The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk Reviews

My boys 3, 6, 9, and 12 all had a great time at this aquarium. It was a good 2-4 hour activity. I have been to many aquariums and we found this to be one of our favorites. To extend your day, bring a lunch and scooters or bikes and make your way to the small but nice and clean park just 100 yards away.

Visit to the Norwalk Maritime aquarium was very informative for me and my grand children from both Alaska and California. Lots of hands on exhibits and sea animals and fish. Great experience and recommend highly.

Lots of hands on for young people a bit crowded die to end of the year school field trips so pick a better time.

Maritime aquarium is a great place to take toddlers. It is fun and manageable. The kids loved watching the sea lions and had a blast touching the sting rays. We loved it there. I did find the tank with sea turtles a bit depressing though.

Clean, friendly staff and great place for young kids!!
We spent the day here during their Olympic weekend celebration. Although it was a holiday weekend, it was busy, but not packed. We enjoyed our visit!
Just FYI- the bistro is expensive!

We had taken my daughter t the Maritime Aquarium several times as a toddler, but now at age 10 she did not remember it and wanted to return. And boy did she love it. We were so impressed by the numerous hands-on attractions, in which my daughter and I were able to touch sturgeons, sting rays, a crab, and even (non-stinging) jellyfish! We also loved the otters and the meerkats were a joy.

My only constructive criticism is the shark tank does not appear to be large enough for the several large sharks swimming therein, whereas other tanks for larger animals such as harbor seals seemed more appropriate.

All in all this was a wonderful experience for us and we'll definitely return!

Sad and Depressing at best!!!
We went in hopes of exposing our young ones to underwater sea life, I was underwhelmed and extremely saddened by the conditions the animals live in. The displays for the animals are extremely small , over crowded with large numbers of animals and no enrichment. The animals seem stressed and depressed, and don’t deserve to live in such inhumane conditions . If the purpose of the aquarium is to educate, they need to teach the importance and value of respecting every animal and provide them with an environment that is worthy of their existence. My 4 yr old thought it was sad to see the animals in such small tanks, and didn’t want to stay.
The monkeys were living in a small concrete room with nothing that resembled a natural environment and their only stimulation was the kids hitting the glass, which was stressful for me to watch and I can only imagine what they feel like after a day of that.
Several of the other exhibits had dead hanging plants, which kind of set the tone for the whole experience to me!!!
Don’t Go!!

Our 5 and 2 YO loved this aquarium. We went two days in a row, for 3 hrs each day and barely got it all done! It is huge! They had a bunch of cool touch pools that our kids loved. The staff was great.

The only bad thing about the place is the parking garage:
You have 20 minutes after paying to get out of the garage...well, because of the terrible layout, we barely made it out 16 minutes to get out, due to the traffic jam during closing time.

If you go, I would recommend you leave at least a half an hour before the aquarium closes...the garage is a nightmare.

This is a very kid friendly location with plenty of activities for everyone. I even learned a thing or two. Would highly suggest visiting!

Wonderful place to visit with young ones. Exciting to watch the seals at feeding time. Definitely an interesting outing for visiting Family and Friends!

Amazing aquarium. We have had a membership for over ten years and love to visit, even with teenagers and friends. The staff is great, movies shown are so interesting, and the foos court and gift shop have a lot of options. We always eat there since the food is good (not true for many other museums or aquarium). We love this aquarium. Highly recommend. They also host girl scout troops overnight and have a great Long Island sound boat tour you can register for.

We love visiting here! All of the kids have fun and plenty to explore. The upstairs play area is always a hit for the little kids! Very well run.

I was truly disappointed and disheartened to see the animals in such small enclosures. There were 6 seals in the tiniest tank of water. Their tails touched the bottom of the tank. They had to perform in order to get food. Broke my heart.
The flamingos also had a very small enclosure and so did the otters. By the way, read The sign by the otters… It says that they make it dark in there so that the animals think it is night time so that they will be more active for your viewing pleasure. So basically they trick these animals into performing. Quite expensive also.

Beautiful exhibits but could use some sprucing up, paint, floors are a little sad looking. Still enjoyed the visit.

I enjoyed how many different kinds of activities were included in the price. The IMAX was, obviously, a huge hit with the kids, and I enjoyed that there were a variety of things like touch tanks, aquaria and, oddly meerkats. It isn't inexpensive, between admission and a light lunch it was nearly $100 for an adult and two kids, but honestly they do such good work and it was so much fun, that I didn't mind the cost. WAY better than say, going to Legoland or something like that!

This was a hit with our 4 and 1 yr olds. They loved all the different animals at the museum and even thou we were there on a crowded day we had no trouble seeing every exhibit up close. The sharks and turtles were the highlight. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Only word of caution they do not have straws in the cafeteria, which isn't a big deal except when you have 2 little kids dying for a drink of milk and it's out of a carton. Wish I knew about the straws before I bought the milks. Overall a great day and we would return.

This is a great experience for little kids. There is a very well-organized birthday Staff, lots of animal touching, and IT'S SAFE! Lots of security, wristbands, and guided tours. Street paring or in the garage next door. You have to use their caterer, so the food is institutional but hey, you have little kids with you! Prices are fair but not cheap. Well worth a visit

Our first booking was canceled and moved to the week after. Then next week, we caught in a traffic and was trying to reschedule our cruise another in advance. Unfortunately no one picked up the phone and we have to miss the cruise.

Weekends in Norwalk, CT at the Aquarium will be packed, with parents with multiple age children but mainly under three-year-olds. Exhibits should engage and entrance audiences as well as various IMAX options. Add to this hands-on with various: sting-rays, proximity displays with prairie dogs. Worth the admission

The Maritime Aquarium needs to initiate a capital project to improve its mammal exhibits, which border on cruelty. The lone otter is in a small plastic “case” that never receives natural light. I don’t know why an aquarium had one, but the skunk was pacing back and forth in its small enclosure clearly in mental distress. And the seals swim endlessly in a narrow, semi-circular channel surrounding small faux rock landings where they can eat fish given to them by staff members in front of a crowd. I don’t care if this aquarium is accredited or not. The bottom line is that the mammal exhibits need to be upgraded ASAP.

The Maritime Aquarium is a great place to visit with your family. It is a great asset to the city of Norwalk. Fun interactive displays.

The Maritime Aquarium is in the heart of the historic waterfront neighborhood of SoNo which is short for South Norwalk. The aquarium is fun place to go for all ages as there is so much to see and do. The kids love the tidal pool where you can touch the rays and baby sharks. One of the things that my kids love is the jellyfish pool were you can touch them without being stung. In the summer there is also a butterfly enclosure were they land all over you. Remember to wear bright clothes to attract them. There is a large shop for souvenirs. They could do better at providing more food and beverage options since outside food and beverages are prohibited.

We go here all the time, we love this place. The kids always learn something new every time we go. The imax is awesome. The new exhibits are cool. They have special exhibits for a few months a couple times a year so it’s worth the membership.
If your just visiting Around Norwalk ct, I would recommend stopping in here for a few hours.

It was a little crowded since it was a Saturday afternoon but not overboard. The kids loved all the touch tanks and sea lion exhibit. It even has an area for toddlers to play. Membership worth it if you can visit again. Paid $8 for parking at nearby lot. Next time we'll catch one of the IMAX shows. The surrounding streets have great places to eat.

28th class trip to the Maritime Aquarium. Every time I visit the aquarium gets better and better. My students had a chance to dissect a squid and visit the IMAX theatre. Both were fantastic!!! My students really enjoyed this trip. I can’t wait to take my class next year. I highly recommend this trip.

Children (10 & 11 years old) and adults (grandmothers) had a great time. We learned a lot and had fun doing it. Lots of hands-on investigation for kids. The instructors were friendly as well as knowledgeable and related well with the children. The ship was clean, comfortable, a good size and well equipped for its function. Everyone involved from the crew, the staff and even the ticket sales seemed focused on making it a great experience.

Did not expect to see two LARGE sea turtles in a SMALL tank!! I can’t believe what I encountered! There was about five or six sea lions and they were all swimming in the same direction provided for their tank... HOWEVER this is not normal!! Sea lions need more open water and do not swim in the same direction constantly in the wild!! I was beyond scared and concerned when I saw one parrot enclosed in a small area! This mortified me and I was so close walking out in tears! The poor stingrays did not have enough sand to hide and seriously must have been stressed out when people aimed to touch them! I don’t understand how this is okay!! This is WRONG on all measures! I’m not understanding why the TANKS are soo SMALL! This is not a healthy amount of water for the sharks, sea turtles, sea lions, and otters!! I have never seen Soo much DISRESPECT to animals when I saw the meerkats!! The meerkats are sensitive to sound!! People were tapping at the glass trying to get their attention, but this only scared them!!!! How can people think this is normal!? I’m not sure! This opened my eyes! I am more compassionate and I WILL NOT go to another aquarium or zoo ever again!!! This is disgusting human behavior! What makes us think this is okay to cage animals for show and tell!! As I walked out of the aquarium I wanted all animals to come with me! Unfortunately this is unrealistic!! Do me a favor Maritime aquarium employees, look at those animals and truly look at them! Do they look happy to you?! Look at their tanks!! Do they look BIG enough to you!? How can you support such abuse everyday!? I’m sure I will get a response trying to justify this institution, but nothing will convince me. Yup I’m sure you will tell me all the animals are healthy and well cared for PHYSICALLY. However like humans ANIMALS need to be physically healthy and MENTALLY healthy!! Don’t try to tell me the parrot is mentally ok! Don't try and tell me those sea turtles have enough water! Don’t try to tell me enrichment programs are beneficial to the animals!!! Look at the tanks and FACES of the animals!!!!!!!!

We were prepared for the weather , not for standing for the whole time. We did not have binoculars , so about all I SAW was Osprey nests , and an occasional duck.

I went on the cruise from the Norwalk aquarium, we had a very nice time it was very professional and informative! I will definitely go again.

Not as good as Atlanta or Monterey but great for it being local and to take kids to. Kids enjoyed it as well as the adults. Would come back.

Great exhibits with very nice descriptions and unique animals. Looked like they had lots of activities for kids.

I couldn't believe my freshman grandson was willing to go. We both enjoyed it, although there were a lot of small children running around. But, isn't it nice that the Aquarioum appeals to all ages.

I have visited this landmark many times with my children and grandchildren, and it gets better every time. For small children (and adults), you can pet friendly sting-less rays, watch seals at feeding time, and enjoy a first-class aquarium with lots to do and touch.

Had a wonderful time with the kids. They enjoyed seeing all the wildlife and the IMAX theater was fantastic!

We had a great time exploring the many exhibits in this aquarium. Pay attention to the feeding times in the different areas for a better experience. We were able to see both the shark and seals being fed. An IMAX ticket is included in the price of admission. There are previews you can view on their website to help you choose which educational movie you would like to see during your visit. There are several touch tanks throughout the aquarium where you can pet jellies, sharks, stingrays, and more. There is a lot of educational material to read, and watch, throughout. I especially liked the exhibit that taught about making smart choices when buying/ordering seafood to help protect seafood populations. In the warmer months there are more activities available outdoors.

Another great experience for visitors of all ages. The Aquarium is a treat for the senses: where else can you touch swimming rays, examine an octopus close-up, practice rope-tying, and watch sea turtles, sharks, and many varieties of fish swim about in large tanks? Well-laid out and interpreted, the Norwalk Aquarium is an experience not to be missed. The I-Max films add to our under-standing of the sea and our planet. Parking is available in a multi-storey car park; but the MTA commute station is only a few blocks away if coming by train from New York or New Haven.

I love this aquarium! It's not really big but has enough to keep everyone entertained for several hours. My kids loved the big tank with sea turtles and sharks. We considered going either here or to Mystic Aquarium...visiting the Maritime Aquarium saved us literally about $35 (on one adult and three child admissions).There is a little something for everyone...interactive exhibits, a toddler play area, several touch tanks. Convenient parking in the garage just across the street. If you spend a little time outdoors on a nice day, there is a nice playground just around the corner. Tip: I don't recommend going on days like today (President's Day) or the day after. Most CT schools no longer have a week of February vacation but just one or two days, and it seemed as if everyone in the state showed up...it was very crowded.

A great destination for the family and/or friends. Education about maritime eco systems, animals and all sorts of aquatic life forms. Plus a great IMAX theater. Lots of displays. And a hybrid research boat for river excursions.

Such a nice aquarium pretty small but there is defiantly a lot to see! The jellyfish exhibit is the best!

Best place to go on a rainy weekend with small children to enjoy and interact with sea life in Norwalk and the environs!

I've lived 1,000 feet away for years and finally went. It appears deceptively small. Much bigger than expected and I was pleasantly surprised. Would definitely recommend!

The aquarium had some marine life you might not see at another aquarium (where we are from anyway). The jellyfish, seals, and meerkats were our favorite. We got through the entire aquarium in about an hour so I question if it is worth the cost.

This is our favorite place to visit. Very family friendly, all ways something new to see, great indoor and outdoor space and all the animals and I-max are great.

Price as a little high as it's a smaller sized aquarium, but the iMAX movie is worth it! The exhibits are very interactive and they had a lot of hands on activities available.

I came here with my boyfriend for an afternoon and enjoyed the visit! For $25 you also get a ticket to their IMAX theater which was HUGE. It was fun, clearly meant mostly for kids, but if you enjoy animals or are a kid at heart you'll enjoy it as well.

We came here during one of the really hot days, and had a glorious time. Apparently this aquarium has been highly improved in recent years, and the care and attention to detail really show. We loved seeing the seals and otters, and we also really enjoyed going through the different biomes (like rainforests) to look at smaller animals (tortoises, porcupines, etc). This aquarium is incredibly hands-on (the sketch and release digital wall was fun), which is great for kids and adults alike. Their 4D screen is gigantic, but the films they show are fascinating, and it doesn't hurt the eyes like some 3D/4D experiences.

Reading the reviews, we were conflicted whether or not to try out this aquarium while passing through. We decided to stop, and were glad we did. Is it on the smaller side - absolutely - but it was clean, well organized, and the staff was very helpful. We spent about 3 hours touring the entire facility, along with taking in the IMAX movie, which is included with your admission price. They have a nice café with lots of options, and a very large, well organized gift shop. Parking was reasonable in a lot next to the facility at $1.50 per hour. We really enjoyed our time there and were glad we stopped in. Highly recommend.

Nice sized aquarium with lots of exhibits. 4 D movies were great. We did go on the weekend so there were a ton of small children and very loud. There is a snack shop that serves Starbucks, coffee and snacks and a cafeteria as well. We did pay for parking but there may be a way to get your ticket validated. We were not sure.

Nice place to visit with family.wish they have food court, accesorios a little expensive, parking lot so confused

A great small aquarium with plenty of attractions for kids. The otters are a riot. I love watching my grandson interact with the meerkats!

Great place to go with the family, I have been taking my kids since there are 1 yrs old, and they still like it.

Took my aunt here for her birthday recently. Aquarium is VERY kid focused, but also has interesting points of interest for adults as well. Went on a Saturday and they were extremely busy, but we still enjoyed ourselves. By far the best part were the jellyfish tanks! The prices were a bit steep for the size of the aquarium so I certainly won't be visiting often, but it was a fun way to pass a couple hours.

Had a sunset cruise scheduled for May 8th at 6:30pm. There were four or five other groups waiting on pier waiting to board. At 6:45pm, someone from other group came across the cancelation notification on website. I had asked about cancelations when booked and was told I would get an email and text 3 hours before if canceled. Never happened and was not happy. Now, no one is answering at reservation department to get refund.

Standard typical aquarium. Nothing super special. The area is near other marine type boat stores. Kids will really enjoy the place.

We have been visiting the Aquarium for many years, since the grand opening decades ago. Still a great place to take the kids - or in my case now, the grandkids. Mine are ages 3, 6, and almost 9, and all three had a good time - as I did - with instructional and interesting exhibits, good food in the cafe, and more souvenirs than you'd want to take home. Parking is convenient, as are many restaurant choices if you need dinner afterwards.

Interesting and fun...something for everyone, single, couple, or family. I recommend a subscription; multiple visits will not wear out its charm.

Loved it. Did not expect it to big and have so many fish. There were lot of kids who look liked they are having blast.

Before going we researched online to make sure this was something safe to bring my child to during Covid times. Seeing we had to book tickets online for a certain time I felt like they were only allowing a certain amount of people in at once. Well that’s not the case because once you are in you are in for the day so there was a ton of people in there and large groups in the same areas. Unfortunately I did not feel safe with that many people in one area at the same time. I understand things are hard right now but we also have to make sure people feel comfortable and feel like you are doing what you can to keep people safe and unfortunately I had to rush my son through because it was not enjoyable. Once Covid is over I will
Go back and give it another chance but if you are someone taking Covid seriously I would steer clear for now :(

I have visited this aquarium a few years back & decided to take a trip with my children (10 & 13). This place has definitely changed. You can literally go through this aquarium in about 90 minutes. It is a very small aquarium & it didn't help that they had a part closed off for renovation. A lot of the tanks were dirty & seemed to be in desperate need of a cleaning. I've never seen so many tanks in an aquarium with condensation on them. I also noticed a lot of workers were more into their phones than attending to people. One worker was blowing bubbles for the Meerkats while taking pictures of them & texting while the other at the sting ray tank was on his phone the entire time. It was very unprofessional all around. I would not be back here & unless they do an overall haul I would not recommend this place either. For the amount of money you pay you are better off going to a bigger, cleaner, better staffed aquarium.

This is a small aquarium but the kids have a lot of interaction with the sea animals. I took my nephew there along with friends and they loved it. We go a couple times a year as they have different expos going on. We attended the butterfly expo not to long ago and the kids and I loved it. Great place to stop by if you are in the area.

The aquarium was a little disappointing...most of the exhibits were geared to young children. I wouldn't mind but the $25 entrance and the 1,000 school children made this a ho hum visit. The noise level along was enough to make me get thru this in about 20 min.

Beautiful place to visit and spend time with family. this place is wonderful and we learn everything and for everyone. I love the beauty and animals that you can find! the cinema is beautiful and super cute.

I took my kids who are very interested in marine life. I was so excited when we caught a squid. To see it up close and watch it change colors was amazing. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and approachable. We really enjoyed this experience. My kids are asking to go again.

Great for what the aquarium had to offer. Handful of touch tanks, jelly fish, sturgeon only 1 of 4 in the US&more. Lots to do ex play place, sea lion feeding shows, aquatic life as long as some other animals that are not, ex porcupine, bats, otters& more. AMAZING PRICE $18 USING A SNAP CARD FROM OUT OF STATE & 3 ADULTS 3 KIDS. Spent a total of 2 hours maybe a little more, the kids.
Also a zoo and beach are right near it as well, if you want to make a day of something reccomend 10/10!!!

Cute seals snorted, retrieved, waved and jumped while they were getting fed. Great place to see some cool fishes and staff are quite knowledgeable. Also there are plenty of different species to keep you interested. You can even touch some starfish and sharks which was awesome. Go and have fun!

My 5 year old son and I have done the LI Sound boat ride the last 2 years. Fantastic day out with an engaging, fun crew who seem genuinely focused on everyone getting the most out of the trip. Educational, very hands on (touch crabs, fish, snails) and a great experience for the kids.

They said they had Covid precautions in place ...They had none!!!!!! The place was super crowded and many were walking around without masks ! I left there in tears! I was able to get a full refund!

Our family from our adult children to our young grandchildren absolutely love going to the Aquarium. The exhibits are educational as well as fun and teh staff is very professional.

We visited on the Memorial day when it was raining, so it was really crowded with little kids, but it did not really dampen our enjoyment of the place. It is clean and the galleries are spacious, although the museum is small. It is easy to find right off I-95 highway and parking garage is right across the street (2 Hr parking costed us only $4). The aquarium is made so one can seamlessly walk through all galleries, no need to take any steps or elevators. The kids enjoyed looking at the jelly fish, octopus, and sharks as well as reading little fish and sea jokes on the wall (What did the sea say to the Sound? Nothing, it just waved...). Overall very pleasant morning spent.

We went as a family of 4 on a Sunday just to get out of the house and do something new. The price was $93 for all of use without a movie. We walked slowly and took our time looking at everything, we were done in 2 hours. The exhibits were nice and varied but I felt for $93 we should have had a longer experience. I don’t think we’ll be back but it was a good adventure out of the house.

Visited aquarium which is participating in CTs free museums for kids program. The kids had fun but we were round the exhibits in just over an hour - no way the full price admission would be justified.

Highlights were the sharks and stingray tanks.

The parking was a complete disaster. 20mins to get a space on arrival, 45 mins to exit the garage.

We decided to purchase a couple membership - which is a good way to support the facility - plus it's well worth the $130.00 fee!! We live at the Berkeley at Waypointe in Norwalk so it is convenient to check out new exhibits and/or IMAX movies. My husband and I went to The Maritime Aquarium the July 4th weekend. It was my husband's first time and he enjoyed it as much as I did. Staff was excellent. The Aquarium was very clean. We saw a great IMAX movie after touring the facility. Very good popcorn - a must when watching a movie. It's in SoNo so you can have something light at the Aquarium or go to one of the local restaurants. I inquired about volunteer positions. The gal was knowledgeable - and she took the time to explain everything.

Wonderful opportunity to see what goes on at the many smaller island around Norwalk harbor, from the birds to the boats to the shoreline real estate! Saw my first Egret in flight and many other feathered residents as they fish, nest and try to coexist with us humans. The tour guide was enjoyable and very knowledgable, but I wish they went out further into the sound. Also the cabin wasn't as cool as it could've been as it's pretty steamy this summer, but was nice to have respite from the sun. So bring your own refreshments, your binoculars and your MASK. Worth every penny!

They close at 5pm so get there early, there is a lot to see and do. Its a very interactive place, you can touch the jellyfish, stingrays, and watch a sea lion feeding. There are some great exhibits, as well as an IMAX experience we didnt do because our little one is too little, but everything else excited her. They have a huge shark tank. If you need to heat a bottle for your baby, they have a microwave in the oyster room! The cafe closes at 3-4. Discounts are available if you have a local new york attraction membership. We went with 4 adults and 4 kids, and only paid for 1 adult thanks to the other family's membership. Parking was very cheap too, and if you do go early enough, there is a free art studio attached that you can peruse and maybe buy some art!

