The New York Aquarium Reviews

Small aquarium with a major focus on environmental conservation. Overall fantastic!

Great Place!
Amazing Aqua Theatre experience. My daughter was so excited to see the sea lions dancing and jumping around.
the 4-D theatre was quite an adventure. We will definitely visit again.

It is currently under construction because of Hurricane Sandy ,but Sharks are coming.

It was really nice, the short film was very entertaining.

Waiting very long for a short show and few animals, would have expected much more from the new york aquarium.

The aquarium is fun and the new exhibit definitely makes the experience more enjoyable but compared to other aquariums this one seems lacking. The new exhibits are great but the old ones are dull. Also there is a lot of work being done which can make a visit not as worthwhile. The biggest disappointment was the touch pool. Compared to those at other aquariums this one allows you to touch one animal with two fingers while being closely guided by a zoo employee. Despite that, I could have stayed in the tunnel watching sharks and rays all day.

I haven't been back since they have reopened from hurricane Sandy. They have done a great job...nice shark exhibit, lots of diverse fish and ocean dwellers to check out. I love that it is right on the boardwalk so you can go to the beach after if you want! They have their own parking lot, but you are able to park on the street for free if the day/time is right. No food options, so pack a lunch- nice space under a tent to eat with picnic tables. Overall happy I went and will go back.

This place is in need of an upgrade. Also, they over book making it ridiculously crowded. They are under staffed and the few workers you can find seem overwhelmed and unpleasant. The highlight of the visit was the seal show.

The 4D Theater was Great! I enjoyed the show. Lines were short. The climate control system was fabulous. It was definitely worth it!

Good selection of sea animals but I wish there could be more! There were sharks and sea horses and many other fishes including fake skeletons of diffrent types of sharks! They are working on opening more places there!

The price is 15.99 and the variety of animals is low plus you have to wait online to see anything, actually its not worth it to spend money here

Small not worth the cost. 3 exhibits were down or cancelled. Got to see coral reef and sharks.

Do not go there is a tourist trap
There is nothing ....

This was by far the best deal of things to do on the boardwalk. There are lots of different tanks with a ton of interesting fish and other marine life in them. The shark tank is awesome!! Enjoyed the sea lion show but I hear that that is going away soon :( if you are on the boardwalk go here for sure.

Best Aquarium hands down.. The shark exhibit is a must see!!

Very nice learning experience. Not as big as others I have visited. Needs more exhibits to look at and hands on too.

Excellent , New And Improved Can't Wait For The Rest Of The Aquarium Is Completed..!

The animals are very well taken care of and very nice everything

To small for a city of New York, also to expensive for families.

Good place to take the kids. The sea lion show was pretty cool.

Large collection of sharks,
Different species of fish are broken down by topic.
For toddlers show with dolphins and seals.

I toltally recomend everyone to visit the New York Aquarium, today was one of the best day of my life. Me and my child had a great time. We enjoy every single area of the park, their staff are so attentive and very kind. My son and I enjoy so much the Ocean Wonders: Sharks and the Sea seal Celebration Show, these creatures are so smart cute.

Not the best aquarium out there, but not bad if you want something to do nearby. The sea lion show was a nice experience, but all the indoor exhibits were subpar.

Aquarium is not so large but nonetheless very fun! Seal lion show was awesome. The Shark exhibit was nice! Seeing all the divers cleaning and maintaining the tanks was awesome, it shows they care

Cool sharks, some exhibits we're closed which was a bummer

Beautiful place, very careful and well distributed. Worth a visit.

While the New York Aquarium is still undergoing construction and remodeling it is still an amazing place to visit. The brand new building Ocean Wonders Sharks is absolutely beautiful. No where else in New York will you be able to see these beautiful creatures. Walking through an amazing tunnel with sharks and other fish swimming over your head is just unreal. Another building is slated to open during the summer called playquarium and its supposed to be fantastic! It is a little pricey but the aquarium just might be worth your time and money

Was a great visit. .....took my 2 year old and she enjoyed the sea lion show.

Few things to see! Lots of row under the sun, each soda costs $ 3 and they're hot

Aquarium hasn't yet been rebuilt from the damage Sandy caused. It's very small and unfortunately doesn't have what it used to. Pre Sandy I felt I saw absolutely everything in the ocean here - I look forward to the end of rebuilding efforts!

A bit small, but really great staff. Though the number id exhibits is small, the ones that are open are beautiful!

