sitka sound science center

We enjoyed this little science museum, it was small but educational and neat.it was an extra little memory to our visit.

I visited the Sitka Sound Science Center during the 2014 Sitka Whalefest which they sponsored. One of the events was a reception and open house at the center. Unfortunately the salmon run was over, so all of the hatchery facilities were inactive. The highlight of the reception was visiting the Molly O. Ahlgren Aquarium. It is a rather small facility but packed with exhibits. Dominating the room was a complete skeleton of a young orca. I was fascinated to learn that their flippers have bones in them which are detached from the rest of the skeleton. In one walk tank an octopus carried on entertaining the viewers. On the other side of the room was a large tank including all fresh water forms of the salmon including fry, smolt and spawned out adults. In the center of the room were three large, shallow touch tanks (one finger only). All in all it is a delightful place to visit.

Is a very small facility but the people that work here are very nice and well informed on what they are doing. My kids really enjoyed being able to touch the item in the touch tanks. Enjoyed the fish ladder that is right on the side of the building and the salmon were really jumping.

This place is wonderful for the entire family, touching area for sea life, you get to watch salmon swim up the ladder to spawn, it's really a great place to see some of Alaska's sea life

It's a nice beginning, but it has a long way to go. Look for the warehouse next door where the gift shop is... they have soup and sandwiches for lunch from the best restaurant in town.

Now, we LOVED the hands on tanks and seeing all the creatures scooting around in the water but it was under construction and the noise was so bad that you could not speak or hear much. The sea creatures must have been under stress with all the noise. Go back when done and I'm sure it would be different. Ate chowder in the gift shop garage next door....now that was lovely.

Very cool small center.The hands on experince i awesome.Being able to touch the jelly fish and starfish is incredable! The girls at the center are very knowelable and frendly.Highly recomend

great aquarium with touch tanks. $5 entrance fee. Really cool Salmon hatchery and ladder exhibit and tour. Very friendly staff.

No one told the fish not to come back after the SJ College went bankrupt. Citizens came together to manage the fish hatchery and expand science research and education on the shores of the North Pacific. They make science tangible. Great staff and blossoming facility.

Small but high quality all around, not every aquarium has an octopus, and the touch tanks were well stocked with a wide variety of healthy-looking critters (unlike many aquariums where the touch tanks hold only a few beleaguered star fish). Well worth a quick visit, and must stop a the small but cute gift shop.

we visited here with our 10 yr old. we got a tour that explained the whole hatchery process to help save the different fisheries in the area. they also had an amazing hands on pool where you could touch sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and more. The staff was very friendly and helpful

Truly "hands on"! Visit the "touch pools" and see many wonders of sea life. Emma, a local rock-star and my guide inside, offered me a new take on many creatures and the treasures of the center and the area.

We stopped in at the Science Center as it sounded interesting in the literature that we read. Even though the facility is a little small (also under construction for an expansion I believe), the exhibits were pretty cool. They had several touch tanks where you could feel starfish, sea cucumbers etc. The staff was very friendly and informed us about the animals in the tanks. This is a great place to stop in if you have kids or as an adult.

A great visit to the Sitka Sound Science Center exploring the sea life of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. A large variety of sea anemones, starfish, urchins, and more. Touch and learn which is great for all ages. Friendly staff that answered all questions asked. This is a must see for all who wonder what's beneath the sea.

I recently visited Sitka and, in the (much too short) week that I was there, hit up the Sitka Sound Science Center 3 times. In addition to a wonderfully knowledgeable and friendly staff, fun touch tank (don't miss the sea anemone!), and incredible salmon life cycle knowledge, the SSSC has hands down the best swag in town. Check out their gift shop for incredible chowder and a wide range of marvelously soft and cleverly designed science and sea life-themed t-shirts. Additionally you can pick up all sorts of goodies for any age including books, bags, scarves, mugs, jewellery, and nifty paper rubber band-powered boats. My friends and I couldn't help buying tons of stuff for ourselves plus gifts for all our peeps unfortunate enough to not be there with us. Best way to commemorate your visit to Sitka!Simply put: DON'T MISS IT.