New England Aquarium

 Friday, March 27, 2025

   

Today we started out our day a little differently.  Rather than going to the rink to see the short program for the ice dancers, we opted instead to go over to the New England Aquarium.  Some months back we found an animal encounter there that we just could not pass up - Atlantic Harbor Seals!  But, before we got to the seals, we had some time to tour the aquarium.  Just like I remembered (from my last visit here in middle school) the penguins were right there as soon as you walked in.  Their habitat is just below ground level and you can kind of look down on them.  They are all just so cute!  I could have watched all day.  But, alas, more animal friends were waiting.

   

   

We wandered through several sections of big tanks of fish.  I love all the tropical ones because they are so colorful, but we also liked the stingrays and jelly fish a lot too.  Emily also really liked the seahorses.

   

   

As we continued working our way up through the tanks we made a very unexpected find - a Piping Plover (of elementary school project fame)!  This was a bird Emily learned all about for a school science project.  She picked it because it came up on a list of world's cutest birds.  And indeed it is cute.

   

We also found starfish (reminds me of the starfish at the very end of the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride at Epcot), an octopus, a really cool cobalt blue lobster (wow!), some amazing coral, a gigantic tortoise and more seahorses. 

   

   

Then we stopped by to see the harbor seal presentation.  Those guys are really fun.  It is amazing how many things they have learned to do.  So cute!

   

Our last stop was the touch tank where they had various types of rays and sharks that you could reach in and touch.  I am not much for reaching into tanks, but Emily got the chance to "pet" a stingray and no harm was done!

   

After the touch tank, we headed across the street to Legal Seafoods for lunch.  It was one of the best meals of the trip.  We both loved what we ordered and we each got a free cup of clam chowder for attending World's!  How about that?  

Then it was time for our harbor seal encounter.  There were only 2 groups on the tour - us and a mother son duo.  It was very tight inside the enclosure so I could see why it was so limited.  Also it was a little weird being in the enclosure because we were on display to the visitors on the outside of the tank! We got to meet Amelia (perfect, huh?) and we told her all about our Ameila at home.  This Amelia was missing one eye, but still seemed to get around just fine.  She was very sweet.

   

Then it was our turn for a close up experience.  We got to touch Amelia just a little bit and she even greeted us with a little kiss on the cheek!  How about that for a first date?

  

   

And just like that, our day at the aquarium had come to a close, but nothing to be sad about because our next stop was dinner and the Ladies' Freeskate back over at the arena!