Aquariums

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Monday

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Tuesday

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Wednesday

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Thursday

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Friday

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday

9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday

9:00 AM - 6:30 PM

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About

Rated #1 U.S. Aquarium by Readers’ Choice Travel Awards and #1 Aquarium in the Midwest by Zagat Survey. Home to thousands of aquatic animals in scores of exhibits, the Newport Aquarium will amaze you with all there is to see and do. You can touch a penguin, pet a shark, hear divers talk to the audience during feeding time, play games in Frog Bog, eat lunch in Sharkey's Cafe and a much, much more!

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See what travelers are saying

omglookakitty
Canton, Ohio32 contributions
Great aquarium but pricey
Loved the aquarium! Especially the bridge over the sharks and the tunnels. Did not enjoy the surcharge if you get tickets day of. Definitely get tickets in advance if you can predict what time you can get there. We were on a road trip and were unable to do so.
Visited June 2023
Traveled as a couple
Written June 14, 2023
Paul R
8 contributions
Nice relaxing entertainment!
This aquarium was very well done. Exhibits were organized well with some hands on sites which made it more enjoyable. The location was a bit difficult to find and tickets needed to be bought in advance. Big city driving and hard to find the parking ramp made it a bit difficult for this rural girl!
Visited July 2023
Traveled with family
Written July 13, 2023
colleenm84
Tipp City, Ohio32 contributions
Definitely not worth the $$$
Quite disappointed, as compared to other aquariums and zoos we have been to within Ohio and other states. It was so crowded on a Friday morning and start to finish, we made it through in 40 minutes. There is very little to see as compared to even the aquariums at the Columbus Zoo. Won’t be back again unless there are major improvements to the displays.
Visited July 2023
Traveled with family
Written July 14, 2023
Jamie R
Constantine, Michigan5 contributions
Really Awesome!
Great visit - really enjoyed this. LOTS to see. The only negative is that the glass could have been kept more clean. We went in at the start of the day and there were hand prints all over the glass clearly from previous day(s), LOVED IT!
Visited August 2023
Written August 16, 2023
Traveling Blogger
Scottsburg, Indiana137 contributions
Great place to visit !! Very accessible
09/18/2023, We took 3 of our Grandchildren to the Aquarium. They had so much fun !! They are still talking about it tonight. I want to thank them for a Wonderful experience. I, personally am in a Power Wheelchair and they have done an amazing job on Accessibility. They even have Accessible Rest Rooms. The kids got to pet Sharks, Starfish, a Lizard and saw several Skeletal displays. The Penguin Display was awesome. So we're the Albino Alligators. Thank you for a job well done.
Visited October 2023
Traveled with family
Written October 19, 2023
gobabigo11
Louisville, Kentucky214 contributions
An underwater adventure without going underwater🦈
This place was wonderful. It had lots of fish, turtles, frogs, seahorses, sharks, penguins, and other creatures. You could get up close and personal while walking under,beside and even above aquariums. You could touch jellyfish, sharks, and stingrays. There’s also a nice food court inside the building.
Visited November 2023
Traveled with family
Written November 6, 2023
wirttravelers
550 contributions
Pleasant stop to see fish and more.
The timed entry system spaced out the visitors, but it was still busy on a Friday afternoon. The tanks followed a one-way system that allowed you to easily make sure that you saw everything. There were multiple touch pools, play areas for kids, and a restaurant/ snack area. Besides fish and other underwater creatures, there were reptiles and amphibians as well. Nice for a 1-2 hour visit.
Visited March 2024
Traveled with family
Written March 24, 2024

These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0

2,230 reviews

Excellent

1,091

Very good

735

Average

287

Poor

74

Terrible

43

Heather L

Indianapolis, IN186 contributions

Good way to spend a few hours

Apr 2021

I was impressed with how well they stuck to the timed reservations, tried to keep family units separate and limited guests. Everyone wore masks and there were plenty of staff members around to remind those who didn't comply. Food was available but people were restricted to dining in certain areas and couldn't walk around eating maskless (like at the zoo) - which was appreciated.
All tanks were very well identified, very easy to understand. One drawback (and the reason for four stars) is that a lot of animals aren't available right now. Maybe because of crowds, maybe because of construction, but there were many spots that were obviously empty. As a result we finished in under two hours. Overall not the best aquarium ever, but for this area of the midwest it's pretty good.

Written April 3, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emily M

Indianapolis, IN244 contributions

Such a fun trip!

Sep 2021 • Family

Awesome visit here! We spent almost three hours here with our toddler and he loved it. Recommend going early for less crowds, as we had sooooo much availability to get up and see exhibits without waiting when we arrived at 9:00. The staff was great and it was clean. Such a neat facility and we will definitely be back. Our favorites were stingrays!

Written September 5, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EvaLou

Flint, MI135 contributions

Pretty Good

Mar 2022 • Friends

My biggest complaint is that they had touching areas and then absolutely ZERO hand sanitizers. The last touching area finally had two hand sanitizers on the wall with nothing in them. Second complaint is that there is absolutely no way to touch the sting rays because you can’t reach them and I have very long arms.