This is such a great aquarium located not too far from the westchester area and very easy to get to. They have a paid parking garage across from them and it is reasonably price. There are the typical sea animals, touch tank activities, and also land animals to see. It can get pretty packed on the weekends, especially mid day. We recently had our daughter’s 3rd birthday here. We rented their larger room and the kids had a great time! First, the staff were amazing! You get about 4 staff for the party and they helped you decorate. They called me a day before to give a run down on everything and even offered to set up with decorations they already had (depending on the theme). When we arrived, they helped set up the decorations I brought. The private room had a few tanks filled with turtles so the kids loved looking at them when in the room. They give you a guided tour after and although the kids were a little too young to fully grasp the facts, the tour guide/staff were absolutely great! A side note, you won’t really be able to see the whole aquarium and all the animals during the tour but you get a wrist band and can stay the whole day after your event. A big plus is those 4 staff people, help guide/control your party and make sure no one is lost or left behind throughout the tour, since you’re with everyone else. You can purchase a max of 2 touch animals during the party but you can pick which ones. You also get to see a 4d movie. The only rip off is their catered food for the party, as it’s definitely overpriced. You have to use their food vendor and cannot bring your own food, besides a cake or cupcakes. I paid almost $600 for pizza for 35 guests. Each guest is allowed 2 pieces of pizza and comes with basic drinks (water, lemonade, and ice tea). They charge an insane amount for service charge then there is event fees and taxes (for the pizza it should have been about $420, so the rest was for tax/fees). We also tipped the staff for their excellent job. So overall the party was very expensive for just the food alone, but if you don’t do food and just have the event I think it would be worth it. But then again how can you have a kids party without food.

Great place, very knowledgeable folks, very informative exhibits, very well run. Just a great time for all.

It was spaced out nicely that you did not feel overcrowded, there was a mixture of large aquarium and small ones. Great for kids under 12.

I have lived here for many years and it hasn't changed therefore we don't visit often because we see the same attractions. Definetly great for a day trip for those who haven't been. My daughters favorite part are the touch tanks!

What was once a very good venue is now excellent. Visited numerous times when I lived in Norwalk but I took my 2 grandsons after a 10+ year absence and wow!Impressed with the layout and numerous exhibits. Also happy that the IMAX movie is part of the admission fee. Price of admission is a little steep but worth it.

This aquarium was a little on the small side, but was good for my 5 year old. He really enjoyed the sea lions and the live feeding of the seals. He thought it was cool to touch the stingrays, too. We would go back again!

Better than i expected. My favorite part was the Harbor seal tank which is on two levels to view the seals. Did view the shark 4D film and you will get wet. the other displays were interesting. Wish the otters display was bigger. The Sketch and Release” digital wall was also fun thing to do at any age. Staff was friendly.

I bought my small children on a holiday afternoon and we had a wonderful time. My children are young 4 and 2 year of age, so we took are time seeing everything. And we were able to do all the exhibits in about 3 hours and even did an IMAX movie which is included in your admission. I would recommend this aquarium to any family. Place was clean and modern as well.

The Maritime Aquarium is an excellent aquarium with an emphasis on Long Island Sound coastal ecology through a variety of water tanks and hands-on exhibits. Each major area concentrates on one major marine wildlife types, such as one for the sharks, one for the seals, one for the jellyfish, etc. Children will like the scheduled seal feeding times, where staff entice the harbor seals with fish to perform neat tricks (high 5!).

There's also a 4-D theater worth checking out. I saw the "Sharks" movies, which combined the sight of giant sharks devouring their prey with occasional jolts of your seat and sprays of real water. One of the better uses of 4-D theater technology.

When my son was little we visited the Maritime Aquarium at least once a month. There are so many exhibits that were interactive and entertaining, as well as educational. They have fish-petting times (okay it was a sting-ray, or a manta) feeding times for the sea lions (always big fun), a cafe, and you can spend HOURS there before the kids get bored. Great rainy day activity too. Be prepared though, it will be crowded on a rainy day as it is a go-to for locals and their kids, for good reason. We recently went back to see "Dunkirk" on the Imax theater. Bit of nostalgia in that, and then we had to concentrate on not falling over the row in front of us as we navigated to our seats. It's steep! But a great experience to be 'immersed' in the movie. Love the aquarium--for decades!

Brought my seven year old grandson here for something to do over spring break. He has been here many times before but never gets bored. I, however, was a first timer. There are exhibits and activities for children, with an emphasis on the Long Island Sound. Included in the admission price is a ticket for a choice of one of three Imax movies, which was worth the price of admission alone. We saw a film on the oceans, Jacques Cousteau, and the sea animals were on exhibit at the aquarium. Wonderful experience for both of us to share.

My son really love this place. Lots of ramps and elevators and staircases, and lots and lots of animals (from a playful river otter and seals to a small monkey cage that he liked a lot), a toddler playground (and an inside playroom!), and an IMAX theater that we really like, since there are lots of other little kids and no one gets too upset when a kid says something during the show. Super family friendly place.

Cafeteria isn't great but really, what aquarium cafeteria is?

Second time we’ve gone and far more disappointing this time. Key exhibits like touch tank and seal exhibits closed

We just brought our 3 year old grandson and we all had a super time..Rverything is so close to you in lifelike settings for the animals. Some exhibits were able to allow children and adults to touch the jellyfish--stingrays small sharks ect,

Took our grandchildren ages 1-1/2 and 5. Perfect for them. The young one loved just looking at all the fish and other animals. Took it all in. Perfect day for the 5 year old. Hands on displays, enjoying the tanks and exhibits, asking a million questions and learning. She had a ball. I think the highlight as the I-Max movie that comes with the admission cost. A great movie on Hero Dogs. About 40 minutes long and kept their rapt attention the whole time. It was my wife and my first visit also and we really enjoyed it. Maybe a little pricy, but I understand the aquarium always needs funding! Won’t be our last visit.

This place is nice all year round. It offers a nice interaction between knowledge and fun.
You can interact with some animals, watch a movie, have a decent meal and shop souvenirs at the end your visit.
Parking is always available btw.

We enjoyed going here. Our granddaughter always enjoys seeing all the sea creatures and exhibits. We recently attended a kids birthday party. It included a private tour and pizza party and cake. All the kids had a great time. The tour guide was very informative too and the kids saw and learned a lot.

We visited a few aquariums in the northeast and this one is our favorite. The touch pool is amazing and all other exhibitions are great. Love this place

really fun, interesting , educational experience for an octogenarian. love the shark exhibit and sitting in front of the jelly fish is mesmerizing. the seal feeding is also fun as is the touching pool

It is a very nice place for the children to interact with sea life. 3d movies were very nice, you actually feel like you are swimming with the fish.

Totally enjoyed this experience, even with Covid restrictions. It was great to get out on the water during this time when we have been cooped up for so long The CREW was terrific and all on board was respectful of social distancing and wore masks,

Aquarium is not very large, but the it is very enjoyable. All the different kinds of animals was very interesting. The aquarium is nicely spaced out. Really enjoyed it. The IMAX movie was awesome. Would come back!

Hands on kids exhibits, aquarium views of long island sound. Sharks and other fish aplenty. We go back whenever in the area. highlight was the harbor seals.

This was a quick and fun visit while we were driving up 95. The parking garage was located next to the aquarium, which was very convenient.

The staff and volunteers were very helpful and gave good explanations. It's worth the visit.

The cruise was highly educational. It was perfect for our 7 year old grandson, who is passionate about marine life. We (his grandparents) also enjoyed it. We particularly liked the use of multiple methods to collect sea life and the detailed information provided about the items collected. The focus on involving the children in the activities and the hands on approach made for an outstanding experience. The staff was excellent. We highly recommend this cruise.

First time being back in several years. Seems like nothing has really changed. It’s decent for the area considering nothing else around besides the little one in Trumbull mall and Mystic in the other side of the state. My biggest complaint is the staff. What a miserable bunch of people. They sure don’t make you feel welcome while wanting to learn about an exhibit that’s suppose to be hands on. They don’t engage. Even asking generic questions as simple as a location they don’t want to know anything. And not to mention it’s just complete chaos during this time of the year which enhances the lack of fun. All in all it’s a generic aquarium. Most likely will never revisit for serval more years.

I've been here 30 or more times and it's a great aquarium. Smallish, sort of condensed but great interactive exhibits, wonderful variety of animals and very friendly staff. This is good for adults and children, but it's focused more on the kids.

This is a great place to spend a few hours with your family. The displays of fish are beautiful, the Sea Lions are cute, and it is an excellent learning experience. Good for younger kids....Shark Tank is very cool!!!!! Interactive exhibits and they also do Events (Weddings & Corp) & Birthday Parties. In the warm weather you can go out on their educational vessel. The IMAX Theatre is also pretty neat.

A nice day activity with the kids. The best parts definitely were the touch pools (Sting ray and Jellyfish).

Nice to also see toads and lizards. There is a small playground area for the kids mid-way.

In the end though, it is quite fastly seen and might not keep you busy for hours.

There is a lot to see and do at The Nature Center. Parking is plentiful and the grounds immaculate. Very New England and charming! Went early afternoon and stayed til closing. Animals everywhere and a great old Mansion,museum. Nice outting!

Everybody loves a good aquarium! And the Norwalk Aquarium is a pretty good one. Plenty of exhibits to kill a few hours at. Seals (awesome), otters, reptiles, jellies, flamingoes, an octopus (extra awesome), and sooooo many fish and sharks. The IMAX movie that comes with your admission rocks, especially once the sound kicks on and drowns out all the caterwauling kids. Pro Tip- Assert your status at the peak of the food chain by grabbing some sushi afterwards in SoNo!

This is another one of the things that make CT such a value added proposition to raise our children. This place is practically hidden in plain sight off of I95. They have numerous little exhibits and enclosures which display fascinating wildlife and curious animals both from our region and beyond. My little ones loved the sting rays and sharks. The seal show was delightful! the Jelly fish tank and large shark tank were amazing on the second floor.

The aquarim was well maintained, friendly knowledgeable staff, can pet the stingrays, touch and jelly fish . I ax show was good too

This is not a huge aquarium but it's very nice and clean and has an IMAX movie theater (Movie comes with the price of admission). We saw every exhibit and the movie and were there for 4 hours. Loved the frogs, jellyfish, turtles, sea horses ... etc. We missed a few exhibits the first time around so we really took our time going back through it - seeing it all. The IMAX movie we chose "National Parks Adventure" was awesome and breathtaking and very well done. The picture quality and sound was spectacular. Great soundtrack in that movie, too.

There is a nice cafe at the aquarium and also a very nice gift shop. Again, not a huge place, and geared towards kids ... but overall we had a great experience.

It was a bit crowded but we still loved it.

The animals, facilities and staff were all wonderful. The seal feeding, jellyfish touching, and shark tank diving activities really engaged my two-year-old child.

Came here for a Saturday afternoon outing. We loved the exhibits, especially the sharks and the seals. There is a lot to do to spend 2 - 3 hours here without getting bored. The staff is very friendly and responsive to all questions. I didn't love that the activities, like the boat building, was an extra cost. All together, a trip for myself and a child, with parking, entrance and the activity was about $50, which I thought was a little high.

I went here on a rainy day a few months ago. The aquarium always is a fun place to walk around w/ family. I recommend an annual pass for families who visit here frequently. Also, in the summer, there is an outside area. Lastly, you get member (when you get annual pass) benefits like a separate line (helped with crowds) and discounts at the amazing SoNo restaurants surrounding the aquarium. My only complaint is that it is stuffy on rainy days due to crowds and that better ventilation is needed.

Had a great time ! Captain Lou was awesome! Ship was large and very accommodating.
Cristy Eagles was more than helpful helping all of us in getting our tickets. Maggie was also a gem.
Always following up on our reservation.
Looking forward to doing it all again before the end of this summer 2020!!
Mark Hennessy

If all you are interested in are jellyfish and mantas, this is your place. Very, very small for an aquarium. The whole visit, including the Imax show, takes under a couple of hours. The saddest part was the Seal exhibit. The tank is SO small for the three seals imprisoned in it. They all were listless and not active at all. No exhibit of sharks or dolphins, no tropical fish, no penquins - the list goes on. The second floor exhibits were depressing. There was an owl that was stuck with its foot wedged in a tree-like structure and no staff would address it. People around me were commenting on this, so it wasn't just my perception. The aquarium sections at the Como Zoo in St. Paul and Minnesota Zoo in Minnesota are so much better and that state isn't anywhere near the ocean!!! There was a small exhibit sponsored by a family for the Long Island Sound, and that was fairly educational. The Imax show was included with the ticket, so I didn't feel totally scammed by the price, but the admission price for this farce of an aquarium is still too high for what is offered. Get some more sponsors and make this aquarium what it should be - inclusive of more aquatic animals and fish species, and make the exhibit more educational...

