We loved this place so much we ended up visiting two days in a row! My kids (pre-teens) adored the ray and shark petting tank immediately to the left upon entry and spent (no kidding) 3+ hours there over two days. The staff working in this area were kind and helped kids enjoy it without being overly prescriptive when smaller kids got too enthusiastic. It was packed on a Sunday afternoon when we visited (and looked like it could sell out of tickets) but the next day (Monday) it was easy to see everything and spend time at each tank. The central big aquarium tank is impressive and lots of fun for adults, but the smaller side tanks on every floor are great - big octopus, jelly fish, etc. This isn't a huge aquarium but it is well-done, obviously well-taken-care-of, and a great place for kids to take a break from history tours with their parents. // If you're visiting on the weekend, it may be smart to book tickets ahead of time. We also loved that one of the seal tanks is outside the "paid" area so the general public walking by can enjoy it.

We went on the Saturday of February vacation week so it’s completely understandable why it was busy, but I will say that in the winter especially, weekends here draw quite a crowd—if you want to go at a time when it’s less crowded, consider going on a weekday or not during a school vacation week 🤪 Regardless, we had so much fun here. My 6-year-old who loves octopuses was so excited to see a real one, and we all loved watching the penguins and seeing all the fish and other sea creatures. The cost can be a bit high, however the experience in my opinion is well worth it. Definitely a year round must-see no matter what age! A few other tips: - We brought a stroller for our infant; in hindsight, I probably would have opted to just wear her in a carrier as opposed to bringing the stroller again. Especially during the busier times and days, seemingly everyone with young children (AKA most of the aquarium’s patrons) brought a stroller and it became very crowded very quickly. It was not easy to navigate the aisles with a bunch of people pushing strollers in different directions, and strollers took up a ton of elevator space in an already veryyyy slow elevator (high demand). If you absolutely have to bring a stroller the aquarium is very stroller-friendly, however, I personally recommend baby wearing because it gives you more freedom to explore without constantly needing to pay attention to where your stroller is and who’s bumping into it. - there are noise-canceling headphones available for free here for anyone who would benefit from them. - if you are planning to visit the stingray touch tank, I recommend bringing a spare change of clothing even for older kids because it doesn’t take long for your clothes to get wet. Take it from us—we ended up spending $35 on a new souvenir shirt for our son in the gift shop afterward 🙃

Not our first time at the New England Aquarium. We went with friends on a rainy day, so it was a bit crowded but we were still able to enjoy it. The kids loved the ray and shark touch tank. I recommend going early as it starts getting crowded after 1 p.m.

I walked into this aquarium thinking, boy it is small, but as I walked around, I realized lots of treasures packed inside this aquarium. I saw beautiful jellyfish doing their dance, I saw a red belly peranas, I saw a clown fish blowing me a kiss. Overall, I had so much fun, oh yeah, stingrays, they are beautiful animals, make sure u stop by the stingray patting pool, have a close encounter with rays

I love aquariums and never miss a chance to visit one. As expected, there are great fish and animals and other critters here. It's hard to get to - there is only a limited number of visitors allowed in, but even with that, inside was stuffed with people where you couldn't move, and pretty stuffy air-wise. They need better ventilation, at least

This is a cute little aquarium with the most lovely and interesting exhibits. The aquarium animal caretakers were friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. I saw one gentleman answer about 100 questions from a little girl with great patience and humor. If visiting on a weekend, I absolutely recommend that you get timed tickets. This aquarium was packed on a cold, rainy, spring Saturday afternoon. They are very strict with your time on your ticket (no getting in early). While the aquarium was very busy, we rarely had to wait to view a tank or exhibit. Highlights for me included the rare blue lobster, dwarf seahorses, penguins, and the IMAX movie about blue whales.

So many penguins! You can always see them as you ascend or descend the ramps. The aquarium is built like NYC’s Guggenheim Museum, with swirling ramps going around in a circle. Here the center is occupied by a multistory tank with hundreds of (or more) fish and other animals. Frequent presentations by staff. Glad we caught the stingray & shark pool on our way out. We could touch them.

While this aquarium is pretty small compared to other aquariums we’ve visited, the setup is pretty unique and fun. You can walk up a spiral ramp that wraps around a huge tank with lots of fish and three sea turtles, one of which is huge! The penguin setup all around the bottom floor of the aquarium is pretty cool, giving everyone great views of the penguins swimming and just waddling around. The touch tank was a nice touch. We wished there were more sharks, octopus, and sea mammals to check out, but it’s a pretty small aquarium and they do manage to pack a lot into the place. We would recommend visiting the aquarium with small kids, pre-teens, and even younger teens.

Great time at the aquarium! Kids (7,10) had a great time at the sting ray touch tank. Lots to see and do. We also payed $5 extra for the imax movie which was interesting and fun for the kids. Don’t miss this aquarium!

We were in town for a family event and decide to spend sometime in the aquarium. Nice setting with a penguins pool at the center of the building. The exhibit is great with great views. The center giant fish tank is amazing. We like the outdoor open air viewing of the seals especially. The food price is reasonable as you can expect from any museum or aquarium in other cities. The signage is generally ok except for the cafe. It’s not clear that there is an entrance to cafe on the second floor. Overall speaking, great place to spend a few hours with family!