Updated for September 2026
The Best Aquariums in Massachusetts
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every aquarium in Massachusetts that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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New England Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Boston
Before the pandemic more than 1.3 million people visited each year. California sea lions, harbor and northern fur seals, penguins, giant Pacific octopuses and loggerhead and green sea turtles are among the species on show. The Simons Theatre and a whale watch operation share Central Wharf with it.
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Maria Mitchell Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Nantucket
Maria Mitchell Aquarium, opened in 1997, is a zoo in Nantucket, United States. Animals on show include American Lobster, jellyfish, shrimp, tropical fish and crabs.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 2 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.