Tourist Guide

The New York Aquarium is a place to go if you want to learn more about marine life and conservation. The aquarium is a great place to take the kids, they will have a lot of fun. All the exhibits are geared toward educating the younger population and raise awareness. Specifically the touch pool is something that most children can take away as a very memorable and educational experience. They get to touch sea stars, sea urchins and horseshoe crabs and at the same time learn about these creatures. It’s an interactive experience between both the animals and the kids but also the docent volunteers who are there to assist the children and tell them interesting facts about these species.

Must see: Walruses and Feeding

They are one of the most popular attractions in the aquarium mostly because of their enormous size. It shocks many people to visit to see these mammals in real life. They can weigh over a ton and the ones in this aquarium (specifically the older male) weigh close to 2 tons. There are 3 in the tank in total: the mom, the son, and an elderly (and almost blind) female walrus.

The trainers and the three walruses have a close relationship that they have developed over so many years. They perform various tricks with all the cute mushy stuff in between. These shows are great since walruses have to eat a lot throughout the day anyway and they love to show off even when there are no trainers around.

Must see: Sea Otters

These two otters are the cutest and biggest otters I have ever seen. They are in different pools because they are males and also have very different personalities. One is quite old and grooms himself for hours each day. The other is very active and friendly; he even responds to his name – Sparky when he isn’t too distracted by the numerous “food toys/puzzles” he is playing with. They can be seen from the outside and the indoor-lower level of the aquarium (walruses too) in the Sea Cliff Exhibit.

Must see: Sea Lion Show

This show takes about 30 minutes and involves only one sea lion, but they switch between two sea lions throughout the day so that they don’t get too worn out. The show is great, especially for kids: they play Spongebob and Dora at the beginning of the show to get everyone pumped and all throughout the performance and all the tricks, the trainer does a terrific job at getting the audience excited and engaged. At the end for an extra fee they allow families to have some time with the sea lions, take pictures and of course get those infamous wet kisses.

There are many other exciting exhibits in the NYA including:

ALIEN STINGERS

EXPLORE THE SHORE

GLOVER’S REEF AND CONSERVATION HALL

SHARKS

PLANET EARTH: 4D EXPERIENCE (MOVIE)

The New York Aquarium is located in the heart of Coney Island. You can take a walk on the boardwalk to Luna Park or Brighton Beach. In the summer month’s you can enjoy fireworks on Fridays’s at 9:45pm and concerts held atleast once a week. And for those daredevils you can ride the Cyclone – at your own risk.

The aquarium has a food court where you can purchase soft drinks, pretzels, nachos, chicken fingers, fries, popcorn and ice cream. If you wish to eat outside of the aquarium there are lots of options right on the boardwalk, such as the world’s famous Nathan’s and other fast food joints. There is McDonald’s on Mermaid and Cropsey Ave. There is also a Popeyes and several Deli’s and Pizzeria’s on Surf Ave, moments away from the beach.

Getting here is easy! But might take a while.
To get to the NYA you can take the Q train or the F train to West 8th Street, which directly takes you to the aquarium and the boardwalk. You can also take the D train and the N train to Stillwell Ave and either walk to the NYA or take a train one stop to West 8th St. Some buses that go there (B36, B68)

HOURS OF OPERATION