Seaside Aquarium Reviews

This was our second time to visit the aquarium. We went years ago and were disappointed in how small it was. It is still small. We enjoyed watching the seals getting fed; lucky for us we happened to be there when they were feeding them. We also enjoyed watching one very active octopus. I had fun taking pictures, but if it weren't for that, we would have been even more disappointed.

There were 11 harbor seals at Seaside Aquarium living in an incredibly small tank being deprived of food, adequate living space, and enrichment. More like a North Korean prison than an aquarium. The place should be shut down. Don't visit.

Nice aquarium with a good variety of different animals. The staff is knowledgeable. You can purchase food to feed the seals. We saw the staff feed the seals. It is a lot of fun.
Centrally located near the beach. Good experience for kids.

Yes this place is tiny but quite a broad spectrum of exhibits. The absolute BEST are the seals. For years now we keep coming back and it is WELL worth the money!!!

Took our five year old grandson and the best part was feeding the seals. It was a new experience for him. Not a big aquarium but worth a look

Must stop here, will take less than an hour but you will remember forever :) Buy a tray of fish to feed those crazy harbor seals who will give you a show you won't forget!!!

Got to feed the seals and it was so fun! Being one of the oldest aquariums on the west coast, it’s pretty small, but quite a cool assortment of sea life. Cute little gift shop. Found a coupon in a nearby shop in a pamphlet for a free cup of seal food so keep an eye out for that! Visited for my 25th birthday and loved it. Also pretty views, beaches, beach swing set and good food.

Small and cozy but full of surprises for young toddlers
Feeding the seals and enjoying the interaction with them is great for toddlers
Also
The petting pulls and open aquariums will have the kids on a roll

This is a very small aquarium right on the beach in Seaside. While the whole museum will only take you about 15 minutes to see, there is the option to feed the sea lions, which was great fun for myself and my 6 year-old Grandson.

The aquarium fits right in the little town of Seaside. The admission was very cheap and we had fun feeding the seals.

a nice little aquarium to visit while you are in Seaside; but the Seal feeding is a "MUST"!! they are so awesome.

Hadn't been here in yrs and the seals are still entertaining guest who feed them. Enjoyed how they greeted my wife and grandkids with clapping and splashing.

My 4 year old absolutely loved the aquarium. It was super busy when we got there which was just before 11 am. Much to our surprise 11 am was feed the seals time so we were able to watch them get fed. My son thought it was the best thing in the world. He even touched the small thing of fish which caught me by surprise. Overall it was a great experience for a great price!

The place is 60 or 70 years old and has never been updated. I feel so bad for the creatures who are forced to live here. We found it terribly depressing. Do not recommend.

Small acquarium on the Prom fronting the ocean and close to downtown Seaside. I thought the $6.75 (for seniors) fee was more than reasonable. I have been to numerous acquariums and saw many sea critters here I had never seen before, with detailed and well-written descriptions.There is a board describing each of the dozen or so seals in the tank that can be fed. The young lady acting as docent grew up in the area and had a detailed knowledge of fish life on the coast without having had professional training. Pretty impressive, particularly when she was discussing the live octopus and its temperament.

There were so many people. This is a success!

First we saw some skeletons.

Then we saw the seals playing.

They had once a 28 pounds lobster.

What we saw was marine animals from the ocean. Wow!

There were lots of fish, starfishes and anything we can see in the ocean.

There was an octopus as well.

Truly beautiful!

I enjoyed admiring the sea creatures.

Worthwhile to see!

I’ve gone to this place every time I visit my family in Tillamook. It’s very reasonably priced and feeding the seals/sea lions is always the highlight. Cool place to stop by and see for sure.

Ventilation fan in main area by the touching station was really disgusting. I showed the lady at the front my picture and concerns so hopefully they cleaned it. Otherwise we enjoyed it but felt sorry for all the seals crammed in a small area.

We went when it first opened in the morning and were able to get a stamp that allowed us to return for the rest of the day and no charge - the only thing we had to pay for was when we wanted to feed the seals again. And again!

The staff was friendly. It was so fun to feed the seals. The aquarium is right on the ocean. We also enjoyed a nice walk on the beach. There was a lot of information to digest. The exhibits were great.

I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience. It is a small aquarium, but has some great fish and other sea life including a few octopus which were great. Other people have made negative comments about the seals, saying that they were in a too-small space. Clearly those people didn't investigate adequately. There is a much larger private space for them which they have full access to 24/7, but they prefer to be around the tourists who respond to their antics by throwing sardines.

All the children inside on the rainy day we visited were excited over the hands on tanks. It was a little crowded , too many people inside at once, exhibits were old and information was hard to read. There are no restrooms and admission pricing is a little steep for what you see.

This is definitely a must see for kids when visiting Seaside. The prices and very low for this type of attraction. There are seals, giant Pacific octopus and hands on learning for kids. My niece and nephew absolutely loved this place. The extra $2.00 for feeding the seals was worth it. It only takes about 45 minutes to go through the aquarium, and it is conveniently located on the boardwalk. The gift shop also sold sand pails & shovels, so we didn't even have to go back into town before heading out to the beach.

Seals were great. The rest was very informative. It was a nice upgrateded facilty from my childhood. The hands on section was great.Very clean and enjoyable.

We brought out 5 year old son here to see the aquarium and we all had a good time. I like that they stamp your hand so you can come and go as much as you want during the day (good for short attention spans). The crazy seals splash water at you to try to get you to feed them. My son didn't like it at first and then thought it was funny. $2 for a small food tray. Very reasonable. My son liked the hands on exhibits too. Nice to see a couple of octopi as well.

This was the cutest aquarium ever! If you go to the Visitors Center you get a coupon for free food to feed the seals. The seals are so funny! I could’ve stayed with them the whole time! I got to touch different starfish and learn about the other creatures. The young girls working there were so sweet. Definitely a must visit!

We stayed at the hotel next door and decided to see what the Aquarium was about. While it is very small (no surprise from looking at the building) it does have a lot to see. Highly recommend paying to feed the seals as they can be quite entertaining.

Nestled right at the beachfront in Seaside, Oregon the Seaside Aquarium is a place where you can get plenty of exhibits of sea life without having to jump into the ocean. I love a good aquarium like anyone else but this site needs love. The sealion exhibit could use some expanding where possible. I get it, expansion is not cheap but they could use some love. Other exhibits have decent space given the amount of life in them.

The staff was very nice when I went and the cost to enter does not break your bank. Definitely worth a check out to support local business, keep the aquarium open, and hopefully help fund a future build (who knows). This site is worth bringing your kids but do note that it can get pretty tight.

Cheers.

EXTREMELY small space, cute seals but very small area for them to live in. The touch tank was exciting for my kids.

Loved feeding the seals!! Family highlight every time! The seals work hard to earn their fish from you. It is a reasonable cost for some simple entertainment.

The price seemed a little high for the size of the building, all the tanks are in one big room, but how close you are able to get to the seals is worth the price of admission alone. Staff were friendly and knowledgeable.

The aquarium itself is very old and tired. The seals are the reason I gave it four stars. It was really fun to feed them, watch them slap the water and beg for food. The little tray of fish was $2.00.

This really is no aquarium. They only have seals and a gift shop. They only want you to buy fish and feed the seals for them.

Very small but full of adventure! the first thing is the seals greet you and work for food, then as you get farther in there is more exhibits, it is very small so only about 45 min and you have seen everything, but it would be good for all ages.

Nice little aquarium. The feeding of the seals was worth a million dollars, they are so funny! Staff was very informative.

It's a little expensive at $8.50 per person for a pretty small aquarium, but the octopuses we neat to see, even if their tanks are a bit small. Feeding the seals is fun and they seem well fed and healthy, so in spite of their small surroundings, they seem well cared for and content.

So much fun! The seals were the best. Very informative, great day! Can't wait to come back, soon. Thanks

Like the seal and was there at feeding like watching kids and adult feeding the sea lion the all the fish

This has been around forever. I think it has gotten better. They had 3 Octopus here which was impressive. Quite a bit to see for a family price of under $30.

I was able to walk here from my hotel and had planned on visiting on a much cooler, windier day, but never even got to the Prom. So I was determined to get here the following day, despite the heavy rain! Nice way to pass an hour and check out who/what we're swimming with. Loved how dark it was inside, I imagine this helps keep the environment more friendly for its' inhabitants. The stench of sardines can be somewhat overpowering-these are sold to feed the sea lions. Once I had seen everything, I was pleased to buy a sweatshirt I had seen a couple of children wearing that had a cool octopus on it. And I got it in purple. Good times!

Small aquarium but it’s a fun experience, especially feeding the seals. Good location, one of the historic landmarks in Seaside.

This is like the type of aquarium I saw as a child. It is fairly small so perfect to take children to. You can see all sorts of sea creatures though, many I have not seen before. You can touch star fish and the best is feeding the sea lions. They are so funny - if you have fish to feed them they will "pose" for a picture - but not for long. Then they take their fins and slap on the water saying, "hey, feed me". But they are fickle - once you are out of food, they have nothing more to do with you - so get your picture BEFORE you are out of food. Very fun.

Love the seals. They are so much fun to feed. The booths where you get the touch the star fish and sea urchins are awesome.

