Save The Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium is now closed.
Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium on America’s Cup Ave. will open Winter 2024.
Learn more about this exciting new project at savebay.org/aquarium.
LOCATION
Easton’s Beach Rotunda
175 Memorial Blvd.
Newport, R.I. 02840
REGULAR HOURS
CLOSED Open Fri-Sun: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
CONTACT
401-324-6020
HISTORY
Save The Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium was a hands-on, interactive marine science center home to dozens of species from Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island waters. Our sustainable collection of organisms consisted of rescued animals, juveniles in our nursery program, and animals in our breeding program. With the exception of our rescued animals, every specimen was released back into Rhode Island waters.
Our center housed three touch tanks and dozens of exhibits to get you up close and personal with skates, sharks, jellies, urchins, seahorses, turtles, and so much more! Our team of highly trained staff, interns and volunteers were always available to answer all of your questions and show you the wonders of Narragansett Bay!
As the space grew, we expanded the program—and continued our practices—at Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium, opening in early 2024.
The Exploration Center and Aquarium
Save The Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium permanently closed to the public on October 10, 2023. Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium, in downtown Newport, will open Winter 2024.
Save The Bay took management of the Easton’s Beach rotunda space in 2006, converting it into a fun, playful arena in which guests could come face-to-face with the animals and species that live in Narragansett Bay. By installing heat and air conditioning, we ensured that the location could support the education of both students and the public year-round. In the time we were open, more than 275,000 guests have walked through our doors, and over 75,000 students experienced formal educational programming at the site. While we look forward to continuing the tradition of inspiring Bay stewardship in students of all ages at the new aquarium, we appreciate every moment spent at the Exploration Center and Aquarium—the space that started it all!
Of course, we couldn’t complete this Save The Bay chapter without extending our gratitude to the partners who supported our success at Easton’s Beach, especially: Newport Public Schools, the Newport County YMCA, the City of Newport, the MLK Community Center, the Salvation Army of Newport, Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust, Discover Newport, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the local fishing community, the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and the thousands of volunteers and interns who contributed to our operations.
Save The Bay’s collection of marine life is supported through a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Marine Fisheries. While our RIDEM Special Collections Permit allows us to collect and release native species from and into local waters, the agency also supports our goal of fostering a diverse collection by providing us with live animals that feature in our nursery, hatch and release, rescue, and education programs.