ocean explorium

Great for kids, adults not so much. Prices are reasonable, variety of touch tanks and activities for children.

-Had about a half-dozen smallish tanks, but some fun specimens. Three touch tanks--one of which held scallops, another with other invertebrates, and a third with sharks and rays.-Shark and ray touch tank was fun--they do a feeding at 2pm. This was a lot of fun to watch, but you can't have your hands in the water for 15 minutes after they finish.-Albino bamboo spotted shark!-Some fun mini-experiments run by enthusiastic volunteers (I think). Sarah was great and took the time to explain density to my three-year old. I won't say he totally understood it, but he liked the demonstration.-Room off-to-the-side that held a lot of toys for 2-4 year-olds--a nice touch.-Your $7.50-$8.50 is well worth the hour you spend inside.

There are bigger aquariums...and they come with much bigger price tags! We went to the Ocean Explorium with our daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren, ages 5 and 6. There is more to this place than you can imagine from the outside. It is housed in a former bank building that is beautiful inside and out. There is a rich history in the bank alone and the safe is worth checking out! Now on to the Explorium. There are the usual tanks of fish, sea horses and jelly fish which are fun to watch. There is also a coral tank, some hands on tanks (my grandson held a crab!) and a ray and shark touch tank that we all put our hands into. The discovery center has a lot of hands-on activities including a large amount of books about the ocean and its inhabitants. You could spend hours in there alone. A few crafts and games add to the learning experiences. The Science Sphere is fascinating and a don't miss exhibit. The staff is helpful and we connected with an intern that added to our enjoyment of the displays. The price is very reasonable and they have senior discounts that start at age 55, as well as a AAA discount. We all had a very enjoyable visit!

this place is beautiful, it is quite small but it is great. I enjoyed coming here the handful of times that i had. We were allowed to put our hands in the water and allow the stingrays to glide under them. The various amounts of fish that they had was amazing to me. And the staff should also get a lot of credit. They were a younger crowd when i visited but they were so kind and helpfulI will be coming back again.

I went here with my children 4 and 1 and it was very enjoyable. My daughter enjoyed the touch tanks and the staff was excellent! There is a children's room full of activities, several large tanks and science learning stations. Truly a great place! I recommend the experience to anyone with children that love marine life.

We are vacationing in the area and were truly surprised at this marine science center. We were with grandchildren, ages 5 1/2 and 2 1/2, as well as our daughter-in-law, and all were enthralled with the living exhibits. There were plenty of hands on exhibits, a Ray and Shark Touch Tank, allowing those of us who were interested--the children--to reach down and touch these creatures. Another living exhibit allowed the children to hold crabs, a star fish, and other shelled fish/animals. It was of interest to all to watch the feeding of the fish. Another space was like a playroom, dedicated to the sea creatures--stuffed fish toys/puppets, a sandbox, children's books, etc. Also there were crayons, markers, scissors for fish type craft projects. We stayed 1 1/2 hours, as it was enough for the younger child. However there was more to be seen, such as Science on a Sphere. I am sure my daughter-in-law as well as son will return, as they will be here another two weeks.

I took my two grandchildren on an adventure one summer day and they loved the place. They were from California and had seen larger aquariums so I thought that they would not be impressed.It is located in a former bank in downtown New Bedford. From the moment we arrived until about 90 minutes later we (including me) had a wonderful time. My youngest one loved the chance to try all the make and take activities--- to share later with their Mom. The older one really enjoyed the touch tank and the manta rays swimming about. I pointed out all the lovely architecture in the building and was able to reminisce when I was young and banked there. The staff was not only knowledgable but very "kid oriented" a perfect learning experience for young minds.

This is a great place for kids to get up close and personal with sea creatures and learn. It's housed in a converted old bank building which is pretty neat in itself. Frankly, my first impression when we got there was that it was small and we'd be done in less than an hour. Two and a half hours later we were dragging the kids out. They loved the stingray and spotted bamboo touch pool the best. (Tip for smaller ones...you may want to bring an extra shirt for them to change into, my 3 year old got soaked from leaning over and reaching her hand in up to her elbows...her fault, not theirs. She's got no fear and is the type that would climb in the tank if you let her.) Also a smaller exhibit that lets you hold crabs of all types, along with muscles, clams that squirt when you tickle them and starfish etc. We do a lot of marine education stuff, have a boat and spend a lot of time on the water but there was still a lot of new information and things to learn. The staff is exceptional! Very knowledgeable, friendly and great with kids.We were there during a school vacation week and in addition to the regular exhibits they had hands on activities for the kids focused on geology - make a geode craft, identify rocks game and looking at sand from all over the world through a microscope. It looks like they change that often.Other presentations and activities going on as well as a room for real little ones for more open play. A great morning or afternoon with the kids.Note: I found they way the hours in the winter are listed are a little confusing. They are open longer hours for school vacation weeks. If you can't tell if they are open from the 'hours' section online, look at the 'schedule' link. We thought they might be closed the day we went but then saw all kinds of activities scheduled for that day. You can obviously call and ask too.

