If you are planning to visit the biggest aquarium in New York, then it is the only aquarium that has been running in the United States for ages. It is New York Aquarium, also known as Coney Island Aquarium or Brooklyn Aquarium. New York Aquarium is in Coney Island, Brooklyn. It occupies 14 acres of land and has 266 species that can take a long time to see and experience all them.
Visiting the biggest aquarium in New York does not only mean that you will be going there in your leisure time for fun. It will also provide awareness to yourself and your kids about the issues going on in the ocean.
Location of New York Aquarium
New York Aquarium or Coney Island Aquarium is located at 602 Surf Avenue in Coney Island on the Riegelmann Boardwalk. It was founded in 1896 at caste Garden in Battery Park Manhattan. Later on, it was moved to Coney Island in 1957. On October 31, 1902, the Aquarium was put controlled by New York Zoological Society. There were only 150 specimens of wildlife at that time.
Before visiting New York Aquarium, make sure that you are having a conveyance or have the nearest subway routes. For your ease, there are nearest subway stops that provide the services to the nearest and surrounding areas of New York Aquarium.
- West 8th Street Station (F, Q lines)
- Neptune Avenue Station (F line)
- Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station (N, D lines) for handicap accessibility.
Things to See
There are plenty of exhibits, attractions, and things to see at the New York Aquarium. The exhibits can change occasionally. In case, you have already visited New York Aquarium in the past, then there are chances that you are going to see something new there.
Sea Cliffs
The See Cliffs are an outdoor exhibit that features the outdoor enclosures of rocky shores along the oceans. In these outdoor and rocky shores exhibits, you will see sea lions, sea otters, seals, and penguins. If you are lucky enough, you will be there at feeding time to see all of the marine animals. At this hour, all of them are most active of the day.
Ocean Wonders
One of the favorite things of everyone visiting the New York Aquarium is to see the different species of the ocean. This is an indoor exhibit. It takes you to a tunnel surrounded by coral reefs, 115 different species of the ocean, and 18 different species of rays and sharks, fish, sea turtles, and much more.
After entering this exhibit, there you can look up and side to side where different fish, sea turtles, sharks, and rays will be swimming above or around you. Make sure that you spend more time there because the scene is ever-changing.
After the tunnel, there will be a series of aquarium tanks. Also, the educational stops teach you about sharks that how they live, move, breed, breathe, how close they live to NYC.
Next will be a giant glass wall that separates you from another tank called Canyon’s Edge. Here you can stare and gaze at rough tail stingrays, sandbar sharks, and sand tiger sharks.
Aqua Theater
A stadium-style bench seating with wheelchair areas is Aqua Theater. It is an outdoor attraction and depends on the weather. Here you will experience the interactive demonstration between the trainer and California Sea Lions. Before visiting New York Aquarium, make sure that it’s a sunny or pleasant day.
Conservation Hall
In Conservation Hall, there are native marine species from different regions of the world. they are from the freshwater of Brazil’s flooded rainforest, Great Lakes of Africa, and Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle. Here you will see 100 aquatic species from the mentioned areas. Also, you will find Glover’s Reef.
Other than this, there are interactive kiosks and information. You will get to know about the environmental threats facing coral reefs. It is mainly because of pollution, climate change, global warming, but there are further fragile underwater environments to be saved in an ocean or marine life.
Spineless
As the name suggests, there is a world of underwater invertebrates in the New York Aquarium. These invertebrates are species of jellyfish, giant Japanese spider crabs, cuttlefish, giant Pacific Octopus, etc. they are mesmerizing to watch.
Admission to New York Aquarium
The regular admission ticket of New York Aquarium is different for certain age groups such as:
- $22.95 for Children (3 – 12y)
- $26.95 for an Adult (13y and over)
- $ 24.95 for Senior Citizens (65y and over with I.D)
There are some special New York Aquarium admission tickets. They are available at a reduced cost on Monday at 3.00 pm. These are for admission on Wednesday afternoons. For you, there is a maximum of 4 tickets per order.
You can become a member of the New York Aquarium which will make you a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Hence, there will be free admission to all of the four New York City Zoos and New York Aquariums, in Coney Island.
Different levels vary on the annual fee plan you decide to buy. The perks including admission to all of the zoos and aquarium will be different. The discounts to events, amenities, food, retail, parking, etc. will be different.
New York Aquarium Hours
The operating hours of the New York Aquarium depend on the time of the year. There is a cut-off time every day for the last possible entry. From November to March the admission hours are from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm and the closing time is 4:30 pm. The opening and closing times are different from April till the end of October. The admission time in the aquarium is 10:00 am and the last entry is at 4:00 pm. It closes at 5:00 pm.
Before visiting New York Aquarium, double-check their hours of operation to make sure that you are having enough time to see the aquatic species.
Tips for Visiting New York Aquarium
If you are planning to visit the biggest aquarium in New York, it is recommended to plan a full 1.5 to 2 hours to enjoy the live seeing and experience of 266 species. You can spend more time there to catch the daily training and feeding sessions. Check the weather schedule, if it’s a rainy day, then don’t visit it because you will be missing out on the outdoor attractions and sessions.
Visiting New York Aquarium can be time taking than 2 hours. So, there are food trucks and other options from where you can eat while taking a tour of the aquarium. Nathan’s original and other restaurants are open year-round on Surf Avenue.
For handicapped people, wheelchairs are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. They will hold $20 till the wheelchair is returned. You can also take a stroller for rent. The single stroller costs $10 and $15 for the double stroller.
Smoking is prohibited on the premises of the New York Aquarium. Even if you are in an outdoor attraction. You cannot take bicycles, skates, hoverboards, or scooters inside the aquarium. Bring a backpack or daypack so that you can enjoy the marine life hands-free.
New York Aquarium – A Place That Homes A Shark
It is one of the New York famous places, where you will be experiencing the aquatic life in a tunnel or glass box. A 14-acre premises with 266 different species including, sharks, fish, sea turtles, sea lions, penguins, octopus, etc.