Great aquarium experience of the marine life and fish. Of course feeding the seals is the icing on the cake and a very cool treat, especially for the seals ;)

If you got the right time, you can watch them feed the seals. That’s worth the price of admission alone.

My one "star" is due to my absolute dismay and broken heart over seeing the ridiculously small tanks for these marine animals. ESPECIALLY for the Giant Pacific Octopus. I was so very excited about getting to see one and left with a sad and broken heart and a lot of disgust that they would keep an amazing creature like that in a tiny tank and with NO stimulating toys or puzzles, etc. He just has to hide or look at the hundreds of people looking at him each day. It is appalling. Please don't give them your money until they do something about this situation!!!!!!

It was fun watching people feed the seals! There were quite a few things to look at and a few things to touch.

We went with our four year old grandson. This place was perfect! Feeding the seals was the total highlight of the trip with so many belly laughs at the seals' enjoyment of the fish. The touch tank was very clean and well kept with the attendants knowledgable and enthused. The various tanks around the perimeter were interesting and appeared pristine and with enough room for the animals. Perhaps for older kids this would not be as delightful but it was truly educational and fun and the animal appeared very well cared for.

This place is $8 admission, but it lasts for the whole day, so you can leave and come back if you want. And kids that are young enough are free (my daughter is 4, so she was free).
This place is SMALL, but they have a bunch of sea animals, an octopus swimming around in it's own tank, and seals that you can feed if you want to purchase some fish parts to throw at them.
It's not the most amazing place I've ever been, but it was fun for my daughter, allowed her to touch hermit crabs and other small creatures, and color a bunch of pictures which is better than getting wet out on the beach or watching TV in our hotel room.

This is, by far, the smallest aquarium I've ever been to. You enter the building and the seal tank is on the left hand side. You then enter the rest of the aquarium and it's all one room. Tanks are all around and some are in the middle too. I think this is a good place to bring small children. They wouldn't get overwhelmed, and there's activities for them to do.

Only a couple of dollars and we were able to feed the Seals some fish!! So Much Fun!! There are several small tanks with all sorts of marine life in them to look at and a small gift shop,

Great place to visit. People leaving negative reviews are very wrong. All sea life taken well care off. Seals can leave the display area for their private pools whenever they want. They hang out to be fed. Fun watching kids feed seals and go thru the touch tanks

Within 2 blocks of my hotel, the aquarium was smaller than I had imagined but so was the entrance fee. Lots of interesting exhibits explaining the live sea life in different windows or containers. If you have kids, I recommended at least a 2-hour stay. I was alone and did most everything twice, easily, in 1-1/2 hours. Other than taxis, I do not believe that this town has public transportation.

The hands-on seal feeding is a huge draw, The $2 fish tray to feed was a good deal.whether you are just watching or actually feeding, and it was so interesting to see the personality of each different seal. Gift shop at the front is up some stairs, as is the seal feeding pool, so wheelchair access is limited and other corridor areas are a bit narrow. Only service animals allowed; no other pets. Right on the beach promenade, it was a really fun break in the traditional shopping-and-beach activities.

Almost missed the front door but it’s a cute sliding one. They had sea lions that you could feed. Just one big room but they utilized every inch. We enjoyed walking thru and reading all the info on all the different species they had. Cute little gift shop.
Nice visit for the price.

We went with our 8 year old son, who really enjoyed it. This is not a place you'd visit for hours, but if you're in the area and have some extra time, I recommend it. The staff is super friendly, and feeding the seals is fun. They also have a touch tank that's pretty cool.

Feeding the seals was fantastic. The aquarium is small, but they have a diverse set of creatures. I loved seeing three octopus! There is a also a touch pond. Definitely will be making this a tradition. Squashed pennies in their gift shop too!

This was our first trip to the aquarium, we enjoyed feeding the seals and watching their various tricks. The aquarium itself is small, but had several interesting tanks with plaques that described the contents.
We enjoyed the hands on aquarium, we wish there were more of them. The gigiant octopus was quite impressive.

Super small aquarium, but they have alot to see. The staff was super knowledgeable and great with kids. It would be nicer if they upgraded the tanks, but I'd still recommend a visit. The kids enjoyed feeding the seals the most! Watch where you stand or you WILL get wet.

Very cute aquarium! They have a touch area where you can touch all kinds of sea life. Our favorite part is where you can feed the seals! They are so cute and interactive! They also have a nice little gift shop!

Because they give their animals (in particular the seals) the bare minimum when it comes to their enclosure I will give the the most minimum rating possible. They should be ashamed to keep animals like the way they are in 2021. I’d recommend seeing a different aquarium that care more about their animals than the money in your pocket.

Family fun and they are learning at the same time, there is something for all ages. We always bring someone here.

This place is small but very cool! For the money you can’t go wrong. The the seals were my favorite part. Had a great time with our family.

The aquarium is super small and overpriced considering what it includes. There is a fun little space to feed the seals, but that's about it. Might be impressive for small children, but wouldn't take older kids as I think they would find it boring.

I just love going here and feeding the sea lions and seeing all the wonderful fish they have on display. I specially love the live tide pools where you can touch sea creatures!!

There are hardly any animals to see here. This place is only one room. The only interesting part about this is the seals that you can feed. Not worth the money only spent 15 minutes here.

This place placed 11 fully grown seals in a tiny pool and makes them compete for food that visitors buy to feed them. This place is an animal prison. If you want your kids to see animals suffer, this is a place to go. Any decent owners would spend some money on expansion decades ago or move the seals to a better place.

This aquarium gave me the willies. It had a pungent odor and everything looked like it had seen better days. This just seems like it could be better run.

Really fun place to feed the seals, be prepared to get very wet! The aquarium itself is small, but nice.

It was very relaxing to watch the sea life. Really enjoy watching people feeding the seals like you can at Sea World, but much more inexpensive. It does not take long to see the entire place. We were there off-season. I would recommend off-season visit to this area since there's some much in this some community. That way you do not have to wait on anything.

But lots to see and to do for kids. I have only one complaint - the parking was a nightmare!!! If you go, plan to walk from the Turnaround or somewhere on the promenade.

The Seaside Aquarium is small, but still worth checking out. It takes less than an hour to check everything out. The main attractions are the seals which you can feed, the giant octopus, and I found the wolf eels quite fascinating. There are some touch tanks for sea urchins and starfish. The story of Victor the lobster is worth reading in spite of the sad ending. It's $10 to get in. The staff is fairly knowledgeable and friendly. There is also a small gift shop. It may be small, but it works for Seaside.

Very small aquarium, not a huge variety, but still fun and family friendly. Octopus was very cool to see. The best part was feeding the seals. However many trays of fish you think you will want to feed them, you should get more. You might get a little wet from the seals slapping the water hoping to get a fish thrown their way. :)

Our son loved this place. He enjoyed feeding and viewing the seals. The tide pools were also a lot of fun. Viewing the octopus, crabs and all the variety of marine life was an enjoyable experience. The staff were very friendly and engaging with children. There is a fun little gift shop attached to the aquarium.

Lots of interesting and educational sea life. Hands on area where you can touch starfish and hold live sand dollars. Water puppies (seals) that you can feed and get to do tricks. Worth the visit if you are in the area

The Seaside Aquarium is small but worth a visit. There is a touch tank where staff members will gladly answer your questions. The tanks in the aquarium hold a variety sea creatures including the giant pacific octopus. The harbor seals are quite the attraction. You can purchase food to feed them and their personalities truly shine when food is available. According to the website, the entertaining behavior of these seals are all self taught. I call it obnoxiously adorable. Purchase the food and feed the seals. The experience is worth it.

The seaside aquarium is a must do especially with little ones! For just a couple dollars you can feed the seals and hope they don't splash you in the process. There are a couple "touching" areas that are fun too! Outdated but a good way to escape the lovely liquid sunshine!

I've been going to this aquarium since I was a kid and I just took my kids for the first time while in Seaside. It's a small, fun, family friendly venue. Exciting for the ages 1-10, probably not so much for older kids/teens.Can see everything and learn about some of the animals in about 30-45 minutes. Gets crowded easily in the summer. There's a cute little gift shop attached at the very front. Lots of good photo ops.

This visit was extra special because it included our first Great Grandchild. I’ve taken his dad here, and his grandmother here over the years and it’s always a great visit. A perfect beach attraction- always something new and easily worked into your schedule! We have always timed our visits so the seals are active and ready to “show off” for their treats! A great activity for grandparents to share and make a memory!

Small but nice aquarium. The best part is the seals in the front. You can buy fish to feed them and they will do tricks like clapping to get the food. Really cute.

Old aquarium with very small tanks and enclosures for sea life. The tanks are not kept clean and when the glass was cleaned (while people were visiting) the glass was left with so much soap suds that you would not see into the tanks. Fish look lethargic and staff was not attentive to people dangling fish in front of the seals (which you are told not to do when feeding the seals). Dead fish in some tanks. Best to just avoid this local attraction.

This aquarium in existence from 1937 should really be listed as a museum. For today's standards I believe it would be disappointing to anyone but a very young child.

These living conditions for these animals are terrible. They look depressed and sick. Please let them live in a sanctuary where they can be happy. Have some respect for other living things besides yourself.