This is one of our go-to places with our young children when the weather isn't great. They love touching the jellyfish and stingrays, and watching the animal feedings. The IMAX movies are also great.

The Aquarium was nice but very small. I couldn't believe how small some of the tanks are for the bigger animals. The sea turtle is huge but in a small tank with other big fish & decor. Also there were a few fish that were dead & right in front of the tanks i know if we saw them so did the other children that were there. The color your own fish & add it to the tank was great the kids loved it. My son & niece had a nice time but this will be the one & only time that we go to this Aquarium.

Very nice aquarium and quite educational on the Long Island waterways. The touch tanks are a nice added bonus. Lots of families and very family friendly for those with small children. An IMAX movie is included with your admission. There is a lovely picnic area waterside.

The Maritime Aquarium has a lot of fun exhibits for kids and adults. Admission includes all the exhibits and an IMAX movie of your choice.

Exhibits include the Ray and Sand Shark touch tank, the seals which are fun to watch at feeding time, the jelly fish exhibit, large shark tanks, fish and huge turtle tanks, you can touch jelly fish as well. There's many other interactive exhibits for kids and flamingos outdoors.

I go here every year with my kids and we all have a great time

My husband and I came for a little date day. Even though there's a lot of kids the aquarium is wonderful! It's a nice size and we had a blast.
Bonus, it's clearly a great family trip as well!

We took our girl scout troop for the sleepover event. It was an amazing experience. The program was worth every penny. Not only were they kept busy and engaged the entire time but the staff really showed us behind the scenes at the aquarium. Bill and Bruce our guides were terrific, every adult could not say enough kind words about them. Our troop wants to go again!

I have to agree with previous reviewers that our visit today was extremely disappointing. Not only was it ridiculously crowded - way over capacity guidelines - but there were so many people either halfway or not wearing masks at all. Similarly, many parents didn't even bother to monitor their kids' mask wearing and overall behavior.

We were also surprised that the staff did nothing about ensuring mask wearing while alleviating crowding in the more popular exhibits (e.g., stingray, jellyfish, shark exhibits, etc.).

Besides the 4D movie (which we enjoyed and everyone seemed adequately spread out), we were extremely uncomfortable during the entire visit, not to mention shocked that the Maritime Aquarium doesn't take COVID-related precautions more seriously.

Although we appreciate everything the Aquarium has done in terms of education and preservation, I'm sad to say we won't be going back there for the foreseeable future.

Kids had fun, many exhibits but went through the aquarium quickly. Had a group of 6 adult and 2 children. All around had a fun experience.

We have been to so many aquariums. The Maritime Aquarium is an excellent aquarium. We loved the harbor seals, as did just about everyone else there. The shark tank was really neat and the pink flamingos were so cool. The IMAX theater was also very good.

The aquarium is interesting, fascinating even, and very well done, with seal shows and others. Great for kids and families, and they usually have some special exhibit, such as the butterflies or the chocolate show. The IMAX theatre is a moving experience.

Visiting the Maritime Aquarium was a wonderful experience. The new seal pool is two stories high and en epic improvement over the last seal pool. the new exhibits are terrific and a new very large touch tank is being installed. The jellyfish exhibit is amazing. The staff and the volunteers are friendly and very helpful. I can't wait to return.

Took our granddaughter here while she was visiting on her break from school. The place was really nice, and for her being 9 years old, she enjoyed it a lot, and so did my wife and myself. Very educational and interesting exhibits.

It has been several years since we visited the museum and we were pleasantly surprised. The exhibits were really well done, there were plenty of activities throughout which allow for education and interaction with the staff and parents. The IMX movie about SuperDogs was fantastic. The meerkats, otters and tamarins were delightful surprise exhibits.

We have taken our grandchildren there several times and loved the interactive nature of it, particularly the seals, the touch ponds and educational performances. The variety is quite good. Do not take them too young however because it good be a little scary. They should at least 5

We went with children aged 2 and 4. They loved patting the sting rays, small sharks and jelly fish. They also loved the meercat exhibit.

I went here with my son on a weekday when the older kids were in school and we had a great time. The aquarium is very interactive for kids and has a lot of touch tanks. The seals were wonderful I only wish there was a stroller ramp to get him down to the front of the tank. The entire aquarium was very stroller friendly and the outside seating area was perfect for us to have lunch while overlooking the water.

Someone needs to shut this place down. It was mobbed, the level of crowdedness frankly isn't even acceptable in a pre-covid environment. Must violate some type of fire code ordinance. In a covid world- better pray your vaccines are effective - would have felt safer attending a concert.

Also, the parking garsge is absolutely insane. Never seen anything like it. It was like playing a game of slow motion tetris. I can't even fathom how many accidents occur there on a daily basis. Super tight spaces with large trucks jutting out everywhere. Very stressful driving through that trying to find parking. What idiot designed that garage? What idiot approved the construction plans of that garage? Should stick them in an exhibit at the museum to demonstrate human incompetence. Would be a far more interesting exhibit some of the existing ones at the aquarium.

Very typical aquarium. The staff was clearly very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. Interesting exhibits and shows.

I went with my family on a Saturday. I have a six year old and a three year old. The shark tank was amazing and the kids loved the jelly fish exhibit. The shows/events were a little lacking. Unfortunately the touch tank was closed the day we visited. Parking was right across the street and it was easy to walk around with a stroller. The IMAX movie is included in the price and was a nice feature.

The aquarium is bigger than it looks. Lots of different exhibits and open pools. Got to pet a sting ray and a sturgeon, which was cool. There is a cafe and a restaurant. Grabbed a bite at the cafe. Highly recommend for school age children. Could use a couple more docents in spots.

This aquarium is the perfect size if you only have a few hours to visit. We did have to skip the included IMAX movie because we were only there from noon to 4pm.

The jelly fish exhibit was amazing! There was even a tank where you could touch one! I've never seen that before! Don't worry...they make sure their stingers are not developed enough sting you.

The shark tank was pretty neat as well. We got to see a diver in the tank and she answered questions from under water.

My 10 year old daughter also did a virtual reality shark dive. She loved it! I was a little disappointed that we had to spend an additional $5 for her to do it, but she loved it.

Nice bird trip to see nesting birds in the Norwalk Islands. It was cool on the water on a very hot humid day. We saw lots of birds fairly close up.

We love the aquarium and the IMAX theatre. My son attended the jr Marine Biologist camp & he loved it!

We really enjoyed our visit. When we first arrived a staff member showed us the best route to take - down ramps not up - since my daughter is in a wheelchair. This made us feel welcome. There are nice hands on exhibits after all who doesn't want to pet a crab. Lighting was very good and made picture taking easy.

I had a lovely afternoon strolling through the aquarium with my son. I learned a ton (check out the black dragon!) and he had fun showing off his Wild Kratts knowledge. We really enjoyed the Panda imax movie (though... Pandas? At the aquarium? Sure). The exhibits are great, there are random corny ocean jokes on the walls, and a fun large screen video game where you can design your own sea creature.

Just a great place to spend time with young children. Our 2 1/2 year old spent 4 hours there. We couldn’t get him to leave. The fish are beautiful. And the way the building is arranged allows little ones to keep going to see the exhibits. Over and over. The cafe is ok. IMAX is good but for school age children. Well worth a visit. Don’t miss this it.

One generation gap between children and adults is the standard for fulfillment through the experience in the sense that length of a visit or size of a place are crucial factors for the consumers' experience. The Maritime Aquarium is a very fine place for the younger population, meanwhile a place like the Bronx Zoo fulfills the consumers' experience due to the fact that it covers far more land as well as wildlife, which is what young adults are inclined towards. Even an area like the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn or Adventure Aquarium in Camden make more use of the same land acreage.

I had family visiting who requested we go to the Coney Island Aquarium. Not really keen about making a trip to Coney Island, I suggested we visit this aquarium instead. I had seen the billboards for it and discovered it was about 40 minutes from my home by car. We came early on a weekday morning, and found the place pretty packed. Found a spot in the garage with no problem though (we paid about $4 for a 2 hour visit). The adult admission is about $20 something dollars, which was expected. What was awesome was that your admission ticket also bought you a movie ticket in the Imax cinema. We chose the next showtime which was a documentary about baby elephants and monkeys. The movie lasted only about 40 minutes, so it doesn't take up too much time during your visit. I was delighted to find out they had seals at this aquarium, they even have certain times in which you can watch them being fed by their trainers. There's a variety of touch tanks available, even one with jelly fish! Overall, I had a great time and would recommend this as a great family activity.

In a nut shell... it's an amazing aquarium with beautiful exhibits. Being from Long Island I especially enjoyed the LI sound exhibits. Will definitely be back on my next trip to Connecticut.

Family visit with 3 children. All including adults and children learned about sharks from diver in the tank. Lots of touch tank for the kids. Didn't the IMAX movie on secret sea was worth the time or cost but this is a good acquarium to visit

I have taken my students and my kids here - What an exceptional experience!!! The touch tank - feeding the seals and petting sting rays and sharks were really cool!!! Could not get my kids to leave and see other exhibits - Also they have a boat for wonderful excursions !!! Super Place for a Day Trip and don't forget the HUGE IMAX THEATER - showing many different shows!!! The gift shop was great too!!! Whole experience was certainly wonderful!!! LOVE IT!!!!! GOOD FOOD AND SCHOOL WORKSHOPS - PLEASE VISIT AND YOU WILL TRULY ENJOY!!!

This place is cool! With all the different types of animals and mammals to look at. They have sting rays and jelly fishes that you can touch and when your all done they have a lovely food court to eat! This is really a wonderful place to bring the children to do fun activities

A Connecticut standard for locals and tourist... a good place for 1-4 hours. IMAX theater on premises. Lots of opportunities for kids to engage.

have to Uber or Taxi. Which are difficult to get because of Covid!!! Front desk calls for this kind of transportation and it takes along time to receive transportation!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the first attraction we visited upon our holiday in Norwalk. It is a big aquarium with an Imax cinema, where we were offered to watch one of the films showing. We took up the opportunity and were in time for the start of the next showing of a 40 minute film by Jean-Michel Cousteau called Secret Ocean, which covered some of the smallest organisms in the deep sea. This was a good start to the visit, because you actually saw some of the featured creatures in the aquarium.
There were various types of sea life and amphibians, with a large stingray pool, shark tank, turtles, frogs, seahorses and a sea lion show at regular intervals where you could view the animals being fed and performing small tricks. There was even a section of model ships. The gift shop was vast and had some nice items too.
For the price, you definitely go to see a lot. What appears to be a small venue is actually quite big and full of lots of interesting animals to learn about and gaze at.
I would highly recommend this highlight of South Norwalk. There is also a multi storey car park at a good rate right next to the Aquarium.

Where do I begin? I wish I had read these reviews before bringing my 7 year old and 1 year old to the Maritime Aquarium. As others have posted, they claim in their website that they have put Covid guidelines in place including limited capacity and social distancing rules. This is not the case at all. The aquarium was mobbed. Parents and children not allowing for social distancing at all. Kids eating food all over the place near the exhibits. People cutting in front of us while we waited our turn to allow for spacing which I realize staff can not control but they defiantly could rope off areas to ensure that people are moving through the exhibits in the direction they are suppose to and hire more staffing. I was a nervous wreck the entire visit. I spoke to a staff member and he shrugged his shoulders and said that they didn’t have enough staff, that the governor has allowed for a higher capacity, and that everyone has a different view on the virus and some people are vaccinated. Exactly and my view is that I read the website stating they were keeping things organized and I have a right to view that as I was bringing my children to a safe environment. That same employee stood and watched two different families push past me and my children while we were waiting our turn to watch the seals. So very disappointed and I will never return.

