Oregon Coast Aquarium

A trip to Oregon’s most famous aquarium.

Before leaving Newport following our stay at the wonderful Sylvia Beach Hotel, we decided to stop in at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  It has been years since I’ve stopped in.  Years.  Like before Keiko, the Free Willy Whale, who arrived in Oregon in 1995. So it was pretty much all new to me, and it was a lot of fun.  Honestly, I expected it to me a little bigger, but it didn’t leave feeling ripped off or anything.  The admission is $20 for adults.

There are three distinct areas at the aquarium, a series of indoor exhibits, the outdoor enclosures that hold the otters, sea lions and birds, and “Passages of the Deep” where you can walk in clear tubes THROUGH the tanks while fish, sharks, rays and the occasional diver swim above and around you.  We liked this area so much we went through it twice!  But I also loved watching the otters.  They are one of my favorite animals, so playful and funny even when they’re just sleeping, floating around on their backs!

Inside the building are more traditional aquarium tanks.  The jelly fish were really interesting to watch up close, but the sea horses really captivated us.  We probably spent 10 minutes watching these guys.  They are the hummingbirds of the sea!  There’s also a really fun tank full of sea creatures you can touch.  I always love to let them suck on my fingers.  Creepy and cool and the same time.

If you’re in Newport this is really a must visit attraction.  There are lots of tourists traps in this town but the Aquarium is the real deal.  Have fun!