Found this Aquarium while taking a short break in Seaside with friends we visit...we're from the UK and they are from Yakima..First thing we noticed was the cost of getting in...that was quite reasonable so we didn't expect much,but when we got inside we were surprised how informative and well stocked of fish and other mammals it was...especially the Harbour seals..Upon arriving we could hear a commotion and it was the seals letting us know they were there and we were being stared at through a tiny window by a certain individual (who turned out to be a right character)..Anyway I digress...The place itself is quite small but boy what a collection of sea creatures they have..Octopus ,sea urchins to name a few...but they had such an eclectic collection and we were all fascinated at what we discovered..We actually spent about 1/5 hrs there but a large chunk of that we spent with the seals...BOY what a time we had...I've never laughed so much and for a small fee we bought several pots of fish to throw to them...Each Seal has it's own character and to attract you to each one they all had different methods...splashing water at you...rearing up and begging...slapping their thighs and honking as loud as they could...it was a real hoot...It was the highlight of the visit but the place itself is full of interesting things too....It's well worth a visit if your around that area..Recommended..Cheers

Overpriced for the size and experience. But more importantly, the seals at Seaside Aquarium are born and bred in captivity and will never know the vast freedom of the ocean they should inhabit.

The aquarium is great for kids to learn about the sea and the creatures in it. Plus they have a tank with 8 seals that you can hand feed for $2.00 for a small fish tray. (The money helps the aquarium buy food for the critters). Pacific Octopus in a tank is huge. The price was just $8,00 for adults, and well worth it in my opinion. Some adults may find it not too exciting but the kids will love it, and what an amazing learning experience for them.

Truly dismal space. The seals are up front and all crammed into a small pool. They are obviously the money makers. The rest of the aquarium is sad looking and outdated.

Also note there are no restrooms available. Even if you require ADA accommodations. I was told there are no public restrooms which means they do have them for staff but denied me access with a disability. I was told to walk 3 blocks to the nearest public restroom. The day I visited it was 48°f out with 21 mph winds and torrential rain. I had to leave twice and fight the elements to use a bathroom I was denied access to. I’m fairly certain this is illegal.
How they treat their customers is a direct sign to how they treat the animals in their care.

Very small and super crowded. Long Wait to get in but you can get your hand stamped and come back throughout the day if you wanted. Most of the tanks had the same species in them. A couple of touch tanks. Staff really friendly. Best part was feeding the sea lions. 2 dollars for 4 little pieces of fish.

This place is awesome! My kids and I loved the giant pacific octopus! It’s totally like a 70s aquarium like I remember when I was a kid. I like how
You can feed the seals and they are hilarious yet rude at the same time(like to splash you).
Price was excellent. Perfect rainy day activity.

Enjoyed this local aquarium! Nice displays and fish and sea life identified below the glass cases so you can look for them. Some sea life likes to hide in the corners or at the back of the displays! The seals were a hit - they sure knew their audience - bark, grunt and splash to get their treats!

I refuse to ever go back to this ‘aquarium’. It is more like a torture house for sea creatures. It’s made me feel so terrible to see all these animals in tiny tanks and looking miserable. When I first hear about this place I thought it would be fun to feed the seals, but even that is tainted. The seals are also kept in a ridiculously small enclosure and they beg for food. There was an air of desperation as they beg for fish bits. There’s supposed to be another pool they can swim into, but how big can it be? Everything else in that aquarium is undersized. Even now every time I think of the living conditions there I want to cry. I hope people stop supporting this place and it gets shut down or renovated to provide at minimum decent living conditions for the sea life housed there.

Smaller than I first expected. Feeding the seals was a treat for younger kids visiting. Cool to see large Pacific octopus.

It is very dark, small, and reminds me of a dungeon. The tanks are very small and there just isn't much to see. There is a swimming pool sized tank, with some loud and stinky seals in there. They sell little bags of Herring,. with the guts hanging out, that you can feed the seals.Then your hands smell like dead fish for awhile because it is hard to wash that stink off. I guess if you want to mess with people, asking them to smell your finger..... it might be worth your while..... if you like that sort of stuff. heh heh heh.

I particularly like the whale skeleton in the window. It's fascinating. Inside, I watched kids feed the live seals. Fun times. It's interesting seeing what live marine creatures exist in the area.
HINT: Look around the Seaside area to find a free seal food ticket. Otherwise, it's only $5 for the food. There is a wonderful gift shop at the Aquarium that I love just browsing around in.
This place is a definite stop for the first timer to Seaside.

Took the grandchildren to see the seals. We lucked out and where there during feeding time. The kids and seals had a blast! We got to touch some star fish and even pick up a crab. We come every time we are in Seaside. I recommend this place just on the seals alone. The fish are pretty cool as well.

Deceiving small. From the outside looks bigger and was expecting more than 1 room for all exhibits. Touch tank like you would find at most aquariums. Highlight is the Seal tank. They are the stars and the seals know it, as they go to great lengths to get your attention. $2 gets you a small tray of chopped fish to feed them and they are always hungry.

I did not read any reviews of the Seaside aquarium before my visit, so I was quite shocked when I saw the small spaces that the seals, octopus, and other fish are kept in. The seals are in a very small tank and are almost treated like circus animals begging for food that customers can pay to give them. The seals also become slightly aggressive in their begging for food, which was another indicator that something wasn't right. Then, I noticed all of the other tanks were so small that many of the fish, sharks, eels had no room to swim. Finally, it was the octopus tank that truly broke my heart. It is such a small tank for a large octopus and there is nothing in the tank, no place for him to hide, etc. He just sat there breathing with his eyes half opened... and I honestly have never felt so sad. I left the aquarium, got into my car, and cried. There is interest by some members of animal activist organizations but apparently it is a private aquarium, so really the best thing you could do to help these animals is DO NOT SUPPORT THIS AQUARIUM. 

This aquarium is very small, but cute. Has several types of sea creatures, including an Octopus. The seals are funny to watch when people walk up getting ready to feed them. They KNOW what's coming!

Funny they kept askign if we wanted to store our stroller and we kept thinking, what if we got tired? Well, quite honestly the parkinglot should have given it away. There were roughly 12 spaces to park. Going in there was quite a crowed so when we entered the 40ft x 40ft room they called an aquarium we were a little suprised. It was however nice to see they had all indigineous species so you really got to see what was in the water aroudn you. The Octopus and the seals were very much the highlight. The staff were really great with the kids. Just a lot smaller than we expected, more like a pet shop.

It was definitely worth going to. I have teens and younger children and they all seemed to like it. They loved seeing the different fish.

The seal feeding was interesting. Definitely got splashed.

It's a small aquarium but there are some interesting varieties of fish, plus fossils.

Love to go and feed the seals and look at all the skeletons and learn about all of them very learning and fun

always a pleasure to be apart of something historical amazing fish species seals to feed lots of educational and hands on activities

This is an extremely small aquarium all in one room other than the seals who also are in a small space. The fee is small, but might not be worth it for a family. Feeding the seals is an extra 2 dollars and the highlight of the aquarium. Could do the whole place in less than 45 minutes.

Good variety of sea life and reasonable entry price. No fishy smell. For $2.00 you can feed the seals, which are entertaining. Great way to spend an hour. Do recommend.

This is a quant, small and well-loved aquarium, but it is small. The best part is feeding the seals. They do all sorts of funny things to get your fish.

I was hopeful this would not be a glaringly depressing visit based upon a number of positive reviews (which I now find rather surprising) - sadly, however, I was very disappointed and saddened with this ‘aquarium’ and the conditions of the exhibits. I should first note that, having grown up on the Monterey Peninsula, I have very high standards for aquariums and also a great deal of knowledge regarding overcrowding, appropriate environments/habitats, etc. for marine life. My issue was actually not with the seals as they are captive bred and appeared well-adjusted, and well taken care of, within their area. It was the extremely cramped spaces for all the other exhibits, with little to no consideration for their needs or natural environments - moray eels and octopuses with no cubby holes or spots in which to hide themselves away, too many fish of varying species in much to small of a habitat area, things such as that. Additionally, when you have moray eels lying on their sides and fish not moving because they have no where to explore amongst barren habitats with only the occasional piece of plastic kelp, it’s just heartbreaking. Don’t waste your money and, if you want an actual aquarium, go farther south and visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium, it won’t make you want to cry.

We’ve been to several aquariums and this is a pretty good one. I was worried based on other reviews but at the price point we weren’t going to skip it. My toddler loved feeding the seals and the seals really enjoyed it as well. The tanks were very hard for my toddler to see into and we had to keep lifting him up to see, but the touch tanks in the center with wide steps were great! He loved getting hands on with the sea creatures and seeing them up close. He couldn’t wrap his head around the anemone.
The touch tanks are always really makes this aquarium and the knowledge of the staff.

Such a fun place to visit and feel the past as well :) The sealions were so adorable and fun to watch :) Also has a gift shop

This aquarium was small but it was cute and great place to bring kids. They let ypu feed the sea lions and its really great

A very rustic aquarium that is somewhat small and in need of a bit of attention but the seals make-up for that...

Not a very large collection but certainly worth a look.

Unforgettable experience at aquarium, love animals and fish! Will definitely be back again very soon!

