The Oregon Coast Aquarium is not in a major city, nor is it conveniently located. It’s on Newport, which is a city name used to frequently in the USA.
In spite of the long drive, I was glad I went. It’s right by the coast so it’s easy to make a day of seeing the tiny aquarium, and then having an afternoon on the beach.
Mostly the aquarium has things that are local to that area, like star fish and seals. You can see these things at the beach too, but seeing them in the aquarium allows for closer look, and for the staff to tell you interesting things about them.
I even stuck around to watch the seals and sea lions eating, which was a good time. I love the way seals sort of squish their way along the land, and yet, they are so graceful in the water.
I think the most interesting part of the aquarium is being able to go through the local Oregon exhibits and see things like living Sand Dollars and colorful sea cucumbers.
After doing the tide pools and the beach, I had seen all those things from far away. However, a close-up look at healthy and well-cared for animals is always appreciated.
In this picture (above) you can see a green anemone, an orange sea cucumber, and a purple sea urchin.
If you were on your own wandering around, you might see all of those in one day. But I promise that you wouldn’t see them all together in one place. So I think that is the real benefit of making the drive and paying the steep admission price.
It is just really cool to see all of the sea life of the Oregon coast packed into one place, where you can enjoy it all in a morning.
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