Mystic Aquarium
add photosMystic creates an impressive collection of sea life with captivating interactive exhibits and animal shows that will amaze your child.
15 Reviews for Mystic Aquarium
27
20 families found this helpful
"A great aquarium!"
This is a great place! The price is a little high but what they offer is so worth it. We have loved the outdoor exhibits and even though my children were young and we have since moved away it is something they still talk about. You might want to plan to go in good weather to take full advantage of your admission price. But this is a must-see! We liked it better than the New England Aquarium in Boston.
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'11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"We had a great time!"
As others have stated, the price is quite high and I agree completely that the aquarium is awfully small to have such a high price. That being said, we did have a great time while there. There were tons of exhibits to see and my tot was engaged the entire time. I think it's one of the places that you should go to, but you probably wont make a repeat visit unless they advertise a new exhibit that especially intrigues you or your children.
0 families found this helpful
"High price, good fun."
I will start off saying, I LOVE Mystic aquarium but I think the prices are awful. There are ton's of different animals to see, and shows to watch. The kids love going up to the glass and seeing the whales, we do not have anything like this at home. But, I feel the admission price is way to high for as small as an aquarium park as it is.
0 families found this helpful
"pricey but worth it"
This is my favorite aquarium, and while the price is steep it is worth it to check it out. The place is very clean and the staff are super friendly. Our favorite part was the penguins! They have a huge exhibit and we watched them forever. My 3 year old liked the sea lions because they were pretty active. You can also watch a show with sea lions and they perform and do tricks. It is free and I would really try to catch a show if you are there.
1 family found this helpful
"The BEST Aquarium"
Our family loves this aquarium! They have a spectacular outdoor exhibit area with beluga whales, Stellar sea lions, and penguins. The indoor exhibit area is a little on the dark side, which makes it hard to keep track of your family at times, but is packed full of great exhibits. The aquarium is constantly adding and changing exhibits so there is always something new to see. They offer fun family programs and even have a preschool. The only downfall is the cost- admission is relatively expensive for the size and amount of time you will spend in one visit. Memberships are about $160/family, and extra programs are often $15-20 per person.
0 families found this helpful
"Great indoor activity for the long winter!"
The Mystic Aquarium is a great place to take toddler to get out some energy during the long winter months. It is not busy at all during the winter so your kids will be able to roam freely. They will be able to stand on the floor and look directly in the tanks - no need to lift them to see. It isn't the biggest aquarium we have ever been to, but it is plenty for a couple hour excursion. There are also outside exhibits that are fun on a nice winter day or in the summer. The beluga whales are a highlight, and we really enjoyed spotting frogs in the pond during the summer months. The sea lion is also fun, but really only needs to be seen once if you are a member like we were.
0 families found this helpful
"Nice little aquarium but overpriced"
My husband and I are our two kids (4 and 6) had a great time at this aquarium. Definitely more to do and see in the summer than winter. Great place for penguin and sea lion lovers! A little too pricey in my book. It isn't that big so we felt like we would spend an hour, hour and a half their maximum but for what we paid it should have been a full day's worth of entertainment. If you live in CT or MA you may be able to get free or discounted passes from your public library.
0 families found this helpful
"Mystic Aquarium"
Mystic Aquarium is great place that we have visitied throughout the years. The children love it. The sea lion shows are great. When it is warm out, it is nice to walk outside and see the outer exhibits. The only down side is the price to get in is very expensive. But reduced admission is offered through libraries.
1 family found this helpful
"Great day trip for CT residents"
We have 3 animal lovers in our family and they love to spend the day at the aquarium. We have been members here for a couple of years, and for a family of 5 or greater if you visit 2 or more times it pays for itself. It is a smaller aquarium, but there is much to see both indoors and out. Indoors there is a touching pool which all the kids love. You can pick up crabs, starfish, clams etc...and there is always a docent on hand to answer questions.Additionally indoors is the only show the aquarium has regarding sea lion training. In a semi-outside covered spot is a ray feeding area. For a $2.00 fee you can feed cow nosed rays (stingers removed). Our kids would spend all day doing this if we let them. Outside you can see rescued seals(a pet project of the aquarium), penguins, beluga whales, sea lions and seals. Seasonally for the past 2 years there has been a Birds of the Outback exhibit where you can feed free flying parakeets and related birds. We parents are not too keen on this one as the birds are easily spooked, seem to never be hungry and of course always seem to be looking for a clean head of hair to do there business on. The kids really enjoy it however and it becomes a test of wills to see if we can get them out of there or if they will get a bird to land on their food stick before we shoo them out!!! There is also a fantastic display about underwater exploration and a 3d movie ride. Our kids (ages 5,8,8) ask to go here all the time and expect to go during our annual shore vacation as it is close to where we stay.
1 family found this helpful
"A Solid Aquarium and Not Too Crowded"
Having been to larger aquariums in Boston and Baltimore, I was quite impressed with the aquarium in Mystic which had a good balance of marine exhibits and interactive activities such as the shark and ray petting tank. You don't get "small town" prices at the Mystic Aquarium, but you do get an big-city quality aquarium which seemed a lot less crowded. Culinary hint - go to the very good "Go Fish" restaurant next door for dinner or lunch (joking to the kids that you're eating the aquarium habitants is optional).
0 families found this helpful
"Aquarium and tour"
We`all had a great time at the Mystic Aquarium. I have great memories of watching my girls standing in from of the Beluga tank. They looked so small standing in front of that huge tank. My kids love marine life and my oldest talks about studying marine biology. We decided to pay extra for the behind the scenes tour and it was worth every penny. We were able to see the behind the scenes workings of the aquarium and were able to touch and look at specimens up close
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful"
This aquarium has so many unique creatures. The beluga whales are amazing. The setting of the aquarium and the fact it has a lot of outdoor areas is a plus. The shows were top notch. There is also an aquatic animal hospital to help children understand how to be careful with animals and the environment. While it's not one of the larger or more glamorous aquariums it definitely has heart.
1 family found this helpful
"Small and crowded!"
We were expecting something larger and with more indoor aquariums to see, however, this was mostly outdoors. It was also extremely crowded, so no time to really stroll through - we were finished within an hour. My son loves looking at fish and other sea life, but this did not keep his interest at all. The indoor show was fun, but that was the pretty much the only thing that we enjoyed.
2 families found this helpful
"Not what we expected"
This Aquarium is very small! My husband and I took our two children (3 yrs and 1 yr) and we saw everything in about two hours. We thought the best part of the aquarium was the polar bear exhibit. You are able to see the bears above and below the water. There are also little peek-a-boo windows for the kids to look through which were just as exciting. Also important to note that this aquarium is 90 percent Outside. So, don't plan this activity as a rainy day outing! If you are staying in the Mystic area it is a fine afternoon activity, but I wouldn't necessarily make a special trip for it.
0 families found this helpful
"Cute Aquarium"
This aquarium is best visited in the summer it offers a lot for such a little place. We loved seeing the White beluga whales as well as the large penguin exhibit. In the summer there are lobester fests in the seaport area so those are two great places to hit - usually happens some time in July.
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