Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium

Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium will open March 28, 2024.

Stay tuned as more updates will appear on this page regularly!

Dive beneath the waves of Narragansett Bay at Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium!

This one-of-a-kind destination allows guests to come face-to-face with the creatures and species that live beneath Bay waters, while also helping visitors build personal connections to the issues that challenge the health of this beautiful natural resource.

Save The Bay is a 100% member-supported nonprofit organization, with a mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay and a vision of a Bay that is fully fishable, swimmable and accessible to all.

The organization works toward its mission through three main programs: advocacy, habitat restoration and adaptation, and education. Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium supports the organization’s educational goals, alongside school and public programming, with the idea that the more you learn about the Bay, the more you care about the Bay!

LOCATION

23 America’s Cup Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840

CONTACT

401-324-6020

HOURS

Thursday-Monday
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Daily Summer hours begin May 2

Holiday Closures include:
Easter Sunday; Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday; Christmas Day; and New Year’s Day

TICKET PRICES

General Admission: $15/person
Senior Discount: $13/person
Children 2 and Under, Active and Retired Military with ID, and Museums for All participants: Free

Save The Bay Member Rates:
$7.50/person for Save The Bay Family and Bay Club Members 
FREE
for Save The Bay Seahorse, Salt Marsh Society, Hope Society, and Beacon Society Members
Learn more details about Save The Bay Membership benefits here

Planning Your Trip

Parking

Public parking is available nearby at the Gateway Transportation & Visitors Center Parking Lot.
Learn more from the City of Newport, here

Bus Service

We are located at the Gateway Transportation & Visitors Center, and accessible by RIPTA Routes 14, 60, 63, 64, 231 Flex, and hop-on-hop-off routes 67 and 68.
Learn more from RIPTA, here

We’re not your average aquarium.


  • All species come from and return to Narragansett Bay

  • Supporting local species populations with a breed/hatch program

  • This aquarium is just one part of a larger nonprofit advocacy mission


For 14 years, Save The Bay operated its “Exploration Center and Aquarium” at Easton’s Beach. Inherited from the New England Aquarium, the site taught us, not only about operating an aquarium, but also how an aquarium facility can help us extend the reach of our educational programs, allowing us to inspire future Bay stewards of all ages. 

From the very start, the idea of a Save The Bay aquarium was founded on one principle:

When you learn more about Narragansett Bay, you care more about Narragansett Bay.  

Over the years—and an extensive recovery period following severe damage from Superstorm Sandy—Save The Bay realized that climate change and rising sea levels were making our beachside aquarium impractical—plus, we’d begun to outgrow the space.

When the America’s Cup Ave location became available in 2021, we jumped at the chance to expand our offerings. With early support from a lead donor, the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, we embarked on a journey to build a new aquarium, and make it easier than ever before to dive beneath the waves of Narragansett Bay.

A journey through habitats

When you visit Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium, you embark on a journey through the fascinating and diverse habitats of Narragansett Bay.

Each habitat is home to a unique group of animals and plants that have evolved to survive perfectly under a specific set of conditions. And, each habitat faces challenges that we can all help address by working to protect and improve Narragansett Bay.

While the ultimate learning experience can only be found by visiting the aquarium, you can test the waters in advance by browsing them below:

Accessibility

At Save The Bay, our mission is to protect and improve Narragansett Bay—and our vision is of a fully swimmable, fishable Narragansett Bay, accessible to all.

Access is an integral part of our work, and a cornerstone value of the Aquarium experience we seek to offer. If you want to “dive beneath the waves of Narragansett Bay,” we want to make sure you can.

Sensory Inclusive Certified

Save The Bay is proud to be a KultureCity sensory-inclusive location. Our staff are certified in sensory inclusion and we are proud to offer KultureCity sensory bags to any interested guest.

Accessible Touch Tanks

We’re proud to offer touch tanks with lower sidewalls, allowing visitors of all abilities the opportunity to handle and encounter the animals of Narragansett Bay—even when using a wheelchair.

Aquarium Access Program

Save The Bay is proud to have joined Museums for All, an Institute of Museums and Library Services initiative. Those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits will receive free Aquarium admission for themselves and three additional family members with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.

Facing a different obstacle?

We want to know where we have room to grow, and invite feedback on where and how we can make our Aquarium more accessible.

Send us a message at [email protected] or give us a call at 401-324-6020.

Additional Offerings

School Programming

Interested in coordinating an aquarium program with your class? Head on over to our School Programming page to explore opportunities to work with Save The Bay’s environmental educators.

Rentals

Birthday parties? Corporate rentals? All this and more are in the works here at Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium. Stay tuned for more details in late 2024.