4 Things To Do With Your Preschooler At The New England Aquarium

Last summer, I took Lola and Malone to a sweet working farm in Southern Vermont where you can feed and hang out with the animals as much as you’d like. And since then, they’ve been obsessed with seeing as many live animals as they can. We’ve been to the zoo a few times and back to a friend’s farm, but a trip to the aquarium has been at the top of their day trip bucket list for quite some time.  This post today about 4 Things To Do With Your Preschooler At The New England is brought to you by Smarter Destinations and the amazing Go Boston Card (more about this in a minute). All opinions are my own… but you should know that my opinion about the Go Boston Card is that it’s amazing. And you’ll want one. 🙂

 

 The Go Boston Card is a multi-attraction pass that includes admission to your choice of 3, 4, or 5 Boston attractions for one low price. Everything you’d want to experience in Boston is on there, including the Boston Children’s Museum, Legoland, the New England Aquarium, The Boston Duck Boat Tours and more. What’s great about the card is that it is a HUGE money saver! We had the 3 attraction pass and saved nearly $40 a person! Here’s more info about it. Go Boston Card also offers an all inclusive package where you can pay a set price times the number of days you’d like to use it. Here’s more info about that!

At 3 years old, Lola is kind of still a loose cannon when it comes to adventures like these. She likes what she likes, until she doesn’t like it. Throw in potty training and her ability to become hangry at a second’s notice and just about any outing could go either way. The four of us went to the New England Aquarium together, but while we were there, I paid special attention to what Lola loved spending time observing. She and I stuck together while Malone (age 7) and my husband (age, he’d kill me if I told you) went off on a bit.

4 Things To Do With Your Preschooler At The New England Aquarium

Watch the penguin feedings. 

Twice a day, a biologist hops into the penguin exhibit and feeds them fish. Lola was fascinated because each of the penguins personalities came out. Some hopped over for their food really fast while others weren’t hungry. We counted how many fish they ate and laughed at how greedy some of the little guys were. These feedings happen twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Find Dory and Nemo. 

A trip any aquarium isn’t complete with out a sighting of Dory and Nemo. Dory is actually a palette surgeonfish and Nemo is a clownfish. I am not 100% certain the EXACT type of Dory was in the large tank at the aquarium, but there certainly were ones that were close. We found clownfish in a smaller exhibit. And, the large tank is very similar to the one in the movie. Reinforcing the movies that Lola loves with the aquarium helped her to “buy in” to the experience of being there.

Watch the harbor seals swim. 

The Harbor Seals were the highlight for both Lola and Malone. Lola loved watching them swim and play. This tank is viewable from the ticket line, which made getting our exchange with Boston Go Card even smoother. I love it when places have something for the kids to look at while you’re in line waiting to get in.

Observe Myrtle The Turtle. 

Myrtle the Turtle was my favorite part of the aquarium. Myrtle has lived in the giant ocean tank since 1970 and my husband remembers seeing her as a child. While we were there, we saw her eat a fish and it was so fun to watch her swim. She also eats brussle sprouts, which inspired my crew to also try them. Lola loved watching Myrtle through the windows of the tank as well as from the top of the tank where you can look down.

The New England Aquarium also features a touch tank exhibit that I think a lot of preschoolers would enjoy. When we got up there, it was a bit too noisy and crowded for Lola’s liking so we moved on. In all we spent about 2.5 hours at the New England Aquarium. We went late in the day, so we didn’t get a chance to check out the cafe area but it’s nice to know that there is a food option right on site.