Although there aren't a lot of good reviews concerning the aqarium it's really not a bad way to spend a couple of hours. And that's really all you need-a couple of hours. To be located on the ocean it's actually smaller than most that I have been to. (Cincinati, New Orleans, and Gatlinburg.) But they have an interesting array of aquatic life and a great IMAX theatre. At last check "Aliens of the Deep" was playing. Really, the best way to view the aquarium is to use your free admission if you go on a trolley tour. Otherwise, the admission price of $16.95 IS a little steep.

Phone: 617-973-5200
Address: Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
Website: http://www.neaq.org

The New England Aquarium is one of our favourite downtown destinations. Ticket prices are high (almost $20 for adults, $10 for kids), but membership options are completely reasonable. A family membership ($90/year) pays for itself after only two visits.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The first hassle of any trip out into Boston is PARKING. The Aquarium has a garage right next to it that is very expensive. As we usually only go for about an hour, we circle around until we find street parking, which is not impossible as you'd expect. Obviously, the Aquarium T stop on the Blue Line is right near the Aquarium, so that is a great option if you're on the T.

Once you get there, hopefully the weather is decent, because the ticket line is outside. Another perk of membership is that you don't need to wait in that line. If you want to become a member, you also get to cut the line and go directly inside.

Once in, you get your hand stamped, and they try to take your photo in front of an ocean scene to sell back to you as you leave. If you're into that kind of souvenir, go for it.

The sea jellies (it's not politically correct to call them jelly fish I guess) exhibit is easy to miss, as it's off to the left as soon as you enter, while the rest of the Aquarium is off to the right. The jellies are beautiful, but a lot of this exhibit is down stairs, so it's not stroller or wheelchair friendly. In fact, when it's busy there, they post a sign that strollers aren't allowed in the exhibit at all.

Conveniently, a free stroller check is right there at the entrance. The rest of the Aquarium is stroller-friendly (assuming the place isn't too packed to move, as it often gets) due to ramps leading to all the levels. Also up front are lockers and the rest rooms.

Once inside the main hall of the Aquarium, the first exhibit houses the penguins. Working your way up the outside ramps brings you to lots of little tanks, with tropical fish, local fish, deep sea fish, sea dragons, etc. There's a hands-on section where you can touch sea stars and sea urchins. Once to the top, you can take the center spiral ramp down. This encircles the main big tank, which has sea turtles, sharks, eels, and lots more fish.

Out back there's a seal tank, but every time I've been there it's difficult to see any seals. Much better is the seal tank out front that's behind the ticket booth. If you missed it on your way in, you'll see it on your way out. But before leaving, there's a cafe upstairs by the entrance. I've never actually eaten there, so can't recommend the food. But I love the gift shop.

The New England Aquarium is front and center on the main wharf in Boston. It's a new glass and steel building and is easy to spot. It's very stylish and modern.

The cost is $8.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids. When you enter the first exhibit, the first things that greet you are the silly penguins. They are a riot as they waddle around their make-shift iceberg. You can watch them from all sides. I could spend the whole day here.

The aquarium has shows through out the day. They will announce them over the loud speaker and when you hear a show called, head for the area they tell you. The shows do fill up. We love the sea lion show. Those guys sure are smart and Patrick was lucky enough to be picked for the show. His favorite part was getting kissed by a very large sea lion.

The special exhibit this summer was on jelly fish. It was interesting and a little surreal to see the tanks full of jelly fish just floating in the water. We learned a lot about these creatures.

The aquarium is also attached to the IMAX Theater. We did not go, but you can buy a combination ticket of aquarium and IMAX Theater. There is also a good gift shop with plenty of books about the sea life you visited today.

The New England Aquarium is a huge structure, recently remodeled, on one of Boston's wharves. While here, you can also visit the IMAX theater with a combination ticket.

The Aquarium's biggest attraction is the large central tank. You wind your way up around the tank or choose an inlet to view the fish. The tanks contains over 100 different species of marine wildlife, from sharks to giant sea turtles to 'rays. From one spot, you can watch the whole tank swim by. Sometimes it is exciting to watch one of the marine biologists dive into the tank to feed the fish.