Very cute aquarium. Nice and big inside with lots of activities for children. I went with my teen son today and we enjoyed it

This trip was great fun! We were hoping to see seals (but were well prepared not to) but thought the boat ride would be great regardless. Lucky us! We DID see seals, and all kinds of waterbirds too! We would do it again! The crew were all friendly and very knowledgeable, and entertained all kinds of questions.

This may be the most underrated attraction in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The Aquarium has something for everyone. Dozens of exhibits for young and old, a touch tank that is really "hands on", massive shark tanks and an assortment of smaller tanks for everything you can find in the Long Island Sound.

The feeding times for the seals or sharks are awesome, but the kids will love the seals. They are incredibly well trained and work the crowd by putting on an amazing show. The only downside is that they don't have a bigger viewing area that the kids can all see.

The staff are a mix of full time and volunteers, and they put their hearts into making the experience a lasting one. The Volunteer name tags have the hours they have put in and I saw a few that had 2500 hours - that is almost one year at an eight hour day!

IMAX is amazing and well worth the extra charge. All in, a great experience for the entire family that will leave you with memories for a lifetime....

My 7 yr old loved the premium amenities such as the shark and Happy Feet 4D movies and the VR experience. The aquarium itself felt a bit limited in number of exhibits, but my daughter still enjoyed it. As an adult, I'm not sure it provided enough variety and education. However, as a father, hearing my daughter say she had a really good time after was all I needed to hear to make me feel glad we visited.

I live in NH but we have family in CT. At least 4 times a year we go to maritime. There is plenty to see and watch. Plenty of outside experience, so make sure its a nice day when you go. It is a great spot to learn all about the animals, watch them in their habitats, and experience new things. We love it here.

Took my two girls, 2 and 6, to this place and they totally love it, i like how they have two levels, the first one is where the aquarium witht the animals are, and the second floor is where they have a cafe, and a small play area for the kids which i thought was awsome, because after exploring the place, my kids decided to explore upstairs, and we came across ghe play area where they have like a resting and playing section for the kids, i really love how when you start walking through the aquarium , its like a tunnel, where you start from the bottom, and end up way at the top, i like the diffrent species , but will like to see more rain forest animals, but overaour expirience was great.

Great for kids (ages 6 - 10) with doable activities but not overwhelming. Seals, hands-on rays a big hit. Older kids may be bored.

We stopped at the aquarium as a midway point on our trip to New England. It’s a convenient stop off I-95 in a cute area that I would have enjoyed exploring further had we allotted the time. Parking is convenient in a garage across the street.

The aquarium is a good size, maybe not quite what I’d call a value, but all the animals we saw were healthy looking, in clean and non-smelly exhibits, and most importantly—they were active. It’s so disappointing when you visit and animals are hidden or sleeping. There were plenty of aquatic animals and mammals. The meerkats were a standout. We found the staff to be very courteous, approachable and knowledgeable.

Not surprisingly, the gift shop prices are overinflated but at least you aren’t forced to walk through the shop to exit. We did not see the cafe, but rather enjoyed our packed lunch outside overlooking the Sound on a lovely day. Lots of people walking dogs, fishermen, and boaters going by. Even a view of several trains going over a bridge.

Worthwhile, though I still prefer the Adventure Aquarium in Camden over any others I’ve visited in the Northeast.

I am 15 and to think it is still so fun to come back and see all the animals makes me smile it’s really a beautiful experience.

this place smells bad and has fish I can find in any lake. Big deal. And they charge a fortune. Don't eat the seafood in the cafeteria. I hear the staff fishes it out of the back every day.

We visited on a busy day but still had a great time! There are beautiful displays for all to view. My three year old loved everything, especially the jellyfish area. The octopus was very cool as well. I feel a little bad about all of the very small enclosures though. Especially for the seals and sharks.

Diving with the sharks is a great show. That was by far the most captivating attraction. The staff patiently answered questions. My kids enjoyed the hands on exhibits like the jellyfish pool that's safe to touch. The seal feeding was also very nice. I liked how the museum continues in a circle through the second floor and back. It's a nice, manageable layout for taking young kids.

Terrific for a rain day visit or a nice Summer day on the boat to the Lighthouse. Lived here with my kids on weekend as they grew up

I Max is great oo!

My son loves sharks so wanted to take him so he could see the exhibit. We got to see the shark dive which was cool. The seal feeding was nice. The stingray and jellyfish touch interaction was fun for the kids. The aquarium is small but nice for a few hours of fun.

Worth every penny. This aquarium had a multitude of interactive exhibits. What a treat. Not only were we dazzled by the glowing, rainbows of jellyfish, we actually got to touch them too! There were seal shows and even an array of colorful amphibians to gaze at. To top it off, an imax theater show was included! Needless to say, this aquatic speculator is guaranteed to fill a full day of underwater exploration!

Norwalk Maritime Aquarium is great fun for all ages. The eatery has tasty food. The gift shop has really cute and unique items.

Always something new and interesting. Teenaged kids even liked it a lot. The old folks had a great time, too! A great number of family-friendly restaurants nearby. Have fun!

The aquarium has a really great selection of creatures but tanks are very small and spaced apart. The reptile area is pretty unique and has some cool things to see. There's a really great exhibit on the local marine life. And there's lots of little activities and play areas for little kids.

I find not much really to see, for the price. It's expensive and the animals on display are pretty limited. The Mystic aquarium has more things to see.

The aquarium was small. But even a small aquarium should have information that tells you about the fish. More than one of the electronic information displays was not working properly, and there was little information about some of the animals. Instead, there were poems and other cutesy non-informative placards. The goal of the aquarium seemed to be to protect the fish not to inform. Not worth a visit unless you have very young -- under age 5 - kids.

2 hours was all we needed but I could see spending longer if you’d like. The sea turtles and octopus were highlights for us. Clean and modern facility. Staff/volunteers were friendly and took time to explain whatever you’re curious about. We were able to park in a surface lot near the theater and pay via text/phone but had to walk around the building to get in. Our kids loved designing their own sea creature on the huge interactive display.

Special day with my youngest grandson who loves sea animals. He spent over an hour between the two "hands-in" touch tanks with sharks, rays, crabs, oysters, mussels, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and jelly fish. Many interactive displays. Volunteers were fabulous and because it was a relatively quiet day there, spent time educating this 5 year old and listening to his knowledge from Octonauts and Wild Kratts. We went to IMAX Theater to see The Secret Ocean and he sat the entire 45 minutes in amazement (popcorn also helped!) Stopped on gift shop before leaving for a special late birthday treat. CN't wait to share this experience with his older brother next time.

I love this aquarium. They have an Imax theatre, educational boat cruise, hands on tank, host bday parties, an upstairs kids soft play area and so much more!!!

It is a lovely place we have come to many times. We had a membership for a year but only come once in a blue moon now. I think they should offer educational classes during the year that go beyond the little stations they set up. It sometimes feel like they have a lot but we rush through the aquarium seeing a lot but learning too little for regular visits. Anyhow, it is a good place to visit with kids of different ages.

A pleasant small aquarium that is best suited for young children. It has two places where kids can touch various se life such as sting rays making sure not to get stung. There are a few sharks and seals swimming around in their own tanks and several gold fish on display. The biggest attraction may be in Neuman ( yes, Paul) hall where one can electronically color a variety of sea creatures an watch them swim around on a giant screen.

This was a great aquarium but i wish it had been a little bit bigger. There are meters and garages to park in around thee area.

My favorite parts were the sharks and the jelly fish. There is not much else to say.

This was a wonderful day trip. The exhibits displayed a wide variety of marine life as well as land animals, birds and reptiles. Several exhibits were hands on and the educational material at this aquarium is phenomenal. Spent a couple hours here and it was a great way to fill an afternoon. Look forward to returning again.

We love it here so much we bought a family membership!
There's a few touch tanks ! Sharks, sting rays and jelly fish! The IMAX theater is free with purchase. And the movies are family friendly you can even bring your own snacks ! They have a few exhibits that change for example butterflies yiy cdm actually walk in with the butterflies feed them and they land on you. I also recommend checking the website to see the feeding times of the seals and other animals. There's even a day when the divers are in the shark tank and you can ask them questions! There's a cafe to eat at with your typical foods chicken nuggets, pizza etc- it's priced ok but I recommend going to one of the many restaurants near by within walking distance. I also recommend the boat rides but you must buy your tickets in advance and make sure your child meets the height requirements

A great place for kids, families, and anyone interested in marine life. They do a great job, exhibits are great and so are the interactive exhibits where you can touch marine life. Worth a visit for sure.

This review is completely related to the food service area in the Aquarium. I have been a patron of this Aquarium for a total of 14 years and travel over a hour to reach it. My family and I generally go to enjoy the beautiful aquarium together. On this particular date, we went to the food court area and had brought our own small sandwiches (secondary to food intolerance issues). An extremely rude employee from the food court came over to my family with 3 young children and yelled at us "No outside food, you need to leave!" I was mortified that after all these years this is the level of individuals working at this beautiful place. You should seriously look at how you treat patrons. I generally enjoy the gift shop and spending some holiday money there but not this year.

The Maritime Aquarium is one of my favorite places to go especially with the little ones. They would never get bored,even I was excited I wanted make sure we went down isle,every corner to make sure we didn't miss a thing

The long line of school buses were hard to miss. A favorite stop. Lots of interactive stations. A little difficult to find and follow scheduled events. Staff informed but a little hard to find.

So much fun for all ages but especially love the touch tank and the octopus! Great movie theater experience, too.

This was my second time visiting this aquarium. I love it! ♥️ Everything is kept clean and although it was busy this time around, it was still nice and organized. It is on the smaller side but its a great lil nearby attraction. Very kid friendly.

What a great place to relax with your kids of all ages. We got to pet the rays in the large pool. How cool! My kids loved the penguins and seals. Lots to see! A definite for the whole family and visitors as well.

Took our little ones here, it was a school day so it was pretty empty which made it much more fun for the little guys. Overall this is a cute aquarium, and I'd recommend it for families WHO DO NOT LIVE TOO FAR AWAY. It's a small aquarium if you have to drive a long distance to get here, you may get disappointed.

Standouts:
- The shark exhibit was really nice, my kids really loved it. So many large sharks swimming in the tank.
- The touch tanks were very cool.
- The meerkat exhibit was great, my kids really loved going under the dome to be closer to the animals.

Cons:
- It took me forever to find parking in the municipal parking lot, it was packed and most of the spots were reserved.
- It's expensive for the size.
- The IMAX movie (the one about the Amazon) is rather boring if you have young ones they may not last. The movie is about an explorer, not animals.
- Some exhibit windows are too high for children, for instance where the frogs were, I always had to pick up my 3-year-old so he could look into the tank.

The aquarium was a good blend of live animals and activities for children like water toys and other mechanical thing which explained how water itself works.

We went with family (1.5 year old, 2 year old and 5 year old). It was good for an hour or so, but the little ones got a but bored. The animals seemed bored too.

This was a great time! The admission includes an IMAX film, so it’s a good value.
We were visiting from out of town, so having an area of what lives in the region was cool.
It doesn’t take a lot of time to go through the Aquarium, but there are feedings and other things to check out too.
We also grabbed lunch in the cafe, it was moderately priced and had good kid friendly options.

