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New England Aquarium

Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 (North End)
617 973 5200
Website
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As featured in Boston for young kids
Ranked #56 of 194 attractions in Boston
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Type: Aquariums
Activities: Whale watching
Fee: Yes
Recommended length of visit: 2-3 hours
Description: The 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank is the centerpiece of the Aquarium, Boston's most visited tourist attraction.
Useful Information: Activities for older children, Activities for young children
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781 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Toronto, Canada
Top Contributor
59 reviews 59 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2013 NEW

In spite of the signs that the aquarium transformation is in progress, it is still disappointing that the price is the same and there is so much more to finish. The larger animals from the Giant Ocean Tank have been moved to the penguin habitat, where they swim around in a couple of feet of water and can only be... More

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See 4 more reviews by gentlemansportion for Boston
Boston
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 22, 2013 NEW

Great place to visit with kids. My 6 year old loved all the exhibits. We enjoyed walking around and because was during the week was not too crowded and we had lots of opportunities to take nice pics and see the exhibits without having to fight crowds to get up front.

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East Bethany, New York
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 22, 2013 NEW

We gave over an afternoon to take our youngest middle-schooler through the aquarium, and it proved to be a reasonably good experience. The main tank is still under construction, so the penguin exhibit is almost completely missing. Still, there was enough to see here. Notable Contents Touch Tanks - we found three of them and were allowed unlimited time to... More

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Toronto, Canada
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2013 NEW

We stopped off at the Aquarium on our way to our Crusie ship. Although it was only a quick visit the staff was very accomodating. We had purchased Boston Go Cards, and go in with those. There was a place for us to store our luggage while we had our tour. the Big aquarium was under construction but the other... More

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See 3 more reviews by dpost for Boston
newcastle on tyne
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2013 NEW

Further to my abortive attempts to see whales via the new england aquarium's trips, ever since i booked tickets online for trips which never went , i have received a flood of he most egregious spam from america, so if you want to watch wales out of boston and don't want to have to change your email address then turn... More

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Tallahassee, Florida
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2013 NEW via mobile

Perhaps by Northeast standards, this is an great aquarium, after all many people raved about it and said it was a must see site. Other than the sea lion exhibit (those guys are always entertaining make for great photos), I was not impressed. Yes, they are finishing up some renovations, but even when complete it still misses the mark IMHO.... More

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See 3 more reviews by bassra for Boston
New Jersey
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2013 NEW

We went during construction so we didn't have huge expectations. My two year old loved all the exhibits. We went on a Sunday so it was very crowded. Which also made the aquarium super hot. During the week and not during construction would be the ideal time to visit. Also due to the crowds we were unable to see the... More

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See 2 more reviews by travel4life823 for Boston
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2013 NEW

The aquarium is very small. It only has 3 or 4 floors ( i am not sure if it is 3 or 4 floors but at most 4) that provides very few animals to watch. Except these, there is a tank and sharp presentation is very cool. People can touch the tank and feel their skins. It is an interesting... More

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Cheyenne, Wyoming
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2013 NEW

Our group had a dinner function one night at the aquarium. It was fun to walk around and see all the interesting sea creatures and take in the sites of the harbor outside. The staff was very friendly.

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Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2013

We visited the Aquarium on a Wednesday and it was not too crowded and we had lots of opportunities to take some great pics and see the exhibits without having to fight crowds to get up front. It is not an aquarium where they have the animals all doing tricks so if that is your expectation, erase it! They do... More

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See 3 more reviews by Snap4710 for Boston

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