I love the sea. I grew up with a view of a bay and hearing seals barking at night in the harbor down the bluff. Whenever I smell seawater, I immediately get that instant "home" feeling. Naturally, I love visiting aquariums. While in Boston, I made frequent visits to the New England Aquarium, one of the top aquariums in the nation. Although pricy for a college student at around $20.00, it is well worth the occasional visit.
Even before entering the aquarium, my friends and I are treated with an exhibit. There are seals in an outside glass exhibit that swim around at all hours. When the aquarium was closed and my friends and I were wandering back home from a hefty Italian meal at the North End, we would always stop at the aquarium to see what the seals were up to at that hour. Almost always, the seals wanted to swim around and play.
The inside exhibits are even better. First, there is a fantastically showcased exhibit on jellyfish, with nice lighting and art to highlight and inform the visitors. I feel like a kid every time I visit because I ooh and aah as much as the 7 year olds on a field trip. What can I say? I like animals that move. Next, in the center of the aquarium, is a HUGE penguin exhibit. Especially with the success of movies about penguins, this area is always packed. However, the viewers are never disappointed because the birds in tuxes put on a great show just being their penguin selves. I've spent way too much time hypnotized by these birds.
After pulling myself away from the cutest sea bird ever, there is a wrap-around ramp with various fish and animals, with plenty of information. As a way to keep the viewer engaged, the aquarium has those awesome worksheets that my buddies and I eagerly filled out. Did you know that one of the most venomous fish in the world is a Stonefish? Yeah! Typically found in Australia-ish waters, one is at the New England Aquarium. Now, I'll tread more carefully if I'm ever in Australia walking on stones!
If this isn't enough, the highlight of the aquarium and the defining characteristic is what the ramp wraps around, a giant 200,000 gallon tank full of sea creatures and wildlife. While looking to the left and learning about various sealife, I can also look to the right and see some simply just floating around. Also, there's a wide variety of sealife. Sharks and fish peacefully swim by each other without the potential of ruining innocent childrens' minds because they are all well fed by scuba divers, who casually swim around in the tank from time to time with the creatures. One of my favorite creatures swimming around is the 70 year old turtle, Myrtle. She's the largest turtle I've ever seen and quite a sight to see coming around the corner of the cyclical tank.
New England Aquarium is a great place to go on a cold day in Boston, escape the humid summer days or just go for educational purposes or to just look at the amazing sea life. It does a great job of keeping everyone happy, from 7 year olds on a field trip to college students who never had a knack for marine biology, like me. Honestly, it's fantastically organized and one of my favorite aquariums.