Family fun place for a great day out. Learn about sea life, Catch the sea otter show or just watch the penguins hang out.
Always something happening. Support the fish!! Go wave to them.
Parking available and yearly pass is a good idea for unlimited visits.

It was very nice. I learned a lot. It was my first time going there. Don't go when it's raining because the shows get cancelled. Wednesday and Friday at 3pm, you can make a donation only instead of paying.

It was a good experience the new shark exhibit is very nice; however, several things were closed including the jellyfish exhibit, the large touch tank, and their main food stand.

Lovely and only a bit crowded during weekdays because of school trips.

We enjoyed our visit to the New York Aquarium. There were some really neat sea creatures we got to see there. I enjoyed seeing the penguins, sharks, and baby sea lions. The new shark exhibit was a nice addition since the last time we had been there, but it was extremely hard to navigate in a scooter, which both of my parents were using. Another disappointment was the sea lion show. It took longer to get everyone seated and ready than the show itself! It was super short. This aquarium is VERY small for the price you pay to visit. If you've never seen these types of creatures before, it would be a nice place to visit. There were great views of Coney Island and the beach. Overall, I doubt we would visit again on a return trip, but it was nice getting to take my parents there.

Small aquarium, usually we spend there 1 hour maximum, there is a new shark space that they build for the past 6 or 7 years.

Awesome.
Shark is real

Always a great experience. The kids love going here too. We usually pair this trip with a trip to the beach.

Good entertainment. Children from about the age of 3 years will appreciate

ever since Sandy (5 yrs ago) they still didnt recover completly and have limited exhibits open and after 3 min you are bored

Stop, not a fan.Let these poor creatures go back into the seas. Not a fan, sorry.

To avoid the winter but big potential for the summer with the pool outside

Nice, but for the admission price not a lot is offered.

I have come here as a child, I've bought my children here and I recently bought my grandson. This aquarium has always been well kept and always entertained and educated the children and adults. Currently it is under construction so not all locations were open to the public but otherwise, it is still a pleasure.

Not world-class, especially while under construction, but a lot of fun.

Why have the The Bernard Family Touch Pool on the website if it is no longer there...? Also very hard to get a hold of an actual person to get info on the Aquarium. Had to call 4 times to speak to someone in group sales to get basic info who informed me of the Touch Pool.

Really small. Unfortunately they haven't fully recovered from the damages of Hurricane Sandy and you'll find yourself at the gift shop by the exit before you expected.

Very small. It was raining so there was so much closed. Roads were closed because of a bike race so it took our bus 6 hours to get here and seeing everything that was open only took an hour. Now a minimum of 3 1/2 hours back home. Insanity. Won't come again, far too tiny for anything other than coming from surrounding towns.

A great afternoon of aquatic exhibits.
Much improved from immediately post-Sandy, but still needs more to recover.
Staff is knowledgable, upbeat, friendly.

Fun and educational for all ages. Bringing the ocean to the surface is a sight to see. The atmosphere and facilty was properly managed by the faculty.
The shark aquarium is amazing in its sophisticated design as a highlight. Bringing awareness to the public of the challenges of the ecosystem is an eye opener and is a bold statement by whoever idea it was to do so. As an audience of the public I believe the message is broadcasted in full approval.
The shark show at the surface however was cut short to many customers without proper communication. There was a sign placed at the bottom of the ramp stating the staff is on a break while customers were being turned away at the bottom of the ramp that entered the surface of the aquarium. Staff were telling customers the show was closed for the rest of the day. This was slightly past 4pm, however it should've been a sign that properly communicate that the show has ended for tge day instead of misguiding customers and their families. This is something that should be addressed and provided to the staff to exercise. I did witness several customers complaining of this miscommunication. Something like this takes away from the customer experience and is unacceptable at all levels. Hopefully this can be corrected and continue to improve along with the rest of great things this venue has to offer to the public.

Sorry for me bed englando. I relly like the fish with big. Also the other fish were nice to eat espucally the rat end the cat wit tha bat. Relly betifull aquarum. I enjoid it!

Kinda limited selection of attractions. I was underwhelmed. Went in the middle of passover so there were way too many people. Never again. The bonus is that its right on Coney Island boardwalk but i doubt I'll be back here in a while.

Had an amazing time. Great staff and excellent exhibits

Had a great time with my son and his camp JCC in New Brighton. SI. Staff was very nice and helpful.