I believe I was told it was an Old bank-turned-(full-fledged)-Aquarium. Mr. Brandon (family member) said it best, in saying for the amount of space they had to work with, they did an E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T job transforming that place into an Aquarium. They even had the 'by-participants' feeding, where Your little ones, under full supervision AND guidance (and for a fee) were allowed to feed any of the specialized tank-encased sea-creatures~ Our daughter fed the Jelly-fish! :-DI must say, myself, that You can only do 'everything' so many times. But that was totally understandable given it was a smaller, less aristocratic-looking venue! I mean, again, for an older historic, early last century, former magnate-owned, financial center, IT IS S-T-E-L-L-A-R, what they did with the place! To The Staff @ the Ocean Explorium,While there is always 'room-for-improvement', keep doing what You're doing, with the most friendliest and smiling atmosphere You provide, by instilling that in Your patrons that walk through those doors.To the staff, thank You!A Satisfied Father, with his 'spoiled-by-the-staff-of-the-explorium' Princess!Extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and most engaging professionals, whom would have loved it to have us all day, if we wanted, even though closing's at four (4pm) EST.

The Ocean Explorium is a gem of the Downtown New Bedford cultural scene. What it lacks in size versus other, farther away aquariums is a superiorly friendly, attentive, and knowledgable staff. Inside the gorgeous former bank building are an array of exhibits, including a touch tanks, viewing tanks of all sorts of marine life, and the fantastic Science on a Sphere. Definitely worth the trip.

We purchased a Groupon for this attraction and were not sure what to expect. We got a bit lost and when I called the Aquarium for directions the kind gentlemen stayed on the phone while giving us block to block directions..When we arrived we were surprised to find the aquarium located in an old bank...you know, the old kind, with magnificent granite stones and old school wrought iron fixtures through out the venue..But, the even bigger pleasant surprise was the way we were treated by the staff..they invited us to explore the aquarium, escorted us to their favorite exhibits and spent a lot of time explaining the wonderful and beautiful fish, sharks, clams, crabs, coral, octopus and loads of other interesting "stuff" on display there. Their enthusiasm was infectious and you could tell they really enjoyed what they do. Jocelyn spent a lot of time with us and my son Andrew really had fun "adopting" a piece of live coral and is looking forward to visiting it again soon. I would highly recommend the Ocean Explorium for the whole family. Even though we had a Groupon it is would be well worth paying full price! We will be going back for sure!

This is the kind of educational place that kids actually like....touch tanks, knowledgeable, enthusiastic stuff, hands-on activities, and lots of cool stuff to look at make this an exciting, interesting place for families to spend a morning or afternoon. We had our son's second birthday party here, and the staff could not have been more accommodating! From start to finish, the kids were interested, engaged, and entertained. The staff are truly interested in what they do, and they pass their interest and excitement on to everyone who visits. They go above and beyond to ensure that everyone has a good time and learns a little something, too! I highly recommend a visit!

We went to our nephews birthday here. It was great. The staff was helpful and extremely kid friendly. The numerous touch tanks provide a unique and fun experience for anyone.Jocelyn was extremely knowledgable and helpful.

We had a Groupon, but this museum really was worth paying full price. Our group included 4 adults and 3 kids, ages 10, 5 and 3. A good time was had by all! I was so impressed by this small museum -- from the employees who greeted us at the door to the employees who remembered the kids' names upon our departure and took the time to say goodbye. The focus here is on education and cool hands-on activities, wherever possible. All staff were knowledgeable and clearly showed their passion for the ocean and its inhabitants. They were also great with kids, who got to hold shellfish and "pet" sting rays and small sharks. We witnessed several feedings and learned a lot about the animals being fed and their behaviors. The tanks were all well-maintained and the animals looked very healthy. The Science on a Sphere theater was informative and the staff worked to engage all the kids. The museum is housed in a beautiful old bank building in historic New Bedford. Parking is plentiful. Stay as long as you want, but you could cover this museum very quickly, if in a hurry. Highly recommend!

We recently had my 4 year olds party at the explorium. It was perfect for my sin and his friends- crafts, touch tanks, light show. Especially for those winter birthdays, this is perfect. The staff was extremely accommodating. The Ocean Explorium in a hidden gem on the South Coast and I highly recommend it!