New England Aquarium: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110

Boston offers family fun all year round and one of our favorite family attractions during our family vacation TV shoot was a trip to the New England Aquarium. It provided the best of both worlds…entertainment mixed with education. We all had fun learning about the animals, but also how the aquarium offers programs that support conservation.

We had the pleasure of having two families join us for our trip to the aquarium. The children were between 3-7 years old, the perfect ages to introduce the concept of helping animals and the environment. We started with a stop at the touch tanks so the kids could literally get a hands on experience with the animals. The staff was clearly committed to engaging all of us by asking the kids lots of questions and getting them all really excited. New England Aquarium does a great job of getting kids hooked on making it fun to learn.

Visitors can make the most of their visit to the aquarium by checking out the live animal presentations. Educators set up areas throughout the aquarium for guests to come up and ask questions about a variety of animals. Families can also take advantage of Blue Discovery Family Days offered on specific Sundays throughout the year. Activities include storytelling, art and science and are available on a drop in basis on Family Days. These are just a few of the many opportunities at the New England Aquarium for families to learn and have fun so check out their website for more offerings.

Kids can also watch the fur seal training take place outside by the Harbor Terrace. The trainers explain why the activities they do with the seals helps them stay active and healthy. Visitors learn about the seals’ fur and what makes them different from other marine mammals. If your family falls in love with the seals, you can sponsor one through the aquarium’s Animal Sponsorship Program.

While we were at the New England Aquarium, we took our visit one step further with one of the Animal Encounter Programs. The program we tried was a Meet and Greet with Lou, a fur seal. Keep in mind, each encounter does have an additional cost associated as well as age requirements so check the details before signing up. If you have a serious animal lover in your family, this is one extra special experience. We had so much fun feeding Lou, touching his fur and even getting kisses. We recommend factoring in one over the top experience like this into your vacation budget to make the family vacation that much more memorable. After all, it’s those memories that will last a lifetime! Like we always say, have fun making memories on YOUR next family vacation!