New York Aquarium

The New York Aquarium on Coney Island will captivate and educate the entire family with 14 acres of superb exhibits

A Giant Sea Turtle at the New York Aquarium
A Giant Sea Turtle at the New York Aquarium cc licensed photo by jamieleto

Since 1957, the New York Aquarium has been a part of the legendary Coney Island boardwalk experience. Operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the aquarium's 14 acre facility is packed to the gills, boasting 8,000 aquatic animals in exhibits designed to promote advocacy of issues facing our oceans and its inhabitants.

If you aren't a SCUBA enthusiast, the Explore the Shore allows you to experience a 400-gallon tidal wave crashing overhead without leaving dry land. The seasonal touch pools and observation tanks allow visitors to interact with the aquatic ecosystem with areas featuring exotic species like electric eels and masses of glowing Moon Jellyfish. Conservation Hall features three distinct habitats: a tropical coral reef complete with "Nemo's", an Amazonian flooded forest complete with a school of piranhas and an African freshwater lake with some of the most unique species on earth. Outside at the Sea Cliffs, penguins, sea otters, walruses and seals will provide endless entertainment with optional educational talks and daily feedings for public viewing. To rest your legs, visitors can sit and be mesmerised by sharks swimming with gigantic stingrays and sea turtles in huge floor to ceiling tanks, see Happy Feet in the New York Aquarium's 4D theatre or enjoy the Sea Lion Celebration at the Aquatheatre.

Following the Sea Lion Celebration, you can get up close and personal and get a kiss from a sea lion. For an additional fee, you can participate in a small group, hands-on encounter lead by an animal trainer complete and have your photo taken with one of the stars of the New York Aquarium.

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes

New York Aquarium Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays

  • Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Address: 602 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224, USA

Phone: (718) 265-3474

Official Website: New York Aquarium

New York Aquarium Reviews

Rated 4.2 out of 5 Star Rating

3 Star Rating Lots of room for improvement but the new changes are nice so far. The aquarium was quite crowded on a Sunday. There was a new shark exhibit which was quite nice. The sea lion show was too short and also really sunny. It could be improved on by increasing the amount of animals and tricks and increasing length of time. It took a while for everyone to file in and to have it so short was disappointing. 16.60 for chicken tender and fries combo, I liked that they had different types of sauces including hot honey I had free tickets due to work but $33 is definitely not worth it for a small aquarium. Definitely purchase tickets in advance as the line was long for ticket purchasing at the kiosk.
Helen H - 2 weeks ago

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3 Star Rating This is cute, but it’s kind of small and expensive for such little exhibits. Only saw fish, jellyfish, a few sharks, one octopus, a couple of king crabs, one sea otter, and a few sea lions. It’s $30 a person, which would be okay if there were more to see. Still not a bad hour to spend. Was cool to see some of the animals.
Jennifer Maybloom - a month ago

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5 Star Rating We really had a great time! We went on a Monday, June 24th, so school was already out but there were no lines to get in and it wasn't that crowded. The exhibits were really great. It's small enough to get through in one day, but also big enough to spend the whole day. My kids are 4 and 1 and we were there from 11am to 4pm! We enjoyed this aquarium.
Alicia F - 2 months ago

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4 Star Rating The sea lion exhibit was being worked on today so half of it was down and there were no sea lion shows. The exhibits in this building, including penguins and sea otters, are open to the outside and seem to grow a tremendous amount of algae. The otter tank was so bad that we couldnt even see in the glass. This was disappointing to see. It feels like the tanks are not being adequately maintained when you see these things. It was very busy today and the shark building with the sea tunnel was filled with screaming children...and I do mean screaming...not just loud! This building echoes. It was so bad that we, and several other families had to leave. Some signage is needed at this building indicating quiet, inside voices please. I realize that children are excited but the acoustics in the space makes it difficult for all to enjoy. Setting, environmental expectations could help. Lastly, the trash to art exhibit was on display. This exhibit is exceptional!!! Its truly worth seeing all on its own. This exhibit made the whole experience at the aquarium today.
Ingrid Hill - 2 months ago

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3 Star Rating Being in New York City for this Aquarium the expectations were really high. It’s comparatively small to other Aquariums we have seen. Sea lion show was good but if they would hv added a shed then it would hv been much better experience. The sea lion and harbor seals area looks like was never cleaned and I am not sure it’s to keep the natural habitat or just ignorance.
Saurabh Kohli - a week ago

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Directions

Subway Line Nearest Station Walking Time
F or QWest 8th Street / NY Aquarium2 minutes
N or DConey Island / Stillwell Avenue10 minutes

How to get to New York Aquarium by Subway

Take the F or Q train to the W 8th Street / NY Aquarium, cross the pedestrian overpass over Surf Avenue and take the steps on the far side down to the entrance to the Aquarium parking lot or take the N or D trains to the Coney Island / Stillwell Avenue Station, head south on Stillwell, turn left on Surf Avenue, the aquarium is ahead on your right.

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