Hatfield Marine Science Ctr

See Oregon Coast family vacation

Hatfield Marine Science Ctr

Newport

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2030 SE Marine Science Dr.
Newport, OR 97365
541-867-0100

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Science & Nature Museum
Aquarium

Hatfield Marine Science Ctr Description

The Hatfield Marine Science Center is an aquarium, a science lab, and a discovery learning experience for adults and kids all in one place. Kids get their hands wet at the touch tank, learn about how scientists use patterns in nature to understand it better in the Pattern Garden, and watch in wonder during octopus and wolf eel feedings. Fish—everything from copper rockfish to monkeyface pricklebacks—ogle you as you ogle them in the various large tanks throughout the Center.

Kid Tips

Toddlers & Pre-K: After all the looking at fish, they'll be ready for some contact in the touch pool.

School-Age Kids: Elementary and middle school kids love to control the remotely operated research vehicle ROPOS in a simulation of an underwater dive.

Pre-Teens & Teens: Older kids will enjoy the touch screen TVs with different video options: Learn about satellite tracking of whale migration or try "Sink or Swim," where players start as a baby fish, avoid predators, and try to survive.

Planning Notes

Admission by donation. Admission is free, but your donation helps maintain the Center and further the understanding of marine life.
Ask about the octopus. If you visit during the three times per week that the resident Pacific octopus is fed, don't miss it.
Continue the learning at home. The gift store sells high-quality educational materials about marine life. Even if you're not a homeschooler or a teacher, you may want to take some items home.
Extra events in the summer. The Center's offerings expand during the summer months and include such extras as a one-hour guided walk on the estuary trail and a one-hour presentation in the auditorium about Hatfield's Antarctic research.
Wolf eel feedings. The schedule changes constantly so check when you arrive. See the wolf eels grab chopped-up squid and fish out of a staff member's hand.
Ask to watch a film. Films about marine life can be played by request, so if there's something your child is fascinated by (dolphins or tsunamis, for example), chances are good the Center has a film about it.