New England Aquarium

If you're traveling with kids who love animals, the New England Aquarium is a must-see attraction. Down on the waterfront, the breathtaking centerpiece of this excellent aquarium is the colossal 200,000-gallon salt-water replica of a Caribbean coral reef. Moray eels, stingrays, enormous sea turtles, and sharks are all present in the tank, which has a 40-foot diameter and three-story height. On a smaller scale, a touch tank exhibit lets children stick their hands into the cold water of a tidal basin to get up close and personal with starfish, sea urchins, and hermit crabs.

There are over 800 different marine species there, including 80 African penguins that were bred as part of a conservation program, tiny seadragons, seals, stingrays, and sharks. A coral reef and Caribbean reef life are housed in the magnificent four-story Giant Ocean tank. A spiral walkway leads you past sea turtles, tropical fish and eels, as well as jellyfish.

But you can also transport yourself to the Amazon Rainforest, with its piranhas and anacondas, as well as watching Atlantic Harbor Seals play, among other marine habitat areas, before learning more about the challenges facing the world’s oceans. Don’t miss the seadragons, with both of the world’s two seadragon species on display in this exhibit – as long as you can spot these masters of camouflage!

• Website: https://www.neaq.org/
• Admission: Adult: $20.95, Senior (60+ yrs): $18.95, College: $18.95, Child (3-17): $13.95, People with mobility(wheelchair bound) or visual disablilities may vivist free of charge.
• Hours: Daily 09:00 AM - 06:00 PM
• Google rating: 4.5/5.0
• Address: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110