The penguins are another major attraction. The penguin exhibit stretches around the central tank on the first floor. There are several types of penguins, from South American rockhoppers to African penguins to the Little Blues. The aquarium rescued many of these little guys from oil spills. We enjoyed watching a hyperactive penguin as he flipped, jumped and swam around the exhibit.

Along the outside walls of the Aquarium, you can see fish in a variety of reconstructed environments, from the Amazon river to the Boston harbor. One perennial favorite is the dark room with the flashlight fish. The shark exhibit is currently being remodeled.

The Sea Lion show goes on periodically throughout the day. When you are choosing seats in the dual-sided auditorium, remember that the front seats sometimes get splashed. This is less true now than it was in earlier times. Today's sea lion shows only showcase one sea lion, and focus on conservation and ecology. I think this is a valuable lesson for children to learn, and is far more important than having the sea lions jump through hoops. Of course, the massive lions still display their balancing skill with the classic ball-on-nose trick. Children are selected from the audience to participate in the demonstration and kissed by the Sea Lion. Our exhibition featured Guthrie, who obviously decided to go into premature retirement. He repeatedly left the arena to return to his den, but he did eventually perform all the tricks.

The Harbor Seals are a Boston classic. Two colonies live at the Aquarium. One is visible from the outside of the Aquarium, and the other from the back side. A harbor seal is the New England version of a California Sea Lion, smaller and grey in color.

The Aquarium makes a great half-day trip, and when combined with Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market and dinner in the North End, you will be exposed to some of Boston's best sights. Children could probably spend much longer here, fascinated with the fish.

There is a great deal of walking and children may grow tired. Because of the ramps, the Aquarium is accessible to the differently-abled.

The gift shop at the entrance is quite large, offering quite an array of fishy delights, stuffed and otherwise. Most of the items appeal to children, although there is some adult fish-wear.

The New England Aquarium is located right near Boston's Quincy Market. It's a quick walk under I-93 and even The Common and Public Garden are within long walking distance.

The Aquarium is a large cement structure on one of the downtown wharfs, although a few exhibits are on boats or barges berthed along the dock.

Inside, the penguins are one of the highlights inside the main aquarium building. When you walk through the lobby, the main floor is looking down on a large penguin pool, covering the whole floor of the building. Spectators can watch the birds climbing on the rocks and swimming with surprising grace across the pool. During the day, these birds get fed, and visitors are invited to watch.

The penguins may be one of the best parts of the aquarium, but there is much more to see. The building is large and spacious (but dark), and there are walkways close to the walls ramping up to the top of the building. There are displays along most of the walls as you walk up. Along the side you enter on, running the long length of the building, there are skeletons of various sea creatures, giving visitors an idea of the size of some of the aquatic life forms we have. On the two narrow sides are your typical fish tanks. These sides serve as the landings as though you are walking up a large staircase. On one such landing is small pool where people are invited to touch the animals on display.

Connected to one of the sets of landings is a large cylinder tank. There is a ramp around this tank, and people can walk up or down around it instead of the other walkways. This tank is a large reef habitat, which also houses numerous species of sharks. Many times you can observe aquarium employees diving in scuba suits into the pool in order to feed or check up on the inhabitants of the reef.

During the summer months and in the proper seasons, the aquarium offers whale watch tours aboard the Voyager hydrofoil. This whale watch seems to have better whale-finding technology than the others offered such tours offered in Boston. This is because it's not just a sightseeing endeavor for the aquarium, but these trips also allow the marine biologists do research on the whales.

This is one of my favorite aquariums in the world. Many of the others I have been to feel rundown or small. I don't feel that way about the New England Aquarium. Not only is this building large, but the space within is used pretty well. There is a section that focuses on conservation and the clean-up of the Bay, which this place does better than most of its peers. This is another touch that makes this place better in my eyes.