PRESS RELEASE

Aquarium to welcome guests during holiday break with renovated café, new exhibit

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The new “Healthy Corals, Healthy Reefs” exhibit at the New England Aquarium. CREDIT: New England Aquarium

BOSTON, MASS. (December 2024) – The New England Aquarium is looking forward to welcoming guests this holiday season with a renovated café and gift shop, a new exhibit highlighting corals, and its annual ice sculpture carving.

The Aquarium will extend its hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from December 26 through January 5. Guests are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance at neaq.org, as timed ticket slots may sell out. New England residents receive $5 off standard Aquarium admission or admission and movie combinations.

Highlights for the week include:

New exhibit

  • Guests can experience “Healthy Corals, Healthy Reefs,” a 15-foot, nearly 5,000-gallon exhibit that is home to a variety of live coral species native to the Indo-Pacific region. The first-floor exhibit features species that are new to the Aquarium, such as angelfish, butterfly fish, wrasses, surgeonfish, and reef dwelling invertebrates. Interactive elements provide a variety of multi-sensory experiences for tactile and visually impaired learners.

Newly renovated café and gift shop

  • The Harbor View Café and gift shop have reopened after renovations this fall. Guests can enjoy delicious new menu items and find the perfect souvenir or holiday gift. The café is open from 9:00 a.m. until one hour before closing, and the gift shop is open during regular Aquarium hours.

Exploration Station

  • The Aquarium is bringing back an interactive educational space on the third floor called the Exploration Station. Inside, guests can take part in both guided and self-led themed activities, engage with sensory activities, and spend some down time reading books.

Ice sculpture carving

  • The Aquarium will welcome back artist Don Chappelle to create another ice sculpture for Central Wharf visitors to enjoy. On Dec. 29, passersby can watch Chappelle carve a depiction of endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, which are the majority of turtles treated at the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital. The sculpture will be part of Boston Harbor Now’s annual Waterfront Ice Sculpture Stroll, held on New Year’s Eve.

Simons Theatre films

  • The Aquarium’s Simons Theatre is showing three visually stunning films highlighting our natural world: Animal Kingdom 3D, Ocean Paradise 3D, and Secrets of the Sea 3D. Tickets and show times are available by calling 617-973-5206 or by visiting org.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Pam Bechtold Snyder – 617-686-5068; psnyder@neaq.org