This amazing aquarium has entertained and educated millions of people. Its a perfect destination for school groups. An Imax theatre is included in the admission fee and constantly shows multiple films on different experiences. I recently saw "our national parks". While at the museum don't miss the meerkat exhibit and the feeding of the sea lions.

This is a great, modern and well maintained aquarium. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. We would return for sure. Many of the exhibits incorporate the behind the scenes efforts of the aquarium.

An enjoyable day, although one shared with many, somewhat loud camp groups! Aquarium is clean and well planned out for easy viewing. The 4D movie was a real treat but too bad it is so short. Parking is easily accessible. A bit pricey.

The aquarium is built well, the flow of the exhibits is fine, and IMAX helps.
The issue is at $26 per adult, it is much too expensive for what you get. I have a 5 year old and 14 year old. We went through the entire aquarium in less than an hour. Luckily one IMAX movie is included in the price. If the cost was $15 per adult, i can see the value. However, there are SOOO many more things to do in the NY/NJ/CT area for $26 that lasts much longer than 40 minutes.

This was our 3rd time here with the kids and the verdict is in-Maritime Aquarium is a perfect trip for kids and families of all ages! Very well managed, and fully staffed with enthusiastic, happy-to-be-there employees. Lots of interactive, hands-on experiences in an intelligently designed layout. Go and enjoy the afternoon, you will not be disappointed!

Nice exhibits and well kept. As can be expected, a lot of families with kids which made it a bit difficult for me to get close to many exhibits and truly enjoy the aquarium. Great for families and kids though.

This is great for kids and adults ...especially the IMAX which is stories high you are right in the movie weather it's in the bottom of the ocean or flying over the Grand Canyon..or the great pyramids....there is a sea petting zoo the kids love ...it's everything an aquarium should be...spend the day and visit the zoo shop ...

We took our grand kids to the Aquarium and we all loved it! Each of the exhibits are well thought out and educational. Upon entering we thought the ticket price was a bit excessive but it was worth every penny and more! Great for all ages!

At first it all seemed a bit small, but the layout was very deceptive and at every turn there were more surprises on be discovered. It exceeded our first impressions with many exciting exhibits. Quite a few of the exhibits were available to touch and interact with and the staff were very helpful and knowledgeable. You will need a couple of hours to see everything and if you time it right can get to see the feeding which was extremely worth while.

Great place to spend a few hours. A few touch tanks for feeling jellies, stingrays, & various other small creatures. This place is clean & well-maintained. Watch the trainers feed the seals. Let toddlers take a break and get some exercise in the kid area upstairs. Lots to do here.. see an IMAX movie. Plenty of restaurants and a playground nearby.

Had a great day at the aquarium! What with kids ages 6 1/2 years to 16 months. The exhibits are wonderful. The IMAX movie was great. The area is also really been built up and local restaurants offer discounts to members of the aquarium. Highly recommend if you're in the area.

Such a fun way to spend an afternoon on a rainy day! Everyone here is super helpful! The animals like ok well cared for, there's a ton for kids to do and the entire staff is very knowledgeable.

My wife and I took a one hour drive to this aquarium on a week day. It was a wonderful trip! The aquarium is clean, and its attractions are impressive. I have been to aquariums with giant tanks, which are not present here, but there are countless fun attractions. We will return again!

Over the past 30 years or so I've visited several times. I still think I'm going to see the massive boat building section (gone for some 10+ years now)! Overall, it is a relatively small aquarium that enables visitors to learn about the Long Island Sound as well as other aquatic life forms. Many of the exhibits have been updated, renovated and changed over the years - but my overall sense was that much of it could use a big face lift. I'd like to see more exhibits.
Visiting on a Tuesday - early afternoon - was nice because there were very few other visitors.
All the staff I encountered were friendly and the ratio of staff/visitor seemed perfect - not many of either.
I hope as time goes on that there are more updates and expansions of the existing space.

This is a very small aquarium which was perfect for the 8 month ago we brought. As an adult, I would not visit this aquarium without children, because it is small and really geared towards a young age. One of the hardest parts is dealing with all of the school trips. The children who were there were screaming (the building is definitely designed to amplify the noise) and running around without paying attention to others. Several times we had children run in to us, jump on us, and push us out of the way because they wanted to be where we were.

Small museum and aquarium with many touch exhibits. Also places to wash hands. Don’t miss the feeding of the seals. Small shark tank in back.

My daughter was doing a program at the Wolf Conservation Center about a half hour form Norwalk and we needed something to kill the time between the program and the night time event there. My daughter is really interested in deep sea creatures which I knew they didnt have at this aquarium but she generally enjoys aquariums. This one was just ok. It was definitely not worth the $70 i paid for the two of us. It's small and there's not much there. There is a decent amount of touch tanks i will say. I think there was 3 spread around. The crowd there was mainly people with toddlers or really young kids and id say it generally would appeal most to that age range. My daughter is 12 and she enjoyed it but I wouldnt bother taking her back for that price. Id say it was more worth $15-$20pp.
One of the weirdest things I saw was in some areas there were "look behind the scenes" viewing holes in the walls and all you really saw was basically plumbing.

Children as well as adults enjoy the exhibits depicting the aquatic life of Long Island Sound. Follow the signs from I-95. There is ample parking in a garage dedicated to the use of visitors.

All in all a nice few hours espeically for children. However there are two exhibits that dont seem right. One has one bluejay and a skunk pacing back and forth. The other was a porcupine with his head facing a corner. Felt bad for the animals especially the blue jay and they didnt add anything to an aquarium.

My grandaughter has a membership...so we take here there...and have for years. She loves the seals. The exhibits are fun but she is a bit young still for a lot of them.

She is fascinated by the large aquarium tanks with the sharks.

We had an unexpected visit to Norwalk CT and we picked this aquarium on a whim. I’m so glad we did. Both my mother and 4yr old loved the touch tank with the sting rays and the jiggle jellies. Lisa was awesome at the jiggle jellies exhibit and really engaged my daughter. Felt very clean and with the new covid procedures we felt very safe being there. We’ve been to a lot of Aquariums across the country and this one is easily in the top 3.

I have been enjoying the Maritime Center for decades. I remember the first time I went there, they had shipwright (shipbuilding) exhibits and one of the Solo-North Atlantic crossing sailboats on display. Since they the Center has expanded by leaps & bounds to vastly increase it's buildings and become a full-sized Aquarium.

My more recent visit included enjoying the Horseshoe crab & Stingray encounter, the octopus and jellyfish exhibits (which is NOT easy, as it requires very expensive cutting-0edge rotating tanks to keep the fragile jellies from hitting the sides of the tanks), feeding-time for the harbor seals, dozens of the most colorful, beautiful (and deadly) Poison-Dart frogs, and the 43 minute IMAX film: "National Parks Adventure" narrated by Robert Redford.

And that's not including their 64-foot catamaran tour-cruses and their School/Scout/Camp programs. All located in the heart of Norwalk on the banks of the Norwalk river, and connected to Oyster Shell Park, right next to a convenient parking garage.

This is a FanTASTIC museum/Aquarium for parents to take their kids, and teachers to take their students. with many "hands-on" exhibits and projects. With this in mind, I am boggled by the 1% of reviewers who give 1-star and hate "noisy children" or say the Aquarium is tiny"... take a second look, the Aquarium is approximately 38,000 square feet.

Its an amazing place for kids. where some fish they could touch with there hands.
Of course its good for adults too but I would recommend going there with kids unless fish is your hobby.

Nice aquarium, but very small and way too expensive.
The front desk was so slow to get the tickets.
The employees were super nice.
The imax movie was cool, but nothing spectacular.
Parking was in a lot across the street and cost $2 an hour.
Our kids were a little bored.

The Maritime Aquarium is fun for people of all ages. There was a wide variety of aquatic sea life like Jellyfish and Sharks, as well as land animals like otters and meerkats.
They have an IMAX theater and outdoor shows as well, however due to COVID-19, these events are not being held.

The Aquarium has a cafeteria that was surprisingly good (I didn't have high standards due to it being an aquarium), with
food that is cooked as fresh as can be.

I would recommend giving it a look.

The maritime center is a must see for anyone visiting Fairfield County. Everyone loves it. The staff is dedicated to the sound and sea life. A truly special place!

The Maritime Aquarium is a wonderful place to spend the day! If you have young children, don't hesitate taking them there. The design of the aquarium is awesome, you can let them out of their stroller and runner ahead of you, along side of you. CThey can experience the large tanks, up close, pressing their little faces against the glass. It's safe and a great opportunity to give your little ones some freedom & independence. The food is pretty decent. Touch tank areas are great. Feeding the seals is always fun to watch. Week days tend to be less crowded. Parking is a no brainier, right across the street in the parking garage. Couldn't be easier. They do have cruises available, if you hit the timing right. They often fill up quickly. The surrounding area is great, lots of shops & restaurants, marinas & quaint village feel sidewalks! You also can repeat your visits as some of the expos change, on a revolving basis! Go! You won't regret it! Great rainy day activity too!

Fun for the entire family. Lots to see and learn about the sea life in the area. c=
Convenient locations with restaurants near by.

Maybe I've seen too many aquariums, but I found this one quite boring and mediocre. There was really not much to see as I was expecting to see floor to ceiling sized exhibits where the fish, etc. would be visible at all depths. There were tanks in which one could reach in to handle and observe the crabs, etc. There was an exhibit of meerkats from the Kalahari Desert as well as a butterfly garden. I really did not comprehend why either one of these exhibits were in an aquarium.

A lot of animals to see and very clean. Staff are friendly and helpful. The boys have a wonderful time

Went here with my family. It's alittle small but it's got a lot of variety. The seals were cool and the shark tank was awesome. Ofcourse their are crowds in front of the glass so patience is key. The food from the food court was terrible. Chicken tenders were soft and gooey. Barley crunchy. Bring your own food for a picnic by the water outside.

What a trip! Loved the touch tanks and the interactive exhibits. The amphibian/mill building was a little strange but made it unique.

I loved how all of the animals looked so healthy and well taken care of. The turtle documentary was so fun and interesting, the 4D was a very nice touch. I think the gift shop was adorable and everything was just wonderful.

To me this aquarium is perfect when you have little kids. They have a few interactive areas to touch jelly fish, rays, crabs, shell fish etc. Plus, sea lion shows, gigiant turtles, 4-6 sharks, octopus, jelly fish exhibits, etc. It's smaller than most of aquariums in big cities, but it's perfect to spend a couple of hours with small kids. We go there all the time and see different things when we go.

It's a small and cute aquarium. Admission tickets come with an IMAX movie ticket too, which is a nice plus. The giant sea turtles, harbor seals, sting ray & shark and jellyfish touch tanks are excellent. There is a need for more bathrooms, water fountains, hand wash stations particularly near the touch tanks (only one that I could see sandwiched between the two touch tanks). Membership is worthwhile if you live close by.

This was a good place to take your children. Much better than coney Island Aquarium. not knocking NYC, but had more to offer.

The Maritime Aquarium is located conveniently near the SONO section of town and is near to many family restaurants as well as fine couple dining. Be sure to sit and watch the sharks in the great big tank. Vicariously float along with the jellyfish and just unwind .

This is an annual highlight to our grandkids' visits. There's always something new and wonderful to see - facilities are superb with play structures and something for all.

Me, my husband and our 9 year old son visited the aquarium yesterday. It was definitely on the pricey side but I liked the fact that the IMAX movie was included.

It was very crowed with tons of class trips but after around 1 or 2pm, it was nice and quiet.

