Ever since I was a first year, I’ve wanted to take a trip to the New England Aquarium. So, this past weekend, I got together with a few friends and finally got around to it. It had been years since I’d been to an aquarium, and I’d never been to the one here in Boston. Coming from Southern California, it was weird to see an aquarium that was all indoors. I was disappointed upon realizing that I would be spending a beautiful Saturday afternoon inside. However, upon entering the aquarium and spotting the penguin exhibit, I quickly forgot my initial reaction as I was instantly brought back to childhood days of wonder and curiosity.
The New England Aquarium is small, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t lots to see. The Aquarium boasts numerous exhibits of fish, sea creatures, sea mammals and even birds and an anaconda hailing from habitats around the world. The largest of the exhibits is a massive cylindrical tank in the middle of the Aquarium that stretches from floor to ceiling. I could have spent hours watching the long yellow eels, little sharks, colorful fish and giant sea turtles glide about in their specially made coral reef habitat. My favorite part was the stingray touch tank. I love the slimy texture of the smaller rays and the rougher sandpaper skin of the leopard rays. And of course what aquarium visit wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the seal and sea lion exhibit?
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and a great way to spend an afternoon with friends. The aquarium is just a stone’s throw away from Quincy Market, so afterwards we had a bite to eat and a big scoop of ice cream there. If you’re planning a trip to the aquarium, I would definitely recommend taking advantage of being in the city while the weather is still nice. Take some time to walk around a bit, grab some dinner, do some site seeing or maybe a bit of shopping. The aquarium stamps your hand so you can enter and re-enter the building as many times as you want during their visiting hours which makes it easy to have lunch at Quincy or in the North End and make it back to see the penguin feeding.
If you want to start planning a visit to the New England Aquarium, the first thing you should do is run to the SCC. And I mean run, not walk, RUN! The SCC ticket booth sells discounted tickets to the aquarium to Brandeis students for $10. However, they have a limited number each semester, so make sure to purchase yours as soon as possible. Ticket prices at the aquarium are much more expensive at $26.95, so you definitley want to take advantage of the Brandeis price. For more information about the aquarium, their visiting hours and aquarium events click here.
So grab your ticket and some friends and get ready to spend a fun filled day at the New England Aquarium (and the week after turned off of sushi)!