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

SUMMER
Memorial Day – Labor Day
Daily: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

WINTER
Labor Day –  Memorial Day
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

R.I. PUBLIC SCHOOL HOLIDAYS & VACATIONS
Excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, New Year’s Eve/Day
10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

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!

 

Feeding Frenzy at the Aquarium

Help us feed Bowser the Snapping Turtle
Help us feed Bowser the Snapping Turtle

On the third Thursday of every month, join us for a very special opportunity to assist in feeding some of our favorite critters from Narragansett Bay! From 5-6 p.m., you can see our little skates chow down, watch our stargazer electrify his prey and much more!

Learn more

 

Skate and shark egg cases at Save The Bay's Exploration Center and Aquarium

Exploration Center and Aquarium sets sights on the future of Narragansett Bay this December

Monday, December 3, 2018

While conservation, or the act of protecting and preserving ecosystems, is not a new practice, it has become an increasingly critical one—especially in regions, like Rhode Island, that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Guests to the Exploration Center and Aquarium this month can engage in a number of hands-on exhibits—including an interactive watershed model and ocean acidification demonstration—that illustrate why conservation is so important in Narragansett Bay.

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 x138) 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

The Exploration Center and Aquarium is supported by:

*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.

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