Oregon Coast Aquarium

What can I say. It’s cool fun place for the family to see some cool stuff. Pet the sharks too. Plain and simple review here its highly recommended

We had 2 seniors, 2 in the 20/30’s range, and 1 two year old… and we all enjoyed the Aquarium immensely! The exhibits were top notch, and the other amazing part was the staff and volunteers. They were all so kind, and informative without being overwhelming. Their passion shone through at every turn and was appreciated.
Definitely a must do if you’re in Oregon. We drove about 2 hours to visit, and we certainly have no regrets!

It is a cute aquarium but don’t come here expecting an amazing experience. This is on the smaller side and they don’t have as many exhibits as we are used to (having recently visited Seattle and Vancouver aquariums). The tunnels were indeed awesome and they had a really neat training encounter with pelicans. Wouldn’t have thought you could train pelicans but there you go. We were able to get through the exhibits in a relatively short time so I didn’t feel like it was quite worth the price. The kids really liked the pirate themed exhibit though. There are also adjacent nature walks.

This is a hard one to rate– I know it’s not a large scale aquarium like some others I have been to, however it just didn’t wow me.
I feel like it was spendy for what you got– it’s not incredibly big and you can get through it in an hour or under. I don’t have children and there is a large focus on kid activities and areas for kids learning. If you have kids I do see how it could be a much longer visit.
It is very clean and presentable but maybe just not for adults.

Really enjoyed our trip here last week. Not a large crowd on a Thursday morning in November! We walked around for about an hour and a half and watched the feeding and training demonstrations. Nice intimate aquarium with nice exhibits. Seems like it would be really good for kids too.

I was truly impressed by the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The volunteer staff were friendly and helpful without being overbearing. I really appreciated learning all the different types of fish that had graced my dinner plates during my visit to the coast.
The exhibits were good for both children and adults. It wasn’t busy while we were there, but I think tge layout would have supported more people without feeling crowded.

We loved this aquarium. The special exhibit going on is called Secrets of Shipwrecks and we were not disappointed. We arrived at 3pm and two hours was not enough time for us to see everything we wanted to. Most of the exhibits were well done and updated. We didn’t have enough time to see the Sea Otters or the Seals and Sea Lions and the «seabird aviary» only contained two turkey vultures. It was very nice to have many of the plants and trees identified with name tags in the nature trail area and the gift shop had some interesting unique items, which aren’t the typical tourist stuff. We learned that visiting in October is GREAT for no crowds! We would return to this aquarium. Staff and volunteers were friendly and informative.

We went here a week ago yesterday. It was so much fun. There was so much to see and explore. Our kids had a huge blast seeing and feeling things they wouldn’t have otherwise. I feel like I could go back a few times and discover things I missed the time before. It is expensive, but if you’re looking for something fun for the kids, it’s worth it.
AND they honor AAA discounts! :)

I love this place. It’s unbelievably beautiful. Came here to check out world largest underwater tunnels. Yes I was fascinated. Not to mention to sea lion, the seal and the sea otter. This is the best aquarium I have been to so far. Best of all they have a touch station and you don’t have to push and shove to get a good view.
The feeding of the sea lion was very interesting. The staff had a very interesting presentation about the sea lion. Not to mention having the sea lion doing tricks.
I highly recommend visiting here. Admission is only$ 20 which is very affordable. Plus please make sure you have plenty of time. I ended up spending 3 hrs there.

It was okay (seals) but definitely not $ 20/​pp to go. The seals were cool but the exhibits seemed super small and crowded… Like most zoos, this place seemed more focused on selling souvenirs than promoting an environment truly healthy (and therefore spacious) for it’s inhabitants and only minutely covered environmental/​conservation issues. We were surprised that there was little if any info on the starfish and smaller inhabitants, and volunteers who couldn’t ID them either). Won’t return.

The whole thing looks outdated now and I only saw maybe 2 cool animals. The pricing is a little ridiculous. $ 19.95 for one adult.
Coolest parts were the glass hallways where your could see fish but even then it didn’t seem lively, more gloomy.
I didn’t even go with high expectations and still was disappointed. Seaside aquarium is much cooler.

Date Visited: July 11, 2015
Amazing fun for kids of all ages!
The grounds are well kept, the staff extremely helpful, and the sea animals extraordinary to watch! Sea creatures and plant exhibits ranging from the sky, the shore and progressing to the depths of the sea, with many areas «kids» can get involved or touch.
The aquarium has seasonal special attractions or exhibits and this visit it was all about Secrets of Shipwrecks, how the discovery occurs, how the excavation happens, and the equipment used. Many examples for kids to try out and explore!
While on the coast this is a must see destination! And if planned out in advance, you can purchase admission before arrival and cut the wait in line!