We didn’t plan on stopping into the Seaside acquarium. I had read reviews that it wasn’t great so I didn’t put it on our list of things to see. But as we happened to get a parking spot near it while heading to the beach we decided to stop in. My 6 and 3 yo have been to a lot of nice acquariums but they were still pretty entertained. They loved the seals and the sea anemone touch exhibits. We only stayed for 45 minutes. It’s only one room so it goes fast, and Dad was waiting outside with the dog. I think it cost $12 to enter for all 3 of us and $2 for a tray of fish to feed the seals. I doubt we’d ever go back unless we had an hour to kill but it was convenient enough to check out once. The workers inside seemed very young casual like high school students or something.

It's been a long time since I had been here. I was not disappointed. There is so much to see inside and the seals are a hoot. They put on a show for their food,

Went on a more crowded weekend and there wasn’t much crowd control. The sea lion exhibit is very narrow and little kids can’t see much. Leave strollers outside.

Feeding the seals was neat scared our two year old but not our 4 year old she liked touching the sea creatures I the tank with the volunteer.. it is a very very small aquarium but I can remember visiting it 25 years ago when I was a teen so part of Oregon coast history a must stop if you have kids

Don't plan on spending more than 45 minutes here. Very small. Plan your visit around 10am 1pm and 3 for the seal feedings.

We loved the quaint little museum. Feeding the seals were the highlight of our stay! Would have been nice to see that staff smile at us when they interacted with us.

Houses some of the biggest marine life I've ever seen in such a small aquarium. Honestly, I was in awe of this place and I'm not sure how they keep things seals, 20-"arm" sea stars, crabs, wolf eels, moray eels, and octopuses fed. Visitors can purchase fish for the chance to feed seals. I recommend feeding them, they get really animated!

Really wished I hadn’t supported this aquarium. The seals have a small tank and beg for food every day. On top of that, the aquarium has FOUR giant pacific octopus with criminally small enclosures each no bigger than a child’s wading pool and no place to hide from visitors if they wanted to. I am not generally opposed to aquariums that provide adequate living space and conditions but this one left me feeling very sad at the conditions of these ocean animals living so close to the ocean. :/

Love feeding the seals and looking at the other sea creatures here, honestly been going here for years,but it's fun and I will keep going here...lol

This aquarium is small but very educational. My tennage son and eight year old both had a good time. We really enjoyed watching the octopus. Feeding the seals was also fun they did tricks for fish.

That you can feed the seals anytime of the day was a hoot! This is a great stop for any kids and sure to bring a smile to parents/grandparents watching the antics of the individual seals vying for a snack tossed by their kids. It's as much fun watching the adults as anything.
Very cool and informative display tanks of marine creatures as well. Good stuff for a "Great Laker".

If you like animals and have an ounce of empathy, do not visit this aquarium. It will break your heart. The seals and red octopus are kept in extremely small tanks with little to no enrichment. 😿

If you want your kids to see animals suffer, this is the place to go!

In what is my favourite area of the Oregon coast, i'm ashamed that a local place such as this keeps their animals in such appalling conditions.
They have around 11 adult seals all in one small pool, in which they are fed by visitors.

In an ideal scenario, they would rehabilitate these gorgeous animals and release them back into the wild where they belong.

In any case, they really need to spend some money and improve their living conditions!

Shameful and an embarrassing landmark for Seaside

Its good to have visited this place to educate our self on the area natural resource of the oceans and to learn more on sea life

If you've been to Newport, Vancouver, BC, or Seattle aquariums you might feel that these animals need to be in more healthy, natural environments. The building and exhibits really need a complete overhaul. It's on about the same scale as Olympic Animal Farm - I wouldn't recommend going there either.

Love visiting and feeding the seals. They do lots of tricks. Also visit the rest of the aquarium to meet an octopus or touch a seastar. Learn about all the cool life in the beautiful ocean at Seaside.

Okay, the giant grey whale skeleton outside the aquarium - awesome. we got there right before closing so it wasn't that busy and we could see everything - they were feeding the fish and wow, seeing the sharks eat was quite something. The seals always are adorable. great time

Go for the seals and the octopus. The rest of the aquarium is pretty small and you wont be spending a great deal of time there after that. There are some interesting fish and other aquatic creatures but the Seals steel the show.

All the tanks are extremely small. The octopus are in tanks that are not only too small but there is not a place for them to hide or anything to entertain them. We saw a dead fish at the bottom of one tank with other fish looking very unhealthy and laying around waiting to die. The seals pool again is way too small. The place needs to be shut down! It's horrible! Animal cruelty.

This place should be reconsidered for the safety of the animals. The seals are kept in a very small tank not big enough for all of them and are broken to hear the sounds of the ocean not far away. These seals and many other animals such as octopi need more space or to be released into the wild.

Just loved the seals.. you can feed them too.. it's small but plenty to see.. very interesting.. small sea creatures u can touch..gift area.. enjoyed our visit here

We visited the Seaside aquarium, mostly to see the harbor seals, but were also delighted by the striking array of fish and very informative information about the sealife on the Oregon coast. We fed the seals raw fish that we got upon entry, and they were a riot! Everyone got soaked with water from their crazy antics. The staff was friendly, and they had young docents there to give us more information. I highly recommend a visit.

No updates here for the past 20 years. Small, dark & a little dingy. Nothing has changed here for a long time. We visit Seaside every year but still visit the aquarium to feed the seals. Nostalgia I guess, because I actually feel bad for those seals living in such a tiny space, begging for food. Don’t waste your money, this “aquarium” sucks

The aquarium itself is small but very interesting. My kids enjoyed it. The sea lions were adorable, of course, and know just what to do to get some "treats". Be prepared to get splashed. I didn't really like the habitat the sea lions were in. I understand the need to keep the sea lions safe and the over zealous visitors blocked from jumping in with the sea lions...however, it seemed small. Now I've read that there's another part of the aquarium for the sea lions to go if they want to get away or have more room. That might be true, I didn't see it. I just walked away feeling a little sorry for the sea lions.

I loved getting the photography that I captured while there but the prices were just to high won't be coming back unless I have kids hoping the prices go down

This is a depressing aquarium. The fish don’t swim and the octopus is basically in a kiddy pool. The sea lions have no direct sunlight and are crammed into a tiny concrete pool. I feel guilty giving them money. Please don’t go here they really shouldn’t have animals.

No restrooms, so go before you visit. The entrance price is reasonable. It's easy to see & do it all in less than an hour.

My kids loved feeding the seals! Be prepared to get wet if you do feed they seals though they get so excited they clap and splash! It is amazing! The hands on sea creatures are also very fun! Lots of learning and fun. We can’t wait to visit again

We visit a lot of aquariums and touristy places. I was saddened by conditions of this place. The fish seriously looked sad. The whole place was super small. Every tank was over filled and crowded.
The seals were crammed in there, but funny when they nodded their heads and slapped the water to get some fish.

Not impressed.

We had fun feeding the seals and then looking through the displays at the Aquarium.
The employees are very helpful and knowledgeable about the different tanks. There is a touching portion, which is fun to feel the different textures of the starfish and anemones.
This is a fun stop at the beach!
The gift shop is nice too!

The Seaside Aquarium is a relatively small aquarium (one moderately sized room and a seal feeding area). It's a bit of a yesteryear type attraction. At it's core, it is a lot of fun. The seals have funny ways of asking for food and are fun to watch. The tanks have a mix of interesting and uninteresting sealife. The various octopus are really beautiful. With that yesteryear charm comes some thought to the size of these tanks in relation to the size of the animals - particularly the seals and octopus. I don't pretend to be an expert on any of this, but there's no doubt visitors will consider the same. The staff are incredibly friendly and the prices are low for visiting families. I rate this in the middle because, at face value, this is a lot of fun. A little deeper than face value can be an iffy one.

We've been there before and feeding the trick-trained seals used to be fun until we realized that the seals aren't having fun at all. They're cramped into a tiny enclosure all day, subjected to all sorts of noisy tourists, (including bratty children) and when I asked where they're kept at night no one would answer. We went to Seaside a few weeks ago and wanted to see the seals, but couldn't see their sad eyes again. We're hoping that, somehow, they get a better life.

It was a cool place to visit and see all the historic fish, lots of variety and the octopus was cool. Best attraction would definitely be the seals. Great for kids but we didn’t spend a whole lot of time there.

The aquarium was very small and the tanks were very small. You can pay $2 for a tray of fish to feed the seals. We had a lot of fun watching the seals play and eat. I hope they have a larger area behind the scenes

Had so much fun feeding the SeaLions. Sadly though, the place is looking a little run down and many of the tanks are leaking. I wish they would have somebody going through wiping down the glass throughout the day. The aquariums were almost disgusting looking with the amount of greasy hand prints and whatever else was on them. I would go in there next time and just feed the sea lions.

We did not know what to expect but we checked it out. Please take the option to feed the sealions. There is a wash basin with soap but I recommend bringing your own hand sanitizer. The aquarium is small but soak up the displays and enjoy the petting station. Come prepared for some art work/projects for the kids - ours loved it! Plan for 1.5-2 hours.

genuinely appalling. the fact that places like these havent learned from the disapproval rating of Sea World makes it abundantly clear that they do not give a single thought to the animals wellbeing. the main goal, and only goal is money, even though these creatures are clearly suffering. I feel genuinely ashamed to have handed $30 to the mouth breathing bottom-feeders running that circus.

