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    New York Aquarium

    2.9 (588 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    Alisa J.

    The only aquarium in nyc. Was super busy and you don't really want to spend too much time in each place, but it was still super cool and I enjoyed everything I saw. Ticket is kind of expensive. Right next to Coney Island and the subway. Would definitely recommend if you want to do something less touristy.

    Great little place to take the kids! Easily walkable and hard to get lost in this place, but still lots to see. The older kids might get a little bored, but it was great for the little ones. We can see most exhibits twice in a four hour day here, but we still really enjoyed it.

    Monica P.

    We had a fantastic time at the New York Aquarium! Our 4 year old loved the underwater viewing, spineless exhibit and play area!

    November 11, 2025.
    Matteo R.

    Not sure why the New York Aquarium[1] has only 3 stars on Yelp, but I recently took my family there during a school break and we had a fantastic time. I had been to the New York Aquarium previously, but that was a long time ago, before the renovations following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and before the "Sharks!" tank and exhibit hall was built. At the time the aquarium was rather sad; I remember some of the tanks only had tiles on the floor. Well, I was pleasantly surprised as the aquarium is now pure awesomeness! All the different exhibits are really great. The "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!" exhibit is amazing, with a massive tank that hosts a lot of amazing creatures, not just sharks. The tunnel is great, and it has a smaller tunnel on the side which is great fun for kids. The Conservation Hall, the Spineless exhibit, and the PlayQuarium are all great. In the PlayQuarium kids have the chance to gently pet horseshoe crabs while learning about marine conservation. They let people in by family rather than by number, which is smart. The Sea Change exhibit tells the story of our changing climate and the effect it has on marine ecosystems and ocean life. The outdoor Sea Cliffs exhibit features sea lions, harbor seals, otters, and penguins. We also enjoyed the Sea Lion Celebration[2], which takes place outdoors in the Aquatheater. The MC was funny, the sea lions were awesome. The show is only 15 minutes, which is enough in my opinion, and it featured two sea lions and one harbor seal. The star of the show was Pickles the harbor seal! I was also pleasantly surprised by the cafeteria, which offered plenty of options and seating space both indoors and outdoors. The sandwich plus soup for $10 is a great deal. I also like that the aquarium offers many programs including school break camps, field trips, birthday parties, and even "Sharks After Dark" overnight sleepovers by the massive shark tank for families or groups. Also, reduced admission tickets are available on Wednesday afternoons--you can book them at 3pm the Monday before. If you live in Brooklyn, you may want to consider becoming a member. Membership will give you one year of admission to the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the NY Aquarium. The Family Aquarium membership (2 adults, 4 children) is $165, and it pays for itself in just 2 visits for a family of 3. ----------------------------------- [1] The oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States. It was founded in Battery Park in Manhattan in 1896 and it moved to Coney Island in Brooklyn in 1957. [2] It takes place 3 times a day: 11am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm.

    Nancy A.

    Haven't been to this aquarium since I was in public school before college days. I remember eating school lunch in the aquarium with my classmates and that was pretty much it. I did not remember anything at all about this aquarium. Now that I returned back for the first time, everything is so new to me like I was in school. It felt like a school field trip with the teachers. Very boring. I did not read any of the descriptions of any fish because who remembers all those species? I only remember sharks, jellyfish, and piranha. I don't know the other names of those fish but they were colorful and different in size. Some of them had Frankenstein heads! The piranha stood out and had very red eyes. They did not move at all and were all next to each other. Really cool! Also I saw the sea lions but they were mostly hiding in the water so it was hard to get pictures unless I'm recording the water the whole time. So all in all this aquarium was just very small and it took me literally 2 hours to finish the whole aquarium. Then I saw some reviews and pictures and realized I missed out on the jellyfish. I guess next time.

    Seahorse are in the tank
    Wilson C.

    Look at all these fish in the aquarium! Are you having fun in the aquarium? I love it!

    Cole D.

    Came here for 3 PM free Wednesday. It really lifted my spirits. The jellyfish are mesmerizing. The seals are so fun. They have many impressive creatures like sharks, Japanese crabs, and penguins. Every section has its own building. Some really impressive walls of animals and fish tanks, which was so cool to see.

    Carmen L.

