New England Aquarium

High-speed catamaran Nathanial Bowditch (Salem Ferry) moored next to the aquarium entrance (January 25, 2020)

The New England Aquarium at 1 Central Wharf was designed in 1969 by the architecture firm Cambridge Seven Associates. The concrete, glass and steel building at the urban water front houses a cylindrical 200,000 gallon salt water tank—40 feet in diameter and four storeys tall. Walking the spiral path winding upward around the tank to the top, you can watch sharks, moray eels, stingrays and other marine species. Looking down from the ocean tank perimeter at level 4 to the water surface, you may find yourself vis-à-vis with a sea turtle that came up for breathing and surface browsing. There are sea turtles in New England—inside and outside of the aquarium confines. The visitor guide confirms:

Sea turtles migrate thousands of miles every year. They are found from southern Chile all the way up to Canada! In the warmer months, you can find turtles like the three in this tank looking for food in the same New England waters in which we fish.

Other aquarium highlights are seals, sea lions and rockhopper penguins. Then, there are those typical smaller size aquarium tanks featuring diverse salt water and fresh water life—for example, jellyfish, leafy seadragons, electric eels, piranhas and a green anaconda. According to the Aquarium Website over thousand animals can be visited.

Get to the aquarium by using the MBTA Blue Line and exit at the subway station named “Aquarium.”