Exploration Center and Aquarium

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LOCATION

Easton’s Beach Rotunda
175 Memorial Blvd.
Newport, R.I.  02840

ADMISSION

General Admission: $8
Discounted Admission: $7 (Seniors, college students with ID, and guests of military and first-responders with current ID)
FREE for Save The Bay FAMILY MEMBERS, children under 3 and active and veteran military and first responders with ID

HOURS

Currently Closed to the Public

CONTACT

401-324-6020

The Exploration Center and Aquarium

Our interactive marine science center is home to more than 40 species from Narragansett Bay, as well as three touch tanks and dozens of exhibits to get you up close and personal with little skates, dogfish sharks, urchins, crabs and lobsters, seahorses, turtles, and so much more.

Every month features a new theme, with scavenger hunts, story hour, crafts, and science experiments that introduce our guests to something new or unexpected about Narragansett Bay. And, with Newport’s only ocean-facing beach just outside our front door, you can continue the beachcombing experience after your visit!

Volunteer at the Exploration Center!

Interested in welcoming visitors to the center, taking care of the animals and teaching about marine life? Visit our volunteer & internship page or contact July Lewis for more information.

JOIN OUR TEAM AS AN INTERN OR VOLUNTEER

Other Ways to Visit

Groups and Afterschool Programs

For pricing and details on a custom experience for your school group, scout troop or afterschool program, call 401-272-2540 x133 or visit our Education Program page.

Explore Programs

Private Aquarium Tours

Cost: $150 for up to 8 guests / $300 for 9-30 guests.

Book a one-hour, private tour at the Exploration Center and Aquarium, for a unique opportunity to handle a multitude of live animals, ask our aquarium biologists all those questions you never get a chance to, or just experience all our exhibits without the distraction of other visitors.

Contact Gráinne Conley (401-272-3540 x133) to book your private aquarium tour!

PARKING

Labor Day through Memorial Day: Free in Easton’s Beach lots

Memorial Day through Labor Day: Paid at Easton’s Beach, validation available (Pay to park at Easton’s Beach; validate your ticket at the aquarium; present validated ticket when leaving for a full/partial refund per City of Newport parking policy)

Metered parking is also available on Memorial Boulevard

*Please note:  Be sure to access the Johnson & Wales University Harborside Campus through the main entrance on Harborside Blvd. Your GPS may suggest taking Ernest Street to JWU’s Shipyard Street entrance, but that route requires a key card for entry.  

From Route I-95 North or South, take Exit 18 (Thurbers Avenue). Head downhill on Thurbers Avenue to US Route 1A (Allens Avenue). Turn right onto Allens Ave. Continue southbound on Allens Ave. into Cranston, where Allens Ave. becomes Narragansett Blvd. Turn left onto Harborside Blvd. at the traffic light by the Shell gas station. Follow Harborside Blvd. through the Johnson & Wales Harborside Campus. At the end of Harborside Blvd., turn right onto Save The Bay Drive. Save The Bay Drive becomes a circular, one-way roadway as you approach the Bay Center. Parking is available in four guest lots after you pass the main building. Enter the building through the main entrance.

Map

March 1, 2021

Dear Friends, Supporters and Community Members, 

At this time, Save The Bay’s facilities in Providence, Newport and Westerly remain closed to the public in response to COVID-19.

Save The Bay’s Seal Tours resume March 6, 2021, and we will hold outdoor public programs when Rhode Island’s COVID-19 state positivity rate is at or below 5%. In accordance with Rhode Island Department of Health travel guidelines, guests from states identified with a positivity rate of 5% or higher will not be able to join our programs. A complete list of our Seal Tour COVID-19 procedures and policies is available on our Seal Tour page. 

Save The Bay is offering limited volunteer and internship opportunities with new policies and procedures for the health and safety of all involved.

Our staff remains dedicated to working on our mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay from home. As always, we are accessible via email (listed on our website), or on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.