Nantucket Aquarium: Three Reasons You Should Visit

On a rainy day in Nantucket, we were looking for some activities to keep our three-year-old occupied. We found our way to the Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium (on its season opening day!) and were not disappointed. Here’s what we loved about this Nantucket aquarium and why you should add to your Nantucket with little kids itinerary too. 

Knowledgeable and interactive staff

The staff was happy to answer any questions we had, and they knew so much about Nantucket and Atlantic sea life! It wasn’t very busy when we were there, so we were fortunate to get some very 1:1 attention and education on all of the creatures. They have a touch tank where we were even able to see the underside of a horseshoe crab, learning all about how they eat and move. 

Most creatures are catch and release

This is one of the things we loved most about this aquarium! The majority of the creatures are caught at the beginning of the season and released at the end – so they have new fish and critters each year! Some are even released more frequently – for example the squids, which don’t like to be in confinement, so are released every two days. There were two tanks that had resident creatures. One was Clementine the lobster. She’s orange, which is an extremely rare color for lobsters (about 1 in 30 million!). The other are tropical fish that make their way to Nantucket via a gulf stream. They wouldn’t be able to survive in the cold waters, so the aquarium keeps them safe. 

Nantucket Aquarium is close to Town

The aquarium is just a quick five minute walk to Town, so super easy to walk over to lunch or shopping after you’re done. (Check out some of my favorite kid-friendly restaurant recommendations here!)

What’s your favorite aquarium? Let me know in the comments!