The Marine Life Center is a fantastic free opportunity to get close and personal with some local marine wildlife. The Center is run by volunteers who have consistently been upbeat and eager to answer questions while caring for the animals. Touchtanks are currently closed due to a sickness with seastars but there are still several small aquariums to peer into full of local marine life. The Marine Life Center is excellent for children but also a fun experience for adults too! read more

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A favorite place to stop on a rainy day. It's free and the staff and very helpful and informative. Due to the starfish wasting disease, the touch tanks are closed. Hopefully the will get some next year. I wish there was a way to donate funds or purchase a tshirt to show support. It's always an awesome bonus when there is an octopus being rehabilitated from bycatch. read more

Marine Life Center - Aquariums Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

It's tiny (literally it's one room), but they do a good job with its size. First of all, it's along the water and the staff are passionate about education. Signs explain each of the tanks and its habitants. There's one tank that you can crawl into to poke your head through a bubble in the middle. There's a kids corner with activities like coloring and origami. Public restrooms are nearby. read more

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This is a one-room free aquarium. We were there last week and they did not have any of the tanks open for touching. It would be fun for the kids to touch. It's is located at the waterfront next to a restaurant with a view. read more

They had an octopus, and gave away seashells! It wasn't very big, but very fun and I would definitely go again.

Marine life center is a must when in the Port of Bellingham with little ones. Great homeschooling educational activity, the people who work here are SO GOOD about engaging with the children. They welcome all questions and love to answer them. (Our visit was May 14 2021) I called and was able to get in same day for a reservation (truthfully got lucky). We had the entire place to ourselves which made it very comfortable for the kids and easier to communicate since it's a small yet unique space. Free to visit but they do accept Donations! read more

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Not bad for nearly Free. This is a nice short stop if you're in the area. It gives you the opportunity to view marine life that you may have not before seen in person. My favorite part was the touch tank. Have you ever touched a big live starfish? I had once before but the ones here are a little different. At a $1-$2 donation per person, this is worth stopping for. Kids seem to enjoy this. read more

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This little spot in Bellingham was a fun stop for us as we hung out in Bellingham for the day. Lots to look at and touch in this little center. They have a donation box and I'd say it's well worth dropping a couple of dollars to help with sustaining this little gem. Our only wish is that it were larger, but it was a fun first stop on an afternoon adventure! read more

This place is pretty neat. My grandma thought that my kids would enjoy seeing the starfish, which they did. The area is somewhat small, but they have quite a bit packed in there for the space. My 6 year old loved being able to touch the different creatures in the touch tank. She also got a huge kick out of watching the octopus eat a crab. My 4 year old liked the tank with the dome in it. He liked being able to watch the fish swim around quite a bit. It's free, it's educational, and it was pretty fun too. read more

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This is a wonderful, hands-on, interactive marine life museum aimed at kids. Visitors have an opportunity to see, touch and learn about various harmless marine life common to the Sound and Pacific coast tidal pools like urchins, oysters, clams, mussels, hermit crabs, prawns and sea stars. Visitors also have an opportunity to view and learn about a wide variety of less hospitable marine life close-up, but safely. The museum is small, but packed with interesting exhibits and supported by a friendly, dedicated staff of (mostly) volunteers. read more

Marine Life Center - Aquariums Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I never get enough of this place I love going in they have the little interactive pools and shows you what the marine life is here in Bellingham Bay it's a fun place to bring the kids read more

Took my nephew here to get up close and view the marine wildlife. He was happy we stopped in.

Website says you can make an appointment not that you have to. There was two ladies and no one else around to go into this small room with fish tanks. The girl here proceeded to kick my 14 month old daughter, wife and I out for not having an appointment. The ladies were disturbed by how she treated us. Just wanting to show our baby girl the fishes. We would've paid $50 just for her experience but nowhere was there info online or on-site. read more

This is a teeny tiny aquarium but it was just the right size for my 2 year old son. He had just as much fun carrying around a little step stool as he did looking at the sea creatures. Noel, a staff member, was very nice and seemed to really enjoy showing my son the animals in the pools. As a bonus - it was only $5 for my family to visit. $2/adult, $1/kids. read more

Needed something to do with my brother and nephew before we headed out for lunch. We ended up stopping here and checking it out. Very small place but they had some cool attractions. There is one touch tank and then a couple of other tanks that you can not touch. They had a giant octopus that was cool to see and they return them routinely to the ocean. The person running the place really knew his stuff and could talk to almost all of the items we asked about. All they ask for is a small donation when you enter. Worth spending 20 to 30 minutes here. read more

3 tanks in one room, that is all. There are more fish in the waiting room of a dentist's office or koi pond. Very disappointing to my 6 year old and I. Also no instruction from the very standoffish staff. Booo! read more

This is a great place to visit with the family. Our kids loved having access to the touch pool without having to vie for space like at the aquarium. Our whole family really enjoyed our visit and will definitely stop by again next time we are in the area. read more

I love this place! As close as you can get to some of the local marine fish, crustaceans, octopus's, and much more. The volunteers are very in tune to what they are doing, yet able to take time to answer questions, and guide young ones in the hands on tank. I highly recommend everyone to visit when in the neighborhood. It is small, but its also free, we usually spend shy of an hour here, well worth it. read more

Took a little trip to Bellingham with the kids and thought we'd stop on by this little marine life center. I didn't expect much at all but even then, it was underwhelming. To start, despite what yelp says, they actually do not open until 11 am. Beyond that slight hiccup, the place is very run down and has a very dirty feeling. Sadly, because it's run on donations, if the money isn't there, there's not much they can do. It's such a bummer because it could be a really great little place. read more

This place would possibly be good to take kids. We stopped in to check it out. It is very small inside, but does have several tanks/pools with marine life. It's free, so you may as well stop in! It just felt a little run down and lackluster. read more

The Marine Life Center of Bellingham is a nice little educational spot for kids 4-8 years of age. It has some fish tanks filled with shells, crab and a few fish. The center also has an octopus on display. Friendly atmosphere, but very poorly maintained facility. The tank glass and everything around is very dirty. A serious health risk for kids. The place also had some stuffed toys ( marine life toys) in a basket which were very gross and sticky from all the dirt and what not... It is a free admission place and run by the city and visitor donations. Nevertheless, a big request for someone who does manage that place- please, disinfect it more often. Its just sad to see a place like this that could attract many visitors look so dirty and potentially unsafe. Sorry for bad review. read more

Cool place for kids to go if you are on a budget. They accept donations as payment

Neat little aquarium within the Squalicum Harbor Center, operating by donation. The research team volunteer their time and expertise to accommodate visitors throughout the year. The facility is fairly interactive, and the aquarium provides some unique informational games and activities for the kids. It's a great place to visit if you are looking for a safe, sparsely occupied environment to bring an anxious or socially hesitant autistic child for a comfortable and fun learning experience. The staff are accepting, knowledgeable, and patient (even if your kid is only interested in eating the crayons and noise-making)- able to easily adapt their approach to the specific needs of your childs neurological particulars. They have touch pools for new tactile exploration, and a little dome aquarium to stand in that isolates noise and other environmental factors, allowing for sight specific sensory immersion. Never more than a few people in to visit, so you have a good chance of avoiding anxiety attacks. In the event that your child becomes overwhelmed or overly excitable, the staff are graciously understanding and the Zuanich Point Park and trail system are only a few steps out the door for a quick change of activity. Inexpensive, informative and fun :) read more