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New England Aquarium

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 Boston, 02110

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Call: +1 617-973-5206
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About

The New England Aquarium opened on Central Wharf in 1969, and its core is still the Giant Ocean Tank: a four-story Caribbean coral reef exhibit holding 200,000 gallons of saltwater. The tank is so large that it was built first and the rest of the aquarium was built around it. Educators stationed at the top of the tank answer questions about the reef and its residents.

It suits families, rainy-day plans and first-timers working the downtown waterfront, and it is one of the easiest attractions in the city to reach without a car: Aquarium station on the Blue Line is about 100 yards from the door. Entry is by timed ticket, and weekends and holidays often sell out, so book ahead rather than turning up.

The reef and the penguins

More than 3,000 coral elements in the Giant Ocean Tank were sculpted and painted by hand by aquarium artists. Myrtle, the green sea turtle, has lived here since June 1970, and many returning visitors remember seeing her on childhood trips. She shares the reef with Retread, a loggerhead turtle rescued in critical condition in 1987; she is now mostly blind, and staff feed her each morning by shaking a homemade rattle underwater. Around the base of the tank lives a colony of about 50 African and southern rockhopper penguins, each identified by a bracelet on one wing.

Seals, sea lions and the touch tank

The Atlantic harbor seal exhibit sits on the front plaza, to the left of the main doors, and is free for anyone walking past. Its best-known resident was Hoover, a seal who could say several phrases and died in 1985; his grandson Chacoda is now learning a few of his own. Inside, the open-air Marine Mammal Center is home to California sea lions Zoe and Sierra, rescued as pups and brought here in 2011, and it stays open year round, so bring a coat in winter. The Shark and Ray Touch Tank lets visitors gently touch Atlantic rays and epaulette sharks.

Beyond the main tank

Smaller galleries cover sea jellies, an Indo-Pacific coral reef, the Gulf of Maine and the Olympic Coast, with anemones and a giant Pacific octopus, and Exploration Station is a play-based space built with the youngest visitors in mind. The Simons Theatre shows 3D films on a screen nearly five stories high, sold with admission as a bundle.

Food on Central Wharf

Harbor View Café on level 2 is inside the aquarium and serves sandwiches, pizza, grilled items, soups and salads to ticketed visitors.

Dockside Beer Garden on Central Wharf pours craft beer, wine and cocktails with appetizers, salads and sandwiches on Friday to Sunday afternoons, and the Central Snack Bar on the plaza sells lemonade and Bavarian pretzels at weekends. Neither needs an aquarium ticket.

Sources: New England Aquarium, tickets, directions and parking, dining, accessibility, about, Giant Ocean Tank, penguins, harbor seals, Marine Mammal Center, Simons Theatre. Checked September 27, 2026.

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Contact Information

Company Name
New England Aquarium
Phone Number
See Phone Number
Call: +1 617-973-5206
Location
1 Central Wharf
Boston, 02110
Visit Website Buy Tickets

About New England Aquarium

The New England Aquarium opened on Central Wharf in 1969, and its core is still the Giant Ocean Tank: a four-story Caribbean coral reef exhibit holding 200,000 gallons of saltwater. The tank is so large that it was built first and the rest of the aquarium was built around it. Educators stationed at the top of the tank answer questions about the reef and its residents.

It suits families, rainy-day plans and first-timers working the downtown waterfront, and it is one of the easiest attractions in the city to reach without a car: Aquarium station on the Blue Line is about 100 yards from the door. Entry is by timed ticket, and weekends and holidays often sell out, so book ahead rather than turning up.

The reef and the penguins

More than 3,000 coral elements in the Giant Ocean Tank were sculpted and painted by hand by aquarium artists. Myrtle, the green sea turtle, has lived here since June 1970, and many returning visitors remember seeing her on childhood trips. She shares the reef with Retread, a loggerhead turtle rescued in critical condition in 1987; she is now mostly blind, and staff feed her each morning by shaking a homemade rattle underwater. Around the base of the tank lives a colony of about 50 African and southern rockhopper penguins, each identified by a bracelet on one wing.