We all loved the "Jiggle a Jelly" exhibit even though the guy running it was less than enthusiastic. The interactive wall was great too.

I would love to see Purcell dispensers around.

I also thought there would be outdoor activities too.

The place is a little pricey but it's very entertaining. It is clean and the workers were all very helpful and knew there stuff. The large tanks are beautiful.

My wife and I go to Aquariums in every state we visit, so i have high expectations to begin with (just a disclaimer). It wasn't a terrible aquarium by any means, we were just disappointed. The Seal show was cool and a few of the displays were set up nicely. The building itself, while under renovation, was a bit antiquated and in need of repair. The IMAX was pretty impressive as was the food at the cafe!

For the price, you get a pretty decent aquarium, but not a top 5 experience.

My wife and I purchased a year long membership for the Maritime Aquarium on a gamble. We had taken our two daughters (2 and 5 at the time) to visit one day and the price for our day's ticket could be used towards the membership fee. Doing the math we realized the tickets would pay for themselves with two more visits so we took the gamble that our children might want to come at least two more times. We were wrong...they wanted to come every week! In reality I took my youngest daughter nearly every Monday for a year on my day off and my older daughter and wife made it at least once or twice per month. While the exhibits never changed the kids always found new details or just came to see their favorite fish, seals, otters, etc. It was WELL worth the membership fee and would be my recommendation for anyone who lives within a 30 minute drive and has young children. The touch tank with the rays and nurse sharks are their favorite attraction. Highly recommend this place!

The Maritime Aquarium is a great activity for all, families, seniors, elderly. They are always changing around the exhibits and you will always discover something new each time you go. They have special events from time to time and I encourage you to attend. We have seen awesome IMAX movies, Scientists and even attended the Chocolate Lovers Event! Yum yum! It’s location is right in the middle of the revitalized SONO where you will find interesting boutiques, art displays, restaurants, bars and tapas, coffee cafes and even a psychic!

Interesting visit with 4 teenagers and 3 adults.
Prices were high but that being said, the aquarium had some interesting displays and knowledgeable, friendly volunteers. A special shout out to the cashier at The Cafe who was exceptional friendly and helpful (sorry I did not get her name).
The jelly fish (referred to as 'jellies' by the staff since they are not actually fish) displays were remarkable, including a "touch the jellies tank." Another interesting feature was the ray touch tank. The harbor seals were fun to watch although they did not perform as much at feeding time as sea lions would.
The day we visited the otters must have had the day off.
The shark tank, octopus and giant sea turtles were also worth watching.
Could have skipped the 4D film about sharks (audio was not working properly).
Worth a visit although I am wondering where meerkats, a porcupine and a parrot fit into an aquarium.

For the amount of money this place is raking in, it’s surprisingly not good. The turtle and meerkat enclosures are dismal at best. A parrot and a crocodile in the same small glass enclosure. Overall experience was depressing.

Great place for adults and kids alike. We were fortunate to be there when there were divers in the shark tank answering questions, which was great. We also got to see the feeding of the Sea lions. The price of the ticket includes the iMax theater, great to take a break. We visit aquariums in most areas that we visit and this one was nice.

The Maritime Aquarium is amazing. It provides information and interactive displays mainly about Long Island Sound aquatic wild life. They have "touch a fish" where you can touch sting rays and jelly fish. They do rotate some of the exhibits- antarctic penguins, harbor seals, human powered TransAtlantic vessels, and New England light houses. View amazing documentary movies in their IMAX theater. Great place to take your family for a fun day of activity. They even have overnight "camping" for Scouts and educational groups. "Sleep with the fishes!"
Before or after the Aquarium, be sure to visit South Norwalk (SoNo) for the shops and restaurants.

An excellent place for kids and adults alike. Lots of sealife on display, including sea lion feedings and a huge shark tank, plus many smaller fish. Has a nice play area for little kids to unwind, and an excellent IMAX theater.

Our granddaughter was invited to a birthday party here. The children and adults had a wonderful tour of the facility. Our guide was very informative and the children learned a lot. We go here many times during the year too- there are lots of exhibits and fish and animals to see. There is also an IMAX theater- 45 minute films are shown. They are presently expanding this facility - it will take close to two years. I look forward to seeing all the new additions.

It has been years since we have been to the aquarium. Much work has been done to improve the experience. We had a great time and plan to return soon.

We’ve been to a lot of aquariums around the world and this one is one of our favorites. What sets this one apart is the boat ride into Long Island Sound. The staff of Nikki and Lauren dredge up critters from the top, bottom and middle of the channel while motoring south. With help from all on board they explain what was collected in an informative way. Adults and the teens with us found it very interesting. We learned a lot
Also saw the IMAX movie Backyard Wilderness which was good. Lots of other good exhibits. Well worth a visit.

Amazing large aquarium. So much to see. Breathtaking views. I would highly recommend. We visited October 2014.

I heard from a few acquaintances of mine that this aquarium was not as good as the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. And I will have to partially agree. It has a lesser amount of animals and it's completely under a roof. No outside exhibitions. The 4D theater movies are entertaining, but you will have to pay extra. The turtles and sharks exhibitions are great! The seals are cute. The cafeteria seating area was also bigger than its counterpart in Mystic. The food was also cheaper and better. The aquarium was clean and with attentive employees.

The worst aquarium that I ever been, make my day terrible. The animals live in small places, alone. There are a macaw at a cage impossible to fly.

While taking my 2 young kids to the Aquarium today a young woman employee was HORRIBLE to an older woman she was training. Yelling so loud that it echoed throughout the Aquarium. This poor woman was embarrassed and on the verge of tears it made my heart break for her. I never write reviews when I don't like or enjoy something because my opinion is just that my opinion and someone else may have a different experience. However, being publicly humiliated and degraded in front of room full of strangers I felt as though something should be said. I told her she was doing a great job and left. I could not bear to stay and be subjected to the younger woman's rants and fits of rage. People get trained and ask questions for a reason. Do better as a human being.

Crowded with lots of camp groups but 2 small kids loved it. Weekday morning trip. Parking is kinda pricey but if you get a library pass the admission is $2 off.

The Norwalk Aquarium is a very good place to bring young children. it is not too large and has a wide variety of live exhibits. The large fish tanks are impressive, but the "touching pools" (stingrays and jelly fish) are especially fun for young children.
If you follow the details it can also be educational - even for adults.

Our kids especially like the seals. You can touch/hold some of the animals-- horseshoe crab, rays. Unsure if I'd bring anyone over 12. Two hours is plenty of time to see it all.

The Maritime Aquarium is a great way to spend the afternoon with the children to look at all the fish, seals, sharks and meerkats. The kids loved the hands on tanks where they were able to touch jelly fish, skate and sand sharks! Then the IMAX theater was great we watch a film about the Space center and the point of view of the astronauts. It was great a time for all and we bought a membership!

First time visiting this quiet little town. We visited it at the end of Feb. 2018. The personnel at the Aquarium were all very polite. The excibition was wonderful. My kids enjoy each of them as well as my parents and my wife did. The included scheduled Imax movie was also very interesting. Its a small well maintained Aquarium. Maybe a little pricey but hey... its a wonderful must see experience for kids and Adults.

Thanks :-)

We spent about 3.5 hours at the Aquarium. We saw the shark feeding, we touched the jellyfish, stingrays and sharks, we saw the seal feeding, toured the jellies and dragons exhibits, and watched the IMAX Pandas. The kids are 5 and 7 years old, we all had so much fun! It was a great day!

I went with a friend to send a day looking ocean life and we had the best time. The shark and ray tidal pool was excellent. The aquarium staff was excellent with helping us interact and touch the animals. We also very much enjoyed the presentation of the seals. The baby seal stole our hearts. We also loved spending time looking at the tanks featuring turtles, jellyfish, and lion fish. We also grabbed a bite in the cafe for Lunch so we could stay the entire day.

This aquarium has been around for 30 year and there is a lot of construction in the area making parking a challenge. The array of fish is quite good but there is a lot of emphasis on jelly fish and sharks.
There are a lot of hands on experiences for children with appropriate stations for hand washing.
Some of the areas are better maintained than others.
The outside space is nice and watching the feeding of the seals was interesting.
Not all of the guides were engaged in what they were doing.
Not sure if they partner with the folks from Save the Sound.

This was a nice experience for all my children (7,11,13). The use of multiple interactive methods and technologies such as 4d movies and the VR experience kept the older kids interested.

Two complaints:
1. The high prices in the cafe. 5$ for a water bottle? Come on.
2. When buying tickets they don’t explain to you the theater for the 4d movies is the entrance so if you buy tickets for the movies 30m-1h of entry time be prepared to rush back to the entrance and them go back to the exhibit areas.

We parked in the indoor parking opposite the aquarium - 4$ for 2h.

We decided to make a full day out of our trip and planned to not only enjoy all of the exhibits, but also take time to watch not one, but two IMAX movies. We were not disappointed. We live in Central Connecticut and I was happy that I ditched my car’s GPS and used Waze instead to help us get to Norwalk. The Waze app had me take all back roads and we were able to enjoy everything that The Maritime Aquarium has to offer without worrying about 1-95 traffic. I’m so grateful for routes 7 and 8. The Largest IMAX theater in CT: we couldn’t decide whether to watch Backyard Wilderness or Pandas, and thus decided to make the most out of our trip and watch both. Wow. You will not be disappointed. We’ve been able to continue our dialogue and learning about the themes in both of these movies and will incorporate them into our Nature Study and science work.After watching this film, our family has been inspired to add more Nature Study and hikes into our field trip plans.Take advantage of their science discovery cruises.

Loved this place. The Sharks were impressive and I was glad they were on the other side of think glass.

The feeding of the seals was another highlight.

Lots to see but was confused by the Meerkats in an Aquarium!

always have a great time finding many cool thing to do with the kids and family friends as well, and the IMAX!

It's not that big but kids will definitely enjoy it. A good place to spend a rainy afternoon. It's big enough for them to get a good overview but not too big to wear them out.

Nice but small aquarium. Was a pleasant enough visit.....but I feel that it is overpriced for what is available. The fact that the price of admission includes the Imax is certainly nice but I sill feel it's too expensive.

We had a great time at this aquarium. It was geared toward our kiddos, ages 2 & 4. There were a lot of hands on, touching and feeling of various marine animals. We would definitely come back and recommend.

It was fun being able to interact with the animals in the exhibits. Personnel was all well trained and friendly.

Great 90 minutes spent here. Timed tickets due to COVID so the place was quite with ample room to move and take your time viewing the fish.

If you are disabled and in a wheelchair,which I am, Ken is the most helpful and understanding person you will find in Norwalk.He wants you to enjoy and learn about this place.

We have been to the Maritime Aquarium probably more than 20 times in the last few years, and have loved every visit. It is a great place for young kids. It's just big enough for them, without being overwhelming or over-stimulating. We have a membership and it's worth every penny because the IMAX tickets are included, so it pretty much pays for itself after one visit. The volunteers and staff are wonderful and knowledgeable, and you can tell they love what they do. The best time to go is in the afternoon after field trips have left. I would not go on a national holiday or the weekend if I could make it work because it can get pretty crowded on those days.

plus is that it's small; so you can still do something else in the same day. the theatre and aquarium combo is odd at best. parking is not free.

Had a great day with my three grandchildren ages 3, 4 and 4 months old. There are so many things for them to learn, to touch, do and see. Most activities are indoors. Great for a rainy or hot day as well. Not to expensive. You can bring a lunch or snack or purchase food in or around the Aquarium. Check to see if Groupon Local deals has special rates.

We love aquarium. We visited this aquarium while we stopped by Norwalk for one night. They were several kinds of animals such as rays, tiger sharks, seals, sturgeons, many kinds of jellyfishes, etc.