    The New York Aquarium right next to Coney Island ! This is another attraction that you can't miss. It's good to drop by after a hot day outside. Check in was a breeze they scan your qr code if you purchase tickets online and if you didn't you can put has it outside the entrance. Lots of different aquatic animals to see. The big ones are the sea lions and sharks. They have a live sea lions show look for the hours. You are seated outside, there are no shades to cover you so make sure to make your sunglasses or cap. Sharks and jellyfish are also a hit ! There are also live performances to kids on shark superhero, I thought that was pretty awesome. You can probably spend half a day wondering around the aquarium. Lots of food options outside.

    Stingrays & Nurse Shark
    Chun M.

    The New York Aquarium is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a non-profit that also runs all the zoos in New York City. The aquarium has its origins at Battery Park in 1896 and was relocated to Coney Island, opening in 1957. Most of the original building architecture still looks to be from the mid 1950's. The last time I had been to visit the aquarium was over 20 years ago, when I went as a chaperone for my son's 2nd grade class. Before that, I went with my 3rd grade class! Back then, the teachers could bring entire classes onto the subway for an hour long ride down to Coney Island. I remember buying an inch thick book describing many species of fish and aquatic animals that I pored through, memorizing the descriptions and wondering if I could be a marine biologist one day. It has not changed or expanded very much, with the main building housing most of the marine life, the shark tank building and the sea lion stadium (which used to also be the dolphin stadium). The large tank on the right as you come in from the main entrance used to house the beluga whales and they could be seen from the open top on the 2nd floor. The last of them were eventually moved to the Georgia aquarium for breeding and their tank was converted to a reef tank, which now has a giant 6' green moray eel as a resident, along with a giant puffer fish and other coral reef dwellers. The outside Sea Cliffs exhibits have the harbor seals, sea lions, sea otters and African penguins swimming in their individual areas. There is an entrance by the gift shop that allows you to see them swimming from below the surface. The sea lions love to come right up to the window, nose to nose with the kids. When you come out the other side, you are right next to the entrance to Ocean Wonders: Sharks! There is a water tunnel walking under the smaller sharks and rays, but further on is the giant tank where the larger sandbar and sand tiger sharks patrol over the groupers and stingrays. You might even spot a few of the nurse sharks down at the bottom. There is also the newest exhibit: Spineless, showcasing aquatic invertebrates like jellyfish, sea anemone, cuttlefish, octopus, starfish, spider crabs and a family of sea horses. There is even a rare, 1 in 30 million orange American Lobster. Don't miss the sea lion show at the Aquatheater stadium. There are 3 shows a day starting at 11am. You'll meet the trio of California sea lions: Bruiser, Townsend & Clark (sounds like a law firm), as they go through their training. You might even see the elderly Osborn leisurely cruising around the tank as the young'uns are showing off their moves, jumping in & out of the water and waving to the crowd. Pro-Tip: If you come early on a Sunday morning, all the metered street parking is free along Surf Ave and the side streets. They fill up fast when the rides in Luna Park and restaurants open. We parked right next to the Cyclone roller coaster on W 10th St and walked a block over to the entrance on the boardwalk.

    Donna Z.

    Booked free Wednesday 3-4pm tickets on Monday at 3pm for free. I haven't been here in a decade and it's definitely a lot better than back then. For a free ticket, it was a great time for me and my friend who was visiting. There was even a seal show at 4pm which was unexpected (sit on the left side if possible). The only con about the free ticket is the first room you start in where the fish are is very busy and cramped and if you can't really go back if you leave it for the end. Otherwise, seeing the sharks, otters (my personal favorite), seals, and penguins were great. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and would definitely come back with the free tickets.

    My spirit animal
    Vivian G.

    As a Brooklyn native, I love that I now come back with my grandkids. This has always been a small aquarium, the only complaint I had was the seal "show" was so short, it took more time to get seated than anything. But the staff, top notch, fantastic! Kid friendly & entertaining

    Shark tunnel...
    Saasha G.

    Always a great experience at the aquarium . I have hd a membership with the zoo for a couple years and I always head to the aquarium with my family. I like that it's on Coney Island so you can take a stroll down the boardwalk, the sea lion show is great and they even have a touch tank for the kids.

    Wing L.