Not very much to see and the octopus wasn’t out for viewing which was what we wanted to see the most. But the otters are adorable! I do think when they have feedings they should have an adult line. My 7 year old missed a lot because she couldn’t see. Glad my 2 year old was free :)

The exhibits they have are great! Lots of variety and tons of info about our local coastal waters. The touch tank is great for both kids and adults :) The «passages of the deep» area where you walk through a tunnel with sharks swimming all around is pretty cool. My absolute favorite was the aviary where they have water-​birds!
My only comment is that for the price I wish they had a few more exhibits.

Nice aquarium. These places always seem expensive and the kids always have fun. The octopus area leaves a bit to be desired and the overlooks… they should have put the money spent on the overlooks into the octopus area! Overall very clean and a good assortment of things to look at.

Oregon Coast Aquarium is a very small aquarium that is worth your time and money if you have children. If you were just browsing, it would take you about an hour to go through the aquarium. If you listened to the «talks», read the stuff, and go through the activities, it would take you at least twice as long.
Admission at the time of my visit were:
$ 20 adults and $ 13 children
They have a beautiful aviary which contain many different local species of birds. These birds are great: They don’t fear humans yet and you can get really close for a close up.
There are sea otters and that is always a hit with the children. One of the workers mentioned that these otters are fed restaurant grade seafood and it cost tens of thousands of dollars a year to feed them.
They also have an interactive tide pool, which I call aquarium petting zoo. Very cool.
What made this aquarium totally worth the money for me were the series of three underwater tunnels that go under and through three different tanks. Sharks and manta rays will swim over, under and around you in here. I would gladly spend an hour or two hanging out over here. Nice place to find a spot to sit and chit chat.
They have a large café at the main entrance that we did not visit but is very convenient because right outside is the play area for the kids. There are plenty of tables and chairs to park yourselves onto.
And while you are «watching» the kids play in the play area, you can «watch» the view of the various protected wetlands and other riparian habitats adjacent to the play area.

ho-​hum. I wish it was better. Bring back Keiko? (j/​k)
It’s overpriced or they are not very good at budgeting. More money seems to have been spent on the gift shop than anything else. Even the shark tank is a disappointment.

Growing up on the coast, I’ve been to the Aquarium many times over. As an adult, its a little lackluster. I think its great that they offer so many learning opportunities for kids and adults alike, but with the amount of times they try to get more money out of you during the visit, it saddens me. I know they need all the funding they can get, but its beginning to feel less like a place for learning and more like an attraction like Disneyland or that sort of thing.
That being said, my 9 year old nephew had a great time in the shipwreck exhibit as well as my sister and I. Just wish they didnt try to shove all the money making opportunities down your throat.

Nice aquarium. The sea otters are adorable. The octopus was pretty cool. The shark tunnel was awesone sharks swimming above your head. Kids loved it. Was a little pricey.

After reading some of the reviews about how small this place was, and how fast they strolled through the exhibits, we were a little concerned. We feared we would encounter a Morro Bay Aquarium experience (If you have ever been there, you know what I am talking about). That Aquarium would be considered small. The Oregon Coast Aquarium may not be the size of Sea World, but it is definitely not as puny as some of the reviews convey. You will not see any Orcas, or a massive pool-​side arena for water shows, but they do have a nice habitat for seals and sea lions, otters, and seabirds as well as some cool exhibits indoors that provide a wealth of knowledge should you choose to stop and take the time to absorb the education.
We spent just about three hours touring the grounds. It was a dreary-​rainy day. About a third of the location is outdoor viewing, but the front desk will let you use an umbrella for the temporary use of some collateral (I provided them with my drivers license). My girlfriend and I enjoyed ourselves immensely, given the weather. There was plenty of indoor exhibits to keep you interested, so you could wait for the rainy downpour to subside before checking out the exhibits outside.
The organizers keep visitors busy with live educational showings (feedings, diving with fish, verbal Q&A, etc). It was worth the price of admission to us, but then again — there were only two of us. A family of five can expect to drop close to $ 100 to get through the front doors. After checking out much of the property, we sat down for some food and were impressed with the quality food we were served. It was a great experience and I would recommend it, if you’re in the area.
I would have given this place four stars, but the gravel outdoors gets pretty messy and puddles form easily. Paving the areas around the outdoor exhibits would definitely be a plus. Also, they told us a shark feeding would take place at a certain time, and they cancelled the shark feeding 10 minutes after it was scheduled. BUT! The shark exhibit is totally cool. Anyway, three enthusiastic stars! Go check it out!