We saw a giant octopus here. Very fascinating. We hope that they could have been in bigger tanks and better atmosphere setups.

The Maritime Aquarium is a terrific aquarium, and it also has lots of activities - live demonstrations of feeding seals and sharks, a touch tank of sting rays, hands on activities like exploring a lobster boat and making crafts, the tallest IMAX theater in CT with multiple shows running, and special exhibitions and programs. Everything is child-friendly and adult interesting. My 5 year old granddaughter and her friend were transfixed by the movie on national parks! Not least by any means - the cafe has healthy tasty food, not junk. It's great for kids of all ages and groups as well. Check the website - they have special events.

Definitely not an aquarium for adults. Very very young children would enjoy it! Very expensive and there is nothing there. Choose another aquarium to visit! Will never go back!

First of all, it's local. It is also full of great massive aquariums. The outside area is lovely and right now the exhibit is a group of gorgeous flamingos. An arts & crafts area only $5 for kids to make and paint a small wooden boat. There is also an IMAX theater. School groups not a problem for us, we just went to the exhibits they were not visiting. Also sea otters (?) so cute swimming in indoor/outdoor pool and the usual fun feelings. Near great cheap restaurants in SoNo area.

Although the maritime aquarium is not as big as other aquariums, yet it's very impressive and welcoming place. There are plenty of things for the kids to learn and experience. It is worth every penny when you sign up for a membership

Took my niece's aged 11 and 13 for a fantastic day. I hadn't been back since my own kids were younger, and the whole place has gotten a major facelift. The exhibits were all very interesting and the level of animal care was exceptional. And there was so much more so see and do than just watch fish!

The staff made the experience unique and exciting. Will definitely return, with or without kids.

I've been to the other aquariums in CT and NY, and we always return to Norwalk. It's affordable, easy to get to, and convenient to park in the garage next door We were pleased to see a new exhibit upstairs, and more renovation underway downstairs. The aquarium is always well maintained and the volunteers and staff are friendly and informative.

We brought our own sandwiches and purchased snacks in the cafe. The gift shop has a nice selection of items at the typical zoo/aquarium/amusement prices. There is a pressed penny machine near the coat room. There are lockers near the coat room if you don't feel comfortable leaving your things in the open. We've never had an issue.

I love that general admission comes with one Imax movie. We saw the Backyard Wilderness movie. My daughter and I both paid more attention to what was happening outside our windows when we came home.

There were more school groups than I have ever seen on one day. It was harder to dodge them, than when there are only a few groups visiting. Later in the day they cleared out and we were able to revisit many of the exhibits without the noise and crowds.

Our library offers a discount pass, so we saved $2 per ticket. It's well worth the price of admission, and we look forward to our next visit.

We are Patrons of the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium BUT we are very unhappy that the fact that Long Island Sound is dying or dead depending on where you go in Fairfield County. As a child l could walk along any beach in Greenwich, Stamford, or Darien and find all kinds of sea life: minnows, crabs, snails, Starfish, hermit crabs, clams, mussels, etc. etc. Today if you walk along those same beaches you find NOTHING!! Thirty or more years ago you could fill a bushel basket with fish you caught to take home within an hour (flounders, sea bass, blowfish, blackfish, weakfish, etc.) Today you would be lucky to catch anything and the only fish that come into the sound are migrating fish who only come for a short time, like stripers, menhadden/bunker, or bluefish. The Maritime management should be educating the Public that SO;METHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE IGNORING THIS! The displays throughtout the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium at present would give you the idea that all is well with Long Island Sound.

The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk CT, nice day to take the kids or relatives visiting for a few days .. this aquarium has many attractions to see, if you are into ocean life this is the place . great place to visit

Wonderfil fishies sharks seals turtles yes yesloved it!!! Fabulous. Amazing. Why must this have 100 characters?

It's a likely outdated but it's good for the kids to explore
Easy parking tickets are a little too much for wat you see.

My husband and I took our 3 year old grandson to the aquarium. Frankly, the venue was beyond our expectations. My grandson enjoyed touching the sting rays, sharks and jelly fish. We attended an IMAX movie, we had a choice of movies when purchasing our admission tickets . Due to my grandsons age, we chose the movie about training rescue dogs... Titled Super Heroes. It was well done and kept the interest of the 3 of us. Afterwards, we had lunch in the onsite cafe which was fine. There is a play area on the second floor for young children. My grandson enjoyed it. The fish tanks on the first floor were interesting. There is a tank for seals which looked a little sad, but I believe the seals were all rescues and perhaps wouldn’t live well outside an aquarium. There is also a gift shop on the main level. Parking is available in the garage ( for a fee) across the street, We spent the afternoon and had to coax our grandson out at 5 pm- closing time. It was a pleasant, educational afternoon.

We have seen tons of aquariums in our travels. Norwalk's Maritime Aquarium, supposedly one of the 5 best in the US, is rather disappointing. The shark basin is great and the sea turtles are wonderful.
But that's it. The rest is rather average, with few basins and tanks. Full visit is less than an hour. Hopefully, you can watch a few movies at the local IMAX Theater which save the day.

I cannot see how this is voted the best aquarium in ct. It is tiny, disorganized and not well kept. Kids left unattended by their rude parents. Snack bar is typically expensive. Exhibits are short and small. If you have a kid who loves sea life, take a day trip to mystic. Huge and fun

The Maritime Aquarium is a great place to take the kids. They will definitely have an enjoyable time. It is worth seeing now as the state owns the land and may take it over and/or knock it down in order to replace the railroad bridge next to it. It's an attraction that might not be around for much longer, so it is a good idea to go before its gone.

I enjoy going to the Aquarium for a date, with the kids and even with friends. The exhibits are always changing and there really is something for everyone. My favorite thing to do is see the seals getting fed.

This is a very nice small aquarium. Plenty of pros, a few cons:
Pros:
+There are plenty of aquarium staples including touch tanks, some interactive exhibits and the big tanks for the seals and larger animals.
+We were also pleasantly surprised by the animal not normally associated with aquariums like local mammals and birds.
+The price is relatively inexpensive.
+Buying a season pass pays for itself on the 2nd visit
+Just the right size for a 2 hour visit
+Very helpful staff
Cons:
-Entrance signage was not very helpful to separate those with tickets and those who needed to buy tickets.
-Some of the tanks were very hard for the youngest kids to see without parents holding them up.

Overall, I definitely recommend this aquarium for a two hour visit.

We have not been here in years, but wow, what a great upgrades since the last time we were here. Very family friendly. Seals were great and the handlers did a great job too.

The exhibits are well done and interesting. There is something for every age group. The jellyfish section is a family favorite! Employees are knowledgeable and helpful. Gift shop has wonderful, thoughtful items that are perfect for gift giving.

Many don't realize that Connecticut has a second Aquarium, but Norwalk has a very nice very family friendly Aquarium. It doesn't have the same large exhibits found in Mystic but it does have a nice Indoor/Outdoor Seal exhibit and a unique touch tank of Jelly Fish. The Stingray and shark touch tank is one of the best I've ever seen and the main exhibit features River Otters, and a large Shark Exhibit. Worth a visit if your in the western part of the State and don't want to drive to Mystic.

My sons favorite is the sting ray tough tank. The jelly fish are pretty cool too. Not sure if they validate parking. It's a great way to spend time with kids learning something new. Always a teachable moment and the sea lions are pretty cool

the aquarium is great, very informative with different marine animals & amphibians . the staff are great, the imax movies are very cultural and really enjoyable

My family and I love the Maritime aquarium, is a fun educational place to visit, don’t miss the imax theater when you go, it offers a great experience.

We have going here for many years - with our kids and now our grandkids. It is a great way to introduce them to the nautical wonders. The displays work well for young and old alike. A super place to go, especially on a rainy day.

The Maritime Aquarium is great place to take your little ones. We have been taking our kids here for years and they still love it.

The renovations, larger tanks, and new additions are great, especially the butterfly house. The "animal encounter" show is not worth the time. The 4D movies, however, are a disappointing replacement for the IMAX. I would return to.the aquarium but would not waste the time and extra $10 again on the movie. I was there with someone in a wheelchair. While there is a covered parking garage across the street, it is not as convenient or easily accessible to the building as the lot facing the former IMAX at the end of the building that also easily accesses Washington Street. I also miss the previous choice to come only to see the IMAX movies.

Nice spot to wander for a few hours. Large shark tanks are always a hit, as are the touch tanks with docents overseeing the handling of crabs and fish. Many smaller tanks featuring local eco. Great jellyfish exhibit. Play areas for little ones. Cafes are pricey but you can bring your own food. Gift shop. 4D theater showing short nature films was fun.
An expensive diversion, also only pay parking is available in the area.

Once is enough. Smells like dead fish. Not much to sea. More interesting to open a can of tuna and watch it swim.

I went to just be. Play, look, witness, enjoy the beautiful, exquisite atmosphere and take in the calm. No kids, just us adults. Treat yourself to the joy.

My friend brought me here for my birthday. Just as an FYI, parking is in a parking garage across the street. The aquarium is 2 floors, and had many exhibits. There is also an IMAX theatre where you can pick a show to watch. We picked the Panda show, and it was about a 40 min show. There is also a cafeteria for food and snacks, and a large gift shop. They also have an area for kids that is like a stuffed animal hospital where they go and cure “ ill and injured” stuffed animals. It was a fun afternoon. My favorite was the giant Octopus. Would definitely consider visiting again

The ticket's price is a bit high - there were 3 of us - 2 adults and 1 kid - almost $70 dollars just to get in

Visited the maritime aquarium on a rainy Saturday. We drove in from NY and arrived about an hour after it opened. I was looking forward to our “day trip” but not a long line to get in. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that everyone had the same idea as me. 😂 Tip - save yourself time and purchase your tickets in advance online so you can skip the line. The aquarium is a bit small so it can feel quite congested. They put on a few good shows - feeding the seals, learning about sharks and the stingray pool. Get there a bit early to get a good seat. I brought my 2 year old. He enjoyed it however got bored quickly.

We had to pre-purchase tickets for a specific time which was supposed to mean limited capacity. While I do believe there were way less people than a normal Saturday, there was absolutely no enforcement or encouragement of social distancing. We didn't see a single employee walking around limiting the amount of people at any display, the "one way" signs weren't hung well so they were spinning around, and often times there was a "one way" exhibit with no way out unless you went back the wrong way. An interesting enough place, but not in a hurry to return.

I visited for the 1st time with a friend from out of town and we loved it! I am excited to say my husband and I became annual members so we can visit again especially with visitors. The membership is a great value because it includes an IMAX movie with each visit. They had 4 to choose from and the change them approximately every 4 months. I also look forward to the boat tours they offer in season.
I was surprised how large the facility is and how many exhibits they have like sharks, turtles, seals, jellyfish, fish, reptiles and more. They even have several exhibits that let you touch various forms of sealife. I can't wait to visit again!

This is a great aquarium that effectively presents information for kids of all ages about the ocean - but especially Long Island Sound. It's very local-based and has a wide variety of species. The individual exhibits could be labeled better, but this is a very fun day.

Good aquarium! They have lots of options, especially for young kids. Always a nice place to visit if you’re in the Norwalk area. The only downside is that the size of the aquarium is relatively small.

I have visited the Maritime Aquarium several times now and I don't get sick of it. It is a place where you can spend a couple of hours or most of the day, if you choose to. There are demonstrations, an IMAX movie, a lot of interactive exhibits, plenty of informative/educational displays, and so much more. The gift shop is very nice as well. They also offer lockers at the entrance which is very convenient if you are with several children and don't want to haul everything the whole time.