    Great attraction for all ages. It was a Shell-a-bration weekend. There were different activities and educational information. The activities were mostly coloring. It would have been nicer if there were more crafts other than coloring. The parade was cute. I love the shark exhibit but I wishes there were neon strip on the floor to guide you. It is pretty dark inside. There are plenty of picnic tables but no umbrella for shades. The sea loin show and penguin feeding were entertaining.

    One of a few sculptures made from found-materials in the waters

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    Ask the Community - New York Aquarium

    Is there a time limit on how long you can be there?

    Now yes 2 hours

    Can you bring food into the ny aquarium?

    Yes! I bought food and drinks for my kids. There's also a free water refill station which was useful!

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    Review Highlights - New York Aquarium

    The main attractions (as I see it) are the Shark building, the Spineless building, and the sea lion show.

    Mentioned in 104 reviews

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    19.8 mi

    Updating this review, because it should be noted how this zoo just keeps getting better and better…read more We went for our annual family trip and had a blast! We bought into the membership so we are looking to make more visits over the summer. We also missed out on the new Daniel Tiger exhibit and Bubs is a fan, so we will def be going sooner rather than later. Here's to many more Zoo trips!

    In general I'll try to avoid visiting zoos due to ethical concerns, but I think the Bronx Zoo might…read morebe one of the more ethical ones out there. It is one of the few exceptions I allow. I've never once seen the entire zoo in one trip. I've been going there since I was five and wouldn't be surprised if there are parts I still haven't seen yet because it's so expansive. All my visits as an adult have all been with groups of children, and it's difficult corralling and motivate kids to keep moving in such a large zoo. I found it best to ask each kid what they want to see most and hit up those spots. Treat everything passed along the way as a bonus. These trips often include city kids. These kids are used to walking entire neighborhoods just to get to school or anywhere else, but the zoo still wears them out, so imagine suburbanites used to the car life on these trips. Those kids struggle. We've always left before even seeing half of what the zoo has to offer. If I didn't live in NY and wanted to really wanted kids to see the zoo more fully, I'd break it into a multi day trip rather than attempt it in one go. But kids are always happy with my abridged trips to just say hi to their favorites. I'm the one left wanting. I'll probably have to start going solo or with adults in order to really explore. I do think it will be possible to see everything in one trip with just adults. The zoo is just not little legs friendly. The Bronx Zoo is probably the most expensive zoo I've ever visited. If an exhibit is popular, anticipate pulling out some money to pay more to see it. That's ok for me if the money is used for good, but it's something to consider if on a budget. I wish they were more strict about not letting people bang on the glass in the primate exhibit. I leave the primates for last on trips because watching them makes me so sad. That sadness gets punctuated by bangs and taps on the glass by inconsiderate zoo goers.

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    4.1(480 reviews)
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    5/31/26 (Update) Having been coming to this zoo forever. In…read morethe last 5- 10 years, I've really seen Turtle Back Zoo grow into a first rate zoo! It's not as large as the Bronx Zoo, but it's certainly getting there. -Animals: We saw beautiful, large flamingos, penguins, numerous wildcat species, giraffes, bald eagles, hyenas and more... -Living Conditions: All the animals are protected by high fences. The animals appear to be very healthy. Their living conditions appear to be very clean. -Sea Turtle Recovery Center: Besides the wonderful animals, there's a Sea Turtle Recovery Hospital on the premises. You can visit the "patients". It was an interesting experience. Once the sea turtles have regained their health, they're be released back into their natural habitat. -Food: You'll probably get hungry during your visit. The zoo has several food kiosks and a large indoor and outdoor café called Zanzibar. -Gift Shop: Of course, there's a cool gift shop at the zoo. Lots of adorable stuffed animals for purchase. -Parking: Parking was free this past Sunday. There's several indoor parking garages with clearly marked animal logos. Looking forward to my next visit to Essex County Turtle Back Zoo.

    I hadn't been to the Turtle Back Zoo in years, and I had such a wonderful time recently visiting…read moreagain. It was quite busy on Mother's Day (which is expected), but I still had a great time and we lucked out with beautiful weather. The zoo staff was friendly and helpful. There were plenty of food and drink options, but I didn't partake. Lots of informative signs about the animals and their rehab center, too. My favorite animal to watch were the prairie dogs - so cute!! A close second was the red panda. Kids could get closer to the prairie dogs by popping their heads out of plastic domes in the exhibit.

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    New York Aquarium - zoos - Updated June 2026

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