Woods Hole Science Aquarium

Woods Hole Science Aquarium is the country's oldest public aquarium, established in 1875 as part of the federal fisheries research station in Woods Hole. Its collection remains strongly regional, with approximately 100 species of marine animals found in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic waters. Exhibits include commercially important fish such as cod, haddock, and striped bass, along with horseshoe crabs, sea stars, skates, toadfish, and other marine life. The aquarium's connection to fisheries science and marine research is an important part of its character.

Visitors can explore touch tanks, dry exhibits featuring marine bones and shells, and an interactive display about ocean sounds and human impacts on marine species. An open work area provides a look at aquarium operations, including food preparation, feeding, and tank maintenance. The outdoor seal habitat houses seals that cannot survive in the wild, with public training sessions when seals are in residence. Woods Hole Science Aquarium suits travelers interested in regional marine ecology and marine science rather than a large aquarium built around tropical or global collections.