Seals, sea lions and the touch tank

The Atlantic harbor seal exhibit sits on the front plaza, to the left of the main doors, and is free for anyone walking past. Its best-known resident was Hoover, a seal who could say several phrases and died in 1985; his grandson Chacoda is now learning a few of his own. Inside, the open-air Marine Mammal Center is home to California sea lions Zoe and Sierra, rescued as pups and brought here in 2011, and it stays open year round, so bring a coat in winter. The Shark and Ray Touch Tank lets visitors gently touch Atlantic rays and epaulette sharks.

Beyond the main tank

Smaller galleries cover sea jellies, an Indo-Pacific coral reef, the Gulf of Maine and the Olympic Coast, with anemones and a giant Pacific octopus, and Exploration Station is a play-based space built with the youngest visitors in mind. The Simons Theatre shows 3D films on a screen nearly five stories high, sold with admission as a bundle.

Food on Central Wharf

Harbor View Café on level 2 is inside the aquarium and serves sandwiches, pizza, grilled items, soups and salads to ticketed visitors.

Dockside Beer Garden on Central Wharf pours craft beer, wine and cocktails with appetizers, salads and sandwiches on Friday to Sunday afternoons, and the Central Snack Bar on the plaza sells lemonade and Bavarian pretzels at weekends. Neither needs an aquarium ticket.

Sources: New England Aquarium, tickets, directions and parking, dining, accessibility, about, Giant Ocean Tank, penguins, harbor seals, Marine Mammal Center, Simons Theatre. Checked September 27, 2026.

Attractions Aquariums Family Waterfront Downtown attractions
Phone: +1 617-973-5206

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the New England Aquarium opening hours?+
The aquarium lists 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The open-air Marine Mammal Center opens at 9 a.m. and closes 15 minutes before the aquarium. Hours can change for holidays and events, so check the official site before you go.
Q. How much are tickets?+
Aquarium-only admission is $39.95 for adults, $37.95 for seniors 60 and over and $30.95 for children 3 to 11. An aquarium and Simons Theatre bundle is $44.95, $42.95 and $35.95. Children 2 and under are free. Residents of the six New England states get $5 off standard pricing except on summer weekends and holidays.
Q. Do I need to book in advance?+
Yes, it is strongly advised. Entry is by timed ticket, and the aquarium asks visitors to buy before the visit to guarantee entry because weekends and holidays often sell out.
Q. Who gets in free?+
Children 2 and under, visitors using wheelchairs and visitors with visual impairments are admitted free, and members visit free. The Atlantic harbor seal exhibit on the front plaza is free to the public.
Q. Which T stop is closest to the aquarium?+
Aquarium station on the Blue Line, about 100 yards away. The aquarium also gives walking times of about 8 minutes from State Street on the Orange Line, 10 minutes from Government Center on the Green Line and 12 minutes from South Station on the Red Line.
Q. Where can I park?+
The aquarium has no garage of its own. It lists five garages within 0.3 miles, with weekday rates of roughly $42 to $43 without validation. Validation at the Information Desk lowers the price at several of them, most sharply on weekends; the nearest, Harbor Garage, validates only for members and whale watch guests.
Q. Is the aquarium accessible?+
There are elevators throughout, accessible restrooms on levels 1 and 2 and space for up to eight wheelchairs in the Simons Theatre. Ticketed guests can borrow wheelchairs free on a first-come basis. The aquarium is KultureCity certified, with sensory kits at the Information Desk and designated quiet spaces, and ADA service dogs are welcome.
Q. Is there somewhere to eat?+
The Harbor View Café on level 2 is inside the aquarium and needs admission; it serves sandwiches, pizza, grilled items, soups and salads from 9 a.m. until an hour before closing. The Central Snack Bar and the Dockside Beer Garden on Central Wharf do not need a ticket.