The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

An Aquarium Dedicated Specifically To Long Island Sound And Its Watershed, In A Converted 1860s Ironworks In Norwalk'S SoNo District; Runs Research Vessel Cruises On The Sound As Part Of The Visit · Norwalk, Connecticut

The Maritime Aquarium occupies a converted 1860s ironworks on the Norwalk River and is unusual in being about one body of water rather than the ocean in general: every major exhibit is Long Island Sound and its watershed, from the salt marsh and the river mouth up to the open Sound, with harbour seals, sand tiger sharks, river otters and a jellyfish gallery. That focus is the point - visitors from the New York commuter belt leave knowing what is in the water they live beside. The other distinction is the boat: the aquarium runs research vessel cruises out onto the Sound where passengers trawl, sort the catch and put it back, which is a genuinely different thing from looking through glass. It sits in SoNo, Norwalk's restored nineteenth century waterfront district, which is worth an hour on its own and has a better restaurant scene than anything inside the building. South Norwalk station is a short walk, so the train from New York or New Haven removes the parking garage from the day entirely.

10 North Water Street, Norwalk, Norwalk, Connecticut, 06854, United States

Open daily through the middle of the day and afternoon, with longer hours in summer and school holidays, closing on a small number of major holidays. Feeding and training demonstrations run to a daily timetable posted at the entrance. Research vessel cruises on Long Island Sound are seasonal, generally spring to autumn, run to a separate schedule, and are ticketed separately - they also cancel for weather at short notice.

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