Lots of local aquatic life on display! My husband and I enjoy coming here periodically. Our 1-year-old son enjoys looking at the fish.

Had a good time looking at all the exhibits. and reading the information on the fish and other sea animals. Smell is a little strong but for the most part it was a nice place to visit

This is a small, old aquarium, so you won't see anything fancy. What you do get is a taste of the local marine residents, and a very knowledgeable staff who take the time to answer questions. You can also feed the seals a snack, and get a little show of appreciation. If you happen to be there at feeding time, they work hard to get there share. You might even end up wet!

The Seaside Aquarium is a fun little spot to visit when in town. It's not expensive and has a great added experience of feeding the sea lions for $1.50 per little tray of fish. The aquarium itself isn't huge, but I love how they use rock wall inside to give it a cave like feel. We love stopping in to the Seaside Aquarium when in town, especially if we have little ones with us.

Perfect for a not all day fun activity; about an hour. Right on the beach. Great for kids (big and little). Touch pool and coloring station. Feeding the seals was an unexpected delight for all ages!

Great way to spend 45 minutes see some cool marine life up close. Our kids absolutely loves feeding the seals. What a fun experience has by everyone. Recommend for younger children for sure!!

Entry is less than $10 and is good for the entire day. For $2, you can buy a small "tray" to feed the seals! They're very active and it's so fun to see how happy they get when you feed them. But, it is a very small aquarium! There are quite a few seals in a small pool you wonder about their quality of life. When you enter the main part of the building, it's about the size of a studio apartment. You can walk slowly from one tank to the next, and still see all the "exhibits" in under 10 minutes. Each tank was fairly small and the animals all looked kind of sad. Some tanks looked a little crowded, but maybe that's a normal set up for aquariums/ those particular types of marine life.

It was great! Highly recommended to visit this quaint little town and all its amenities! We had a great day in many of the shops, beach, restaurants, and much more!

A good place to let the kids cruise around. They can draw, be hands on with select sea life and feeding the sea lions fish will get you good laughs even for us adults. The sea lions do tricks to get treats, good times!

This is not your typical aquarium you would see in a large city but well worth the visit. Small and funky. The sea lions they have living there are hilarious to watch. They each have tricks to get visitors to feed them. They have incredible “touching” pools. Be sure and spend some time watching the octopus. He has such a personality. Changes colors and shoots across his tank.

Small, family owned aquarium. Very informative and all the Pacific Coast sea life! The seals are very funny and do different tricks so you will throw them food! Octopus is huge!

We spent about an hour and a half here. Huge octopus was a hit with the kids and make sure you get some food for $2 to feed the seals, they are so fun. They clap and make noises to try and get you to feed them. So cute

It’s small and full of a wide variety of animals. The habitats are old school barren cages, so I prefer the tide pool type animals here.

This aquarium is small, but it has a lot to offer. Feeding the seals is the highlight. Great touch tanks and unique fish to see. There’s a very nice gift shop too. Definitely a must see in Seaside.

It's a tiny aquarium, not fancy, no glass tunnels to walk thru, but the seals are adorable. For $2 you can purchase snacks to feed them and they will perform for you. They know when someone has food, so they'll put on a show. One of them likes to splash, so be careful, but we noticed s/he didn't splash when a little one was throwing the fish. They splash, clap, jump, one of them jumps in front of the attended recipient and snags it midair. Worth every penny, would go again and highly recommend for kids of all ages!

Small aquarium but very nice and enjoyable rIny day so nice to be able to just walk around slowly and enjoy

We were very excited to check this place out. Unfortunately it didn't live up to our expectations. Might be fun for small children but just kind of sad for us.

Seaside Aquarium has their own breeding population of harbor seals. They know how to work the crowd for fish, which a visitor can purchase for $2 per tray. If I lived in Seaside, I would find a way to visit the aquarium every day. The interactive exhibits (touch tanks) are great - lots of stuff to poke at. It is small, with one room of wall tanks to show fish and other underwater life... the seals really steal the show anyway.

Feeding the seals was one of the best parts of my trip, I loved it! Their clapping, little noises, stares, and even the splashes made my day!

I acknowledge that this aquarium is a very old facility however the enclosures for the inhabitants didn't feel quite adequate to me. I think the kids there were enjoying it but it just made us a bit sad.

This aquarium has not been updated since it opened I am sure. Not worth the $ and the tanks are small.

Feeding the seals was fun, definitely pay the $2 to feed them. The exhibits were ok. They seem a bit dated. Not as much variety as you would typically see in an aquarium. Good place to take kids, they have some neat interactive stuff.

We loved the aquarium, especially the hands on exhibit with hermit crabs. the octopus was also a hit! Of course, don't forget to buy some food for the seals when you get your admission ticket, so fun to throw them little pieces of fish and see them catch the fish!

I have been to Seaside a few times and this was my first visit to the aquarium. It is small for sure! But, we really liked it. An octopus decided to swim around fir us...I swear it was trying to put on a show and impress us. The seal feeding was fun. Each seal has its own little trick to try to get you to give it a treat-Rolling over, spinning in the water, splashing or making a goofy face. So fun!

The seals seemingly beg for food and it is a little heartbreaking but we were assured they were well treated and that that was not their only enclosure. The staff were very knowledgeable about the various creatures there and my son loved asking a lot of questions and the staff was patient and answered all of them. It isn't very big but they do have a decent number of animals and a cute gift shop.

The harbor seals in the breeding program are probably the highlight of the visit. Get since capelin at the booth to toss to these guys but be prepared to get soaked. If you're not afraid of a little water, it's an absolute hoot! The aquarium it's self is a bit outdated but some of the fish on display are beautiful. The octopus enclosure is really nice though. This place is fun for a quick visit as it's not really big.

I'm all for zoos or sanctuaries for animals that the public can visit as long as the animals are well taken care of and there's some purpose or point to them being there. There is nothing educational about the experience of chucking fish at these animals which are kept in that small tank with nothing resembling their natural environment. I stayed in a hotel next to the aquarium and could hear them slapping in the front tank all night. I am shocked that this exists in Oregon.

It maybe small, it has a lot of local marine life in the tanks, but the 2 highlights are the Pacific Octopus and the Harbor Seals. The Harbor Seals are a joy to watch and feed. Watching them clap for their food is a great laugh. If we return in the future, we would definitely go back for the seals.

I didn't think it would be that much fun as it looked small. However, the teenager and 10 year old both found it fun. They really enjoyed feeding the seals (highlight of the trip). I enjoyed the touch tanks where I could feel the various sea life. Good for the whole family. Spent about an hour there. Hope this was helpful.

This Place could you some updates,it's a bit pricey for what you get ... this place hasn't changed in years....

Wonderful fun little aquarium. Got there in time to see the seals eating. Very informative staff. It is outdated. Could use a facelift but I’m sure that would be very expensive. Fun little gift shop, and the aquariums look well taken care of along with the animals. Great little historic spot to stop with the kids to see animals.

The animals are in terrible cages and tanks. Don't give these people your money, it's pretty much Tiger King but aquatic version. I feel bad for the animals.

This is a small aquarium but nicely done. Very informative plaques and friendly, helpful staff add to a fun experience. Watching the feeding of the harbor seals is hilarious.

Feeding the seals was great, they made us laugh. The place is small but the staff was friendly and helpful and made it worth the visit.

Almost every year we vacation in Seaside. And every time we go, the Seaside Aquarium is a highlight of our stay. We have four children - all of which look forward to going back to feed the seals, see the animals on display, and to experience the hands-on exhibit. The staff is knowledgeable and makes sure we have an enjoyable time.

Visited with a friend and child. This aquarium is so depressing. The sea lions are swimming in water that is so dirty it's opaque and they have no outdoor access. Sea lions love to sunbathe alone and then play together in clean water. There are large Pacific octopuses there but they appear to be terribly depressed and bored. The enclosures had nothing for them to do at all. No caves or rocks or living companions. There was an eel laying around in an empty enclosure with nowhere to hide. There were sad sharks trying to hide in the corner. When we asked questions the staff said some nonsense about the creatures being perfectly fine. They were uninformed about the actual lives of sea creatures. I hope that people will stop going to this aquarium until this place is closed down or the owners improve the living conditions of these creatures. The sea lions need outdoor space and clean water. The exhibits need to show healthy water and life. The creatures need caves and places to hide. We left feeling sad and dirty having participated in this aquarium by paying the entrance fee.

This is by no means a big aquarium. However, they do have some very unique displays and sealife, so it is educational. It was a bit of a challenge since we were there during COVID-19, but still good. It would probably be better if you don't have to watch out for closeness.

The seals are over the top with their antics. They are worth the price of admission, which was reasonable.

went there because it looked interesting from the outside, and it just happened to be right next to where we were staying. definitely worth the modest admission price, and watching and feeding the seals was a lot of fun. they are really animated when you are feeding them and put on quite a show and they definitely have the "splash range" down pat. pretty good variety of other sea life to see as well in the wall tanks. really enjoyable and doesn't take a lot of time to see.

The prices are reasonable, feeding the seal ions is the best part! Then after you feed the sea lions you get to go explore the hands on exhibits and the non-hands on glass exhibits of rare fish, sharks, and other sea creatures. You can spend hours just watching them interact and do their thing. Highly recommend visiting!