My sister and I spent an hour there. With kids, it would have been two hours. There is a Sea Life Aquarium near me in MI and about a quarter of the size and just as expensive so I would say it is worth the price. However, the Shark Bridge was a waste of time. You can’t really see anything once you’re in there and they had maybe two sharks in the whole aquarium.

Positives would be the Sea Turtle and white Alligators. They had interactive exhibits for the kids. So, I think this is best with kids. However, if you are deciding between the aquarium and the zoo, the zoo is much bigger for the price and you could spend an entire day there.

Written March 31, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lia B

Hazard, KY47 contributions

Great visit

Apr 2023

We had a great day at the aquarium but unfortunately picked a day that was extremely crowded. We had to wait 2 1/2 hours to get in and then it was crowded enough that we had to wait to see many of the exhibits. The building is clean, well kept and most animal exhibits are well maintained. Our next visit we will buy our tickets ahead of time as the website recommends and we will go on a weekday instead of weekend. I would recommend this to anyone and especially to families with children. Great day!

Written April 22, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brenda W

Richmond, IN231 contributions

Good

Oct 2020 • Family

Groupon had a special for a annual membership plus two one day guest for $170.00. The regular membership was way more than that. When you buy this you automatic think that 2 guest is part of the membership and this only for one day. This didn't make me too happy. Very deceiving. The lady there commented that there was more complaints about this.
I brought my daughther, her 3 kids, my husband and myself. We did have a good time but there was water all over the walkways.
I have moderate COPD from second hand smoke, there was no one around so I had my mask down off of my nose so i could breathe. I had a cleaning lady come up & start chewing me out. I pretty much let her have it!

Written October 25, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nadia L

Columbus, OH82 contributions

Great local attraction but pricey; opted for annual pass

Mar 2017 • Family

We took our 10 year old and 2 year old daughters during Winter break. It was nice because it's not far for Ohioans. We opted to walk from our hotel- Hampton Inn (highly recommended) which had quick walking access to The aquarium. The aquarium is nice, clean, and staff were friendly but the price is high for a one-time visit. So we opted to buy a year membership pass so we can return whenever we wish. The annual pass gets you additional discounts on the property and other attractions as well. They had a buy 3 get one free promotion on annual passes for the holidays so it really was worthwhile for our family of 4. We did not pay extra for "behind the scenes" interactions, but didn’t feel it was necessary to have a great experience. I was disappointed they didn't have lockers so we had to carry our jackets around the whole time. All the tunnels where you could walk through and see fish, rays, sharks, and turtles were our favorite. The sharks are really cool and plentiful in the larger tanks. The shark ray and penguin viewing windows were also a hit! Recommended for families with young children but keep in mind there are some areas that get really crowded so strollers are not really convenient; we didn’t bring ours. Not a lot of eating options so plan ahead. There is a play place near the middle for kids to blow off some steam. Overall we spent several hours there and enjoyed our time! Can’t wait to plan our return trip, since we’re now annual pass holders!

Written January 3, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Suzanne M

4 contributions

Winter and Spring Fun!

Jan 2020

Here is a place to visit any time of year, but especially during winter and spring, since it's indoors and you don't need to concern yourself with the weather. I highly recommend a visit! There is so much to see and is enjoyable for everyone. There is something about watching creatures in water that is relaxing and magical.

Written March 25, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jennifer

Indianapolis, IN211 contributions

Great aquarium

Jun 2022

Really nice aquarium! Parking in the garage nearby is easy and relatively cheap ($5 for over 4 hours on a Sunday). Recommend getting there early to have smaller crowds. Food court was decent. Loved getting to see the keepers feed the spider crabs. The walk through tunnels were really nice, tons of fish, sharks, and turtles!

Our one issue was the shark bridge doesn't open til 11 am, which doesn't make sense when the aquarium opens at 9. We ended up waiting at the penguins for 30 min for the bridge to open (the bridge sn't something that NEEDS to be staffed, seems like they just want to force you to get your picture taken to hope you'll buy it in the gift shop). I get not having someone standing there at 9 when they open, but would 10 be that much of an issue?

Written June 27, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Denise R

Greenwood, IN288 contributions

Great Aquarium Experience

Mar 2023 • Couples

We took a short vacation to Newport and started our trip with a visit to the aquarium. It was a nice visit, and we were impressed by all the exhibits and the variety of sea creatures.

Two points might help other visitors:

1. We had planned to eat lunch outside the aquarium because most zoos and aquariums we've visited have horrible prices on their food. That was absolutely not the case at Newport. The cafe offered many different options, and the prices were right in line with area fast food restaurants and cafes.

2. You should purchase your tickets ahead of time. Tickets actually involve an entry time to spread out the crowd.

Written April 1, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kateshere

New Albany, IN9 contributions

Incredible

Feb 2020

Absolutely worth admission price, lots of underwater species to be seen and studied. Experts are at the exhibits to inform and add to your experience. Of interest to adults as well as adults visiting with children. After parking take your ticket with you so you can pay after exiting the aquarium as we did not and left in the vehicle and had to go back and pay. Parking price for the garage was reasonable and there are a few restaurants on the premises before coming into the aquarium I remember Tom and Chee and the aquarium does have refreshments available inside the aquarium in case you get hungry. Loved the aquarium very beautiful and very clean!!! Highly recommend

Written February 5, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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