A Day Trip to Beautiful Mystic Aquarium
Disclosure: I received admission to Mystic Aquarium. All opinions are mine alone.
The summer is an especially awesome time to take a day trip or weekend mini-vacation to Mystic Seaport. There are great shops to explore, casual and family-friendly restaurants, ice cream, and the beautiful Mystic Aquarium.
Being originally from Rhode Island, we spread the word of our day trip to some good friends to meet up with us and explore. I packed up some lunches and we took the 1.5 hour trip from our home to the aquarium arriving just around 10am. I prefer to arrive shortly after opening so the crowds are light making it easier for me to navigate with my three.
end of the day pic – everyone needing a nap!
After entering, we took a quick family photo! Can’t pass up a picture that I’m not photographing myself. 🙂 Then it was on to the first exhibit, the New England’s only beluga whales – so amazing to watch every single time. These animals are just so magical and massive, and look so gentle as they glide through the tank. Want to view the whales at home? Check out the the live feed at Aquarionwater.com.
The different exhibits include:
- Main Gallery – Jellies, shark touch, fish, coral reef and more…
- Foxwoods Marine Theater – California sea lion live show!
- Ocean Conservation Center – explore the world in Exploration: WILD! and go eye-to-eye with 6′ American alligators. Be sure to hop in to the world of frogs! to see over 30 species of this diverse and funky amphibian.
- 4-D Theatre
- National Geographic Theater – Experience stunning and unique films that deliver an amazing view into our world.
- Ray Touch Pool – Touch or feed a ray.
- Arctic Coast – Meet New England’s only beluga whales.
- Penguin Encounter Program
- Pacific Northwest – Home to the Steller sea lions and Northern Fur Seals.
- Roger Tory Peterson Penguin Pavillion
- Sea Rescue Clinic – Look through the viewing windows at how the rescue team works.
We had a packed day and the kids, ages 20 months to 5.5 sat through and enjoyed the awesome live sea lion show. It is a 20 minute show perfect for viewers of all ages. A must see – lots of information along with tricks and fun!
My kids love the hands on exhibits in the main gallery – being able to touch a sting ray, pass their hands across a shark, or pick up sea shells they’ve never seen before are experiences that will last a lifetime.
If you want to plan a visit to Mystic Aquarium you can purchase your tickets online here or see what tickets best suit your trip and purchase them there upon arrival. For more information about the exhibits while you plan your trip you can click here. If you decided to extend your stay overnight or for the weekend your ticket is valid for two additional days. Just be sure to have it validated on your way out so you can come back! Another bonus – parking is always FREE!
Hour of Operation:
April – October: 9:00am to 5:00pm
November: 9:00am to 4:00pm
December – February: 10:00am to 4:00pm
March: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Upcoming events:
- Winterfest – December 26, 2016- January 1, 2017
- Eggstravaganza – April 14-16, 2017
Mystic Aquarium Facebook // Twitter // YouTube
Omg we were just there today for the first time. It was rather costly but it helped to have library museum passes for a decent discount.