A Tale of Two Aquariums

Yes, the remarkable little town of Newport has two aquariums and both of them are within walking distance of the Marine RV Park.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center was described to us as an aquarium, but it really is more of a Marine Discovery Museum. They do have fish in tanks, but it is mostly interactive displays that tell of the research and issues that the Science Center is involved in. The Center is part of Oregon State University and admission is free (although donations are accepted).

There were three Osprey hanging out in the parking lot. We thought that they might be a family trying to get the juvenile to fly.

        

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a more commercial tourist aquarium. Kathy and I were members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California for many years and could not even guess how many times we visited there. We are not easily impressed by other aquariums, but we both enjoyed our time at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The coolest thing they have are these three plastic tunnels where the fish swim both above and below you.

 

It is really interesting to watch as people realize that part of the floor is clear and then trying to decide if they are going to walk on it or not. The three tunnels are setup to give you the effect of walking into deeper and deeper water.

They have many other fish exhibits as well.

They also have an aviary of seabirds.

We spent the rest of our time in Newport taking care of groceries, laundry, blog writing and getting our monthly mail  delivery.

Our slideshow of A Tale of Two Aquariums