Good aquarium if you want to see what lies just offshore. Very well kept and worth the visit. The sea lions are awesome to feed. They are comical. takes about 30 minutes to see the entire place. Great for little kids since you can touch a bunch of things.

This is a one room aquarium filled with various fish tanks and a touch tank, so it doesn’t take long to get through it. The seals though are worth the relatively cheap ($9/adult) price. You can pay $2 to feed them and they will display all of their tricks to try to get you to throw them a fish. I think there were about 9 out in the small area when we were there.

Kids will love this small, manageable aquarium. $2 gets you a plate of slippery fish parts to feed the sea lions who work hard to entertain the crowd and earn their treat. There's a great touching tank where kids can "pet" starfish, urchins and other critters of the sea. Several tanks display all kinds of fish and marine life. Even with small kids you can do this in 30 minutes. There's always a line, so go early in the day.

Formerly a historic 1920’s saltwater ‘natatorium,' this aquarium has stayed in business almost 85 years (since 1937). It’s worth the $9 price of admission and here’s one reason why: Octopus! What a friendly creature, absolutely fascinating to watch—the closest you’ll ever be to getting to know a live octopus. (Although we felt sorry for him/her in the restrictive tank). The other tanks of colorful, interesting and large fish were friendly too! (They all posed for the camera). Also you can feed sea lions near the front entrance. We got a good laugh at the coral that was shaped like a roll of TP! (Lol, nature imitating COVID matters). BTW, everyone must wear a mask when visiting. You’ll find quite a variety of sea creatures including sea cucumbers, starfish, sea urchins, much more - including a touch-tank for little folks.

This aquarium is right on the boardwalk opposite the ocean. It looks like it has been there for years, which it has by the photos showing visitors from the 1940's, Admission is fair. Buy the sardines to feed the seals...they are born there and trained to be real hams! warning: one of them gets your attention by slapping the pond water at you! you get wet and laugh at the same time. The displays are authentic for the sealife found in the ocean off Oregon coast. There is a curator inside ready to answer questions. Children will love the place. Try it.

What a cute little aquarium. And that’s exactly what it is. Don’t expect a huge place with lots of animals . Cool fish aquariums with variety of sea life . The highlight of this stop was feeding the seals. We loved it! They were funny, loved attention and food!! We would for sure stop again. Beach right out the front door .

Love this little place! Love to go here every time we go to Seaside! You can never get tired feeding the seals and watching them do their tricks!

For one adult and one kid it was $12.75. You have access all day with getting a hand stamp if you wish. We spent about 30 minutes here and thought it was sufficient. There are no public restrooms at this aquarium. Be prepared and go before you visit. Parking on site is free up to one hour. Small gift shop has some little trinkets, real shells, and toys for sale.

At the front is a small group of seals. You can pay an additional fee to feed them. There are two touch tanks where you can touch sea urchins, starfish, and hermit crabs. Other tanks include octopus and other fish.

I absolutely love this aquarium. It is quite small but they have alot of really interesting things. My grand kids had a ball. They got to feed the sealions and hold a live star fish. There are alot of different types of sea creatures. The price was great and the staff was super friendly.

Great entertainment for the whole family. Bring your whole family (up to 6 adults) for less than $30. Touch tanks are a winner for the kids and everyone loves to feed the very animated seals.

The seals are so much fun and you can actually feed them. The forum is not very big but it’s just fun to see you don’t miss it if you’re in the area.

The harbor seals are so much fun!! They have such big personalities, and really interact well with people. Feeding them was a great highlight of our trip to Seaside. The aquarium is very nice with great exhibits and a touch tank. It also has a cute gift shop with great souvenirs.

Our children had a blast! This was well worth it and the pacific octopus was really cool! Our son also loved doing the crayon rubbings they provided. We would do it again for sure!

This is possibly the smallest aquarium we have ever been to, located at the end of a dead end street right on the beach in Seaside. Inside is maybe a dozen aquariums displaying local sea life, 2 touch tanks for the little ones, a giant octopus in a bigger open tank and the best part, seals in a large(ish) tank with a wire cage over it to keep fingers out. They will sell you a small tray of fish to feed to the seals for $2, DO IT! Our granddaughter loved watching them splash around and jump for the fish.

It's worth a couple bucks to throw fish at the seals. It's good fun, but be warned one of the splashes you until you feed him/her. The aquarium is smaller than I expected. they do have a couple of touch tanks and that was pretty cool

cute seaside stop. Feed the seals for $2 is fun for the kids. The kids loved to touch all the sea life and coral.

This is a small town aquarium and very cute the biggest most awesome thing is the feeding of the animals you can do. Great little small town place.

The seals love the attention and get quite demanding of fish. All 5 of my children loved this experience, from the seals out front to the several octopi and touch tank.

This is a "must see" at Seaside. Fasanating aquatic life. From anemones, to eels, to sea cucumbers, starfish, many varieties of fish and much more. Unbelievable specimens! Our favorite were the family of seals. Such fun and you get to feed them. All the exhibits were up close and personal. The prices were very reasonable. The aquarium is right on the beach. Don't miss this!!

This is one of my all time favorite places to visit in Seaside! It is small but they have a lot of cool stuff. The best part of all is getting to feed the seals!!! I took my kids to do this and I still think I had more fun feeding the seal. It's quite the experience. Not to mention their prices are very fair.

Its a small aquarium. Came about 10 years ago. Not much has changed since. The exhibits are nice. I like thats its all pacific northwest stuff. The seals are hilarious. Worth the money. Nice little gift shop. Its a privately run aquarium. Nice to support the little guys.

This was a cute and very small aquarium located just off the boardwalk and near the beach. The seals were very well educated on how to get the attention of those with the $2 sardine trays for feeding. There are several octopi in various tanks. It was worth the 10-15 mins to look at all the fish tanks. There is even a touch and feel area for the kiddos.

It was fun to visit. They have friendly staff, good gift shop but the aquarium itself is very small. They also have a lot of seals for such a small tank. It makes me worry about the animals welfare. My son had a lot of fun looking around and seeing the sting ray and octopus but its average. They really need to expand. I know how easy it is to say that versus the reality though.

This is a small aquarium but a very good aquarium. Had A-blast Feeding the Seals. Just wish the food to feed them was more in each container

Have been going to this aquarium since I was a child and I enjoy it. Although, I really wish they could expand though and give the animals more room. My family really enjoys feeding the seals. We have visited here many times over the years

Heartbreaking institution with small, unenriched enclosures for large, intelligent, animals (seals, octopi), and no sound insulation for animals. While individual staff members may care for these creatures, conditions within the facility are barbaric. My experience was deeply unsettling, heartbreaking, and led me to choose routes to avoid walking by the facility for the duration of my stay in seaside.

During our walk along the prom, we decided to visit the aquarium. It has a small town charm and the seals are a blast to feed and watch play. Be careful as they can splash and you will walk out soaking wet. We learned about he local marine life and were sad to read about Victor the lobster. While it may not have the flash of a big city aquarium, this quaint place allows you to get up close to displays without huge crowds,

My first tip is to go when its not peak hours, it is very small and gets crowded easily or even a line to pay and get in. We went during slower hours its a blast to feed the seals they get excited act crazy and its only 2.00 a plate as they call it. The aquarium behind the seals is awesome encompasses the northwest sea life and has a great sized octopus in open water. Again if it was really busy can see this being way to crowded. Cost us 20.00 for 2 plates admission 2 adults and 2 kids. For about 30min of entertainment and good memories.

Small aquarium that is well signed so you can identify everything in each mimi aquarium. Great "touching" ponds for kids (and adults). Seal pool where you can feed the seals which was fun for everyone. It is worth visiting for everyone.

I was shocked about the aquarium. The tanks aren’t well taken care of. No plants or any hiding places. Some fish had injuries (for example a small shark with a open / bleeding nose). A beautiful big octopus is all alone in a tank without lights and made completely from concrete. Very sad and not a natural habitat at all for the animals. The seals have a tiny and ugly concrete pool too and never experienced freedom as they were born in this place. Overall just horrible! Please don’t support this place and teach your kids to treat animals better than this!

This is a really neat little aquarium in town. It has beach access but little parking in the back. It’s a short but sweet visit because of the size of the aquarium which is perfect because of kids short time attention. Right in The front part of the aquarium you could feed the seals. The fish to feed him is about two dollars a little tray. Very cute seals who slap their bellies to be fed. The aquarium has a few hands on areas. You can hold hermit crabs and pet the starfishes.

It a small aquarium but it was nice and reasonably priced. It was fun to feed the seals and check out the touch tank.

This is such a fun place! The seals are so fun and then you get to go into the aquarium part and see all the fish and sea creatures!

Love the seals. They smack the water or belly to try get you to feed them. The Place is small, but worth it.

This was a small aquarium, but it was the highlight of our day. The seal were so funny. They would slap the water for you to feed them, then jump to catch the fish.

Got to feed the seals. They do tricks to get the fish you throw their way. They have other sea life in tanks, as well as a petting tank. Very good exposure to sea life.

Very nice. Not too big, but chock full of interesting species. I loved the seals and some eels that were super ugly yet beautiful at the same time!

Small by size but plenty of species to see and a touch tank and the local seals being fed and waiting for you to take great pictures they have seal food for sale if your have the desire.

Really enjoyed feed the seals and getting the hands on experience with some of the ocean life. Big Momma, the octopus, was really neat for my kids to see and the staf was wonderful.

By far the coolest thing we did in seaside. It's a must do. We had the choice of going to the museum before they close (at 5 pm) or catching the sunset on the beach. We skipped the first half of the sunset and went to the aquarium, good choice! It only takes a few minutes since there's not much to see.

Feeding the seals was a great past time even with our teenage kids. Family friendly as we spent about an hour in the exhibit area overall affordable

Love showing my grand children this place, every time they see or do something new there. This last visit they got to feed and hold the hermit crabs and they almost thought it was better then the feeding the seal but the one that always claps won again. Great place!

Was not worth the price. The staff did not interact at all. The experience did not match the price tag. The seals were cool to see.

Our group wanted to go in to the seaside aquarium so we went . They charged us 15.75 for two adults together There really isn’t anything there once you get inside and if you want to feed the seals ( we did not ) that’s a extra 3.00 for a small boat of fish . It might be okay for someone with children but I personally wouldn’t be back . The place needs a face lift !!

It was dark, all the tanks were dirty and hard to see into. The octopus was in a shallow pool with nothing in it and feeding the seals was great and all but they pack a bunch of them into a small pool too. Not worth the money.

The Seaside Aquarium has been a favorite of ours for YEARS. The best part, of course, is feeding the seals, who are hilarious and full of personality. We started with $10 of fish (five trays, they are $2 each) and we had so much fun that we kept buying more trays and ended up $50 in on seal treats but it was SOOO worth it. We got some great photos of these awesome creatures. You cannot go wrong. Aquarium itself is clean and interesting. We encountered a very helpful and informative staff member at the touch tank area who conversed with my son and I at length about the sea life and answered all of his questions with patience and detail. Overall a great visit, we highly recommend and we will be back next visit to Seaside.

Primarily a sad aquarium. Only treat is feeding the seals, but then you realize the seals and the other aquatic life are trapped here.

It was a fun family friendly stop. Our kids enjoyed viewing all the exhibits and the touch tanks. As expected, feeding the seals was a real treat. We wish their had been a bit more interaction with the aquarium team. Our family is inquisitive and enjoys learning from those that care for the animals. Overall, it was a great value and a good time.

My husband and I were only there for overnight, but feeding the seals was the first and last thing we had to do while we were in Seaside. The volunteers are incredibly helpful and full of knowledge about the many species to view inside the aquarium, and spending time feeding fish to the seals is a different experience every time as each seal has his own special way of asking for attention. It is a MUST do for your beach trip.

The Seaside Aquarium really hasn't changed since I was a kid, and that is 100% part of its appeal. I love puchasing trays of stinky little fish (anchovies?) to feed the seals. Watching them catch a fish in the air, clapping and splashing, is just so much fun. The kids always love touching starfish and anenomies. It is always a great time. The aquarium is small and a little dark, but we stll find it to be a great stop every time we visit the area.

Loved the seals. There was a nice open pool area with glass around so that you would not get wet. You could feed them and watch them interact. There were many displays featuring information about the habitat of the area with many different aquariums of fish. A nice place to take kids or just visit and learn.

Pros: feed seals for $2. vintage nostalgic feel. kids 5 and under free. small gift shop attached. hands on exhibits w/ educated staff. seal window w/ step for viewing. coloring station for kids.
cons: small. dimly lit. older.

Small aquarium but worth the time! Nice exhibits and the staff was nice. If you go you have to feed the seals! It was so much fun when the clapped there flippers. (you may want to go all the way to the end of the feeding ramp - just a hint - you can figure it out easily)

OLD building with some history. Water in the tanks was clean and well maintained. Took about 20 minutes to see everything. The octopus was the best. I hope the sea lions have another place to live besides the tiny tank in the front. They are well fed by the tourists buying $2.00 trays of food for them.

We loved visiting the Seaside Aquarium! It was educational and had lots of fun activities for the whole family! Touching pool was wonderful for our 7 year old daughter and even our 14 year old boy enjoyed feeding the seals and looking at and reading about the sea life they have there. You can make crayon rubbings of aquatic life, which appeals to younger children and they have a small gift shop which is attached to the aquarium. We had a great time!

The wife and I went to aquarium for the first time and not disappointed. Feeding the seals was great. Be expected to get a little wet because one of the seals thinks its funny haha The aquarium has been around since the 20s. Was very fun and staff very friendly

I had read the reviews before going, so realized this is a tiny aquarium and certainly can be viewed in a half hour or so.
I was convinced to feed the seals, but four half sardines (or similar bait fish) for $2? Glad I didn't have a family of children with me.
The staff is extremely knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. And the gift shop while compact had a few things I picked up, including 2 of the "make a pearl necklace" ( sorry, I can't remember the actual name) items for gifts.
Thank you to other reviewers for the warning about No Onsite Public Bathrooms.

Help free the sealions please, they need your help, ask about them when you visit, get them free from the hell they are in

Enjoyed our time at the Aquarium, feeding the seals is fun and can be wet, this is a small aquarium but it is well kept and educational.

While stopping in Seaside for a short visit, we stopped in the aquarium for an hour or so. It is quite small, so it is easy see in a reasonable amount of time. The displays are easy to view and there is an interesting array of sea critters to watch! The seals are quite comical and their "give the food to me" antics make you laugh!

The seals are what makes the place awesome. The touch tanks are nice and easily reachable. Price to get in is fair price

It’s a small aquarium, but the seals are adorable. It’s only $2 for a tray of food to feed them. The kids loved it, heck, we loved it too! The seals are interactive and slap their bellies to get you to throw them fish.
The rest of the aquarium is small, but there’s lots to see. There are 2 large touch tanks for kids to touch starfish and sea cucumbers. There are also 3 octopus to see. Definitely worth checking out!

Small enclosures, this is not nearly adequate for the marine life that is being kept there. This place should be shut down

We chose to go to the aquarium with our young children because it was a rainy day and a quick google showed 4 out of 5 stars. What a terrible mistake. This place is so sad. Dark and smelly. The display tanks show lifeless creatures with signs like "I'm not dead, I'm just resting" or "dont worry, this is normal behaviour". The seals were the most traumatic. So many beautiful seals in such a small space. No regulation on feeding. People were just throwing fish in at random and the seals had no interest. I wish I could erase the memories from this place.

This little gem has some really interesting sea life. Don't miss it. And feed they seals while you're there, they'll appreciate it.

My wife loved feeding the seals. That alone made our visit a joy. The aquarium itself was filled with many interesting things to see. An enjoyable stop.

The aquarium is a great place to go nice little gift shop full of beach treasures, and the seals are fun to feed and watch play.

This is a very old aquarium but it is worth the small admission just to feed the harbor seals. They are so interesting and each have their own personality for never being trained. If you pick up a seaside magazine you will find a coupon for a tray of free food to feed them. It was a lot of fun.

Small space, however it was full of fish to look at and even had touch tanks. You can even feed the harbor seals who just love the attention that people give them. They have a larger tank that they have full access to at anytime but prefer the smaller tank where they get the attention, and food. Was way worth the $10 price for one adult person. I loved to see the octopus swim about in its tank that sits on the ground so you can see in. Cute little gift shop.

Spent 2 hours there and it was very interesting and entertaining. The seals were so cute and the octopuses were cool.

The seals are pretty cool, but the space is small and cramped. It’s about $8.50 to get in, and the room is very small. There are a few touch tanks and the rest are glass aquariums. A small gift shop that you can visit without even having to pay for admission. Seriously, you get nothing with admission. Not worth the stop, or maybe a once in a lifetime stop. That’s about it.

We always visit the aquarium every time we come to seaside. We just love it! Our favorits are the seals and of course the octopus!

We were attending a family reunion in Seaside so 3 adults, 3 teens, 2 children, and 3 babies went to the aquarium. The children really liked the hands-on exhibits along with feeding the seals (extra charge). The octopus chose to take off swimming in his large tank right when one of the children was videoing it. That was thrilling! However the aquarium is very small and overall a bit shabby. You feel like you are in someone’s dark damp basement. Most of the fish in tanks seem crowded and there isn’t a lot of variety. Overall I would say it was worth the very reasonable price of admission, especially for the children.

Great for little kids, gives them something to look at and explore. Its tiny, but well taken care of. Its neat looking at all the tanks and watching the fish. Our favorite part was looking at the octopus. It's only $9 ea for adults and it something to do.

Awesome they have petting/touching area. The aquariums are small and the area of the aquarium itself is less then half a foot ball field. The only reason I enjoyed it at all was the seals. They are really the main and only draw. They are in a small area where you can feed them.

The enclosures for fish, stingray, octopus and seals were horrible and small. The whole place just made me really sad. They need to invest some money to improve things for the creatures in their care or close down.

These conditions the animals live in our horrendous! Please release your seals. Don’t go to this facility.

Sometimes these places are just cheesy money grabbers, but it's rather small and worthy. The seals alone are worth it :)

If in Seaside, this is a definite stop. It is not large but fun to see the sea creatures. We opted not to feed the seals but with little kids, that would be fun.

This was the most distressing experience I’ve ever had at an aquarium - you’ll never convince me that these poor creatures have any kind of quality of life here. I only came here in search of their barnacle exhibit for some research I was doing - even the barnacles - one of the hardiest creatures on earth - looked absolutely miserable!

Even The Dodo investigated them and felt the same way and wrote an article about it some years ago - google that article for more info since I can’t add the link.

The tanks are tiny - and utterly void and empty of any kind of natural stimulus for their captives. Particularly concerning were the seals, octopi, and “touching pools”. Octopi are extremely intelligent creatures and require a lot of care and organic stimuli - they have two here in bare tanks. One of them is in an exposed tank constantly being heckled by unruly kids - the other is in a tiny box of tank. I’ve never seen an octopus so pale and miserable before as I did here.

The “touching pools” are abysmally small and full of dingy nasty water bc hordes of people are constantly playing in the water while being “observed” by staff who couldn’t care less - and seemed miserable themselves.

But the seals were the hardest to see. They have a large group of captive harbor seals in the tiniest caged pool I’ve ever seen - they have NO ROOM to swim or dive or play. And they allow tourists to feed them unregulated and unsupervised!! How can that be a good thing?? You can’t just feed seals an endless amount of fish?!!! And not even give them enough room to exercise in?!!

It absolutely BLOWS MY MIND that this place is allowed to keep animals like this. Apparently nothing can be done legally bc they’re working within the government guidelines - this is just shameful. I understand that this aquarium is historic and old - and they go to great lengths to make excuses for the conditions they’re keep these animals in but it’s appalling and INEXCUSABLE!

As full of “activists” as Oregon is, I’m absolutely baffled no one has tried to do anything about this. I highly recommend to avoid this place at all costs - DON’T give them your money.

Such a cool place to visit. My kids have this on their short list ever year. I like to by my souvenirs here too. I know the profit is staying local.

Overall it’s small but my four kids had a good time feeding the seals, petting the star fish, and just looking at the other species ! I thought the prices were fair and would recommend my children are ages 4-11 and all thought it was fun !

First time for my boyfriend being there. We both walked around and looked at all they had. He fed the cute seals ( that know exactly what to do for food lol) clapping about.

This was a great way to pass some time while it was raining outside and we couldn't be on the beach! Though it's small, it's a very endearing aquarium.

You get an up close and personal visit with seals and can even spend time feeding them if you like. They splash and clap for your attention--all of which is very entertaining.

There is a hands on area that is fun for all ages and a variety of sea creatures to see and learn about during your visit. Overall, this is a great alternative to walking in and out of gift shops all day!

I visited with my children and grandchildren. Thr kids enjoyed feeding the sealions very much and the rest of the exhibits were very interesting

Old school with some charm. Fun thing to do with kids if the weather isn't letting you enjoy the beach. You can feed the seals and has a small gift shop that doesn't kill you on prices.

This is to make up for my last review I nearly screwed up on but this place it had all sorts of fish and other amazeing creatures from the ocean that were cool

It's a very small aquarium on the beach and when you first walk in you see seals! Not much room to walk around with a ton of people in BUT it was not expensive at all to go in and we even paid to feed the seals! I would definitely go again if we are in the area again!

Extremely small but has some very interesting species. You can fees the seals which are a total blast!! Just be prepared to get a bit wet if you dont feed certain ones. They want a snack and want it NOW!!! LOL!!

We visited the seaside aquarium with our 16 year old this past weekend. While we generally enjoy aquariums, this one was pretty small and sad. We bought 2 small trays of fish to feed the seals, they obviously get fed a lot because they completely ignored our offerings. The enclosure they were in was also very difficult to see them. It took about 5 minutes to walk the interior. There were some activities going on for small children (coloring, small tide pool type area, etc). Not worth the $29 it cost us for the 10 minutes we spent there. Skip it unless you have little people.

It is a small aquarium, but it is so well designed and interactive in a creative way that it becomes one of my favorite attractions. There is Seal feeding area with 11 delightful, creative seals ( you have to experience and read the posted signs to understand how a seal can be creative!)

The staff are knowledgeable and welcoming and you learn a great deal about the marine life in the Pacific Oregon and Washington coasts.

Feed the seals and enjoy a no-nonsense small aquarium that offers all day entrance for your kids. I love that this is not all commercialized and so educational.

We went here to feed the seals. The place is way overpriced for the experience we had. There is a room with several tanks with fish in them. There were a lot of sad looking fish. There are no restrooms in the aquarium and the nearest one I could find was 2 blocks away and it had no soap. I won't visit this place again.

Whale skeleton is the main memory. Other sealife, lots of posted info. Off season (Oct. thru May) are short lines.

My family and teenagers loved viewing all the fish and giant Pacific octopuses! Feeding the seals was our favorite part that will continue to bring us back to the aquarium every year!

I thought this was a wonderful experience. If i had children, i would have rated it higher. There are seals to feed that swim right up to you. the touch tanks were pretty good and the aquariums had lot of different fish with lots of information on them.

Small but priced appropriately. Fun to feed the seals, $2 for food. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Recommend to include in any seaside visit.

I really enjoyed my visit to this one-room aquarium. They have a great variety of sea creatures in viewing tanks and the touch tank. Staff is very friendly and really knows their stuff but the true highlight is feeding the seals! You can purchase a little dish of fish and the seals are very eager to get your attention for a fish. Time your trip around feeding time or purchase fish on your own...they really brighten any day.

I can agree with people that are against zoos and this is one example here. My only reassurance with zoos or aquariums is that they are given better care than the wild, yet this facility fails to do so. It’s not worth exploiting animals for our enjoyment.

So sad.... the fish look miserable. There are so many seals in that tank, I hope it is A LOT bigger than it looks.

We were killing time and thought we'd go into the aquarium. This is not you're typical large scale aquarium but a small, very fun aquarium. You have your typical individual aquariums with unique sea life and then you have your open tanks where you can touch starfish, urchins and anemones, which the kids would enjoy. There are also educations exhibits that are interesting which I have never seen at any other aquarium. The highlight of the aquarium are the seals that you can feed. They are funny and it's worth feeding them. Kids would really enjoy this.

So much fun for all ages! Definitely bring change to feed the seals, touch tanks so cool, they give you all day pass so keep your receipt and ask for a stamp!

The aquarium was disappointing with my two kids (both under age 4). I remember it differently from childhood memories. The gift shop was my kids' favorite part, which wasn't anything to rave about (not bad either). Feeding the seals entertained us for about 5 minutes. The rest of the aquarium was mostly rockfish and eels. Strollers are difficult to navigate here but they have space to park a couple strollers inside near the entrance. The aquarium is a primary Seaside attraction so I guess you gotta go, just go with low expectations.

3 Highlights:
—opportunity to hand-feed playful seals!
—pet-friendly aquarium allows dogs inside
—large variety of touch pools

Only $8.50 for a day pass made this thing to do knowing I only had a few 45 min Windows to go look. The all day stamp ment my friends and I could go back pick up where we left off. 3 giant octopus! And a lot of fun cool stuff. Just 1 big room and the seals you can feed.

Popped by the aquarium and bought a couple of feed trays. This where it starts to get good. These seals go nuts they clap, splash, flop around, jump, and more just to get the attention of whomever has food..Best part of the day, It was worth it and I laughed the whole time I got splashed. I felt the love from those seals total love.

This aquarium is pretty modest and we were in and out in about 45 minutes. That being said, the creatures are all from the northwestern coast/ocean, the seals are hilarious and charming, there is a super cool octopus and touch tanks and best of all the woman knew a LOT about the creatures in the way only a smart scientist can. She reminded me of the scientist on Curious George, only not the least bit spacey. It was great. And FYI the seals have plenty of room in an area they have access to all the time, but they tend to hang out where they can eat the fish.

We love to visit zoos and aquariums. Every vacay includes them. We enjoyed the Seaside Aquarium. The fish are happy. The seals appear to love their job selling fish and the octopus are amazing. The only ding would be that the eels didn't appear to have hiding caves.

This aquarium is fun and has lots of hands on and staff to answer questions! Feeding the seals is the MOST FUN!! A small aquarium but delightful!

The cost wasn’t bad 9.00 for adults. The seals were in a small pool area. The aquarium consisted of a single room with tanks around the edges. Perhaps it might of been better if there were someone explaining what we we looking at

Not much was open on a Saturday morning when we discovered the aquarium was already opened. We enjoyed feeding the harbor seals fish, although their antics got us splashed with water on a cloudy, misty day. We also enjoyed seeing the 2 year old octopus in an open tank. I personally enjoyed reading the history if the aquarium and seeing photos of the building's previous life as a salt water pool (for people in 1920s and 1930s).

It's fun to feed the sea lions and it's interesting to see the starfish and anemones up close. I learned a lot about various kinds of fish. In that respect this place is great and fulfills a useful purpose. On the other hand, all of the tanks where the sea lions and various fish live seem really unnaturally small, and that's very sad. I'd love to see a campaign to raise funds to make a better, more modern aquarium. This place was built in the 1950's, I think, and it's way outlived it's useful life. Interesting, educational, and also sad.

A small aquarium geared toward the kids. There were seals to feed and other interactive exhibits. The kids all had fun!