Sting Ray station is a must.

Aquarium! So fun!

If you are from out of town, GO TO THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM WHILE YOU ARE VISITING! Regardless of whether or not you have kids. You should go.

The Aquarium is a complete experience, from when you are buying tickets and waving to the seals, to seeing the incredible penguins right when you walk in, through the back to the amazing sea lion pool, not to mention the fact that you can see fish every step of the way in the massive tank in the center of it all.

It's not a cheap ticket, but worth it if you are from out of town. Bostonians, check out the BPL for discounted or free tickets--but reserve in advance.

Hop over to James Hook for some chowder after you visit!

This is the best aquarium in the New England area, but that doesn't mean much. It opened in 1969, and that is immediately apparent in the hideous, Brutalist architecture. The technology available at the time limited the design capabilities so it doesn't have any "wow" features that more modern aquariums can offer. (No giant wall of glass and no tunnel surrounded by fish which you can pass through, unlike aquariums in other parts of the U.S and the rest of the world.) The staff are dedicated and professional. Most caring lost and found service of any tourist attraction in Boston. The aquarium has a real research mission and cares for the environment. These are all in the aquarium's favor and is part of the reason I have supported the aquarium in its mission by keeping my premier membership for so long and bringing a group of students each year. The aquarium is aware of its limitations and tries to compensate through high quality exhibits. The ray touch tank is excellent. The view from the top of the giant tank is great. There is a large diversity of exhibits and penguin lovers will be pleased. Challenging parking in the harbor area, but an easy walk from the MBTA blue line Aquarium subway station.

Great on a colder day, a bit crowded but plenty of chances to see what we came for

Wonderful and special place, but it desperately needs a major update. While the exhibits are as good as they used to be... Used to be equals 40 years ago. I understand the challenges of a non-profit, but it's time that this place work its way into the 21st century. The people here really care about what they do... I'd say the Aquatic Life, the employees, and the patrons deserve better from Boston's top Aquarium. Alas, this takes funding. It's no one's fault but a 5-star ranking in 1979 is equal to a 3 star ranking in 2018, from my perspective.

Horrible line management in the rain, slower will call line than regular ticket buying. Bad signage, overcrowded, generally miserable experience on a rainy Monday

Fun and informative aquarium; friendly staff and a good flow of exhibits and guided explorations.

Amazing penguin display and interactive pool for young and old to enjoy engaging with rays

Went back to visit here not having been since was very little, so cool! Flow of the exhibits is really great, we went on a pretty busy day and because everyone is walking the same way it made it easy to still see all the animals. Definitely worth a visit, but be fair warned parking is the same cost as admission..

My daughter and one of my favorite places to go on our yearly visit to Boston! We love to check up on Myrtle the turtle everytime.

Love this place. Fun exhibits with informative text. The penguins center stage are great and it is worth a membership if you plan to visit a couple times with friends.

Always fun and the trainers were very patient with our kids questions.

It's fishy in here. The penguins are a hoot. The live demonstrations are worth seeing and you will learn a lot. Admission was fairly priced.

Very good aquarium! However, waaaaay too many people to be able to enjoy. Too many people to clean up after.. trash, dirty glass. It seems like a great aquarium otherwise.

Penguins are amazing here! Good place for some fun however I would recommend going on a weekday to fully enjoy it.

Pretty good layout, but crowded with narrow aisles.

Great place to get your kids aware of the water world, we went on a weekday so not much of rush and my daughter enjoyed watching the fishes.

Cool place you can see so many things and you can touch some fish to so cool there also you can watch seals

Hundred and ten years old tortoise can be seen.. amazing aquarium

The aquarium is the best for getting out of the house and keeping the little ones engaged.

This aquarium is pretty big! The spiral staircase leading to the top is a very cool feature. I was fortunate enough to also see the sea lions. Hopefully, I'll be able to go whale watching next time.

My kids loved it, so much to see and explore! Loved the hands on exhibits. The volunteers were AWESOME. Entertained my all of my kids' questions with patience and enthusiasm.