New England Aquarium, Boston

I’m not quite sure why this aquarium is getting all of the 5 star ratings. I expected more. There aren’t any knock your socks off exhibits. They’re all pretty typical. I appreciate the conservation efforts. The staff is genuinely friendly and knowledgeable. They’re also pretty patient with the many, MANY people that just can’t seem to get their children to follow directions at the touch tanks. The crowds are almost suffocating (to be fair I went on a rainy Monday afternoon.) The overall experience doesn’t justify the $27 per person price tag.

Amazing Aquarium, love their touch tanks and scheduled exhibits. For the best experience, get there early (even before they open) and do your parking research in advance. Cheapest parking is on weekends is International place (2.5 blocks away). Get your parking validated as soon as you get there so you won't forget. Skip the initial photo booth unless you plan to buy the $25 photos. It'll save you time. Also, if you bring a stroller you can check it for free (store your gear in the stroller) and won't have to pay for a locker. Also, you can leave and come back in, so don't feel like you have to eat there. During summer there is a water fountain play area for children (a block away).

Very cool aquarium! We really like the set up!! Lots of fish to check out too. Love the penguins! Can be a little over crowded at times, but that’s Boston. Staff is friendly and very knowledgeable about the sea life.. Over all, I definitely recommend to anyone looking to check out a neat/good sized aquarium in New England!

The aquarium wasn't fabulous and wasn't terrible. They had a ton of tropical fish and unusual fist, so that was pretty cool. We loved seeing things like penguins, the giant sea turtle, dragon fish, lion fish, and even an anaconda. Cool stuff! However, we were super disappointed that there are basically no sharks at all. I was like, wait, there's a shark wing, but there were no real sharks, only info on sharks. So, that sucked. Other side note, the jelly fish tank was pretty lame compared to some I've seen. The Imax theatre was fine, although we saw Galapagos and it was not good. I wish we would have picked one of the other ones, but we had to pick it when we bought our ticket. It would have been preferable if we could decide on a movie after more consideration...but that's more our own fault. One great thing about the aquarium overall, you can leave and come back in. This was great because the food choices looked suspect, so we were able to walk to a market and get some fabulous chowder bowls, and then come back and finish our visit. So, we had a good time, but there were just a few things that I would have liked to see that they didn't have.

Fun place for the whole family, my son absolutely loves it. Parking is a pain and very expensive. If the parking garage next to the aquarium is not available you have to navigate the city. The aquarium at self is very fun. And there's a couple different ways to approach the exhibits. Highly recommended for a fun family day adventure. And while you're at it enjoy the rest of what Boston has to offer. Familiar very close to Faneuil Hall as well as the North End.