Save the Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium opening in Newport, learn more about Narragansett Bay

Photo: Save the Bay

Dive beneath the waves of Narragansett Bay at Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium.

Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium will open March 28, 2024.

This one-of-a-kind destination allows guests to come face-to-face with the creatures and species that live beneath Bay waters, while also helping visitors build personal connections to the issues that challenge the health of this beautiful natural resource.

The Exploration Center and Aquarium at Easton’s Beach is now closed to the public as the new location opens.

Save The Bay is a 100% member-supported nonprofit organization, with a mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay and a vision of a Bay that is fully fishable, swimmable and accessible to all. The organization works toward its mission through three main programs: advocacy, habitat restoration and adaptation, and education.

Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium supports the organization’s educational goals, alongside school and public programming, with the idea that the more you learn about the Bay, the more you care about the Bay!

LOCATION

23 America’s Cup Ave, Newport – the Gateway Center building – 401-324-6020

HOURS will be:

Thursday-Monday
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Daily Summer hours begin May 2

^{Holiday Closures include:
Easter Sunday; Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday; Christmas Day; and New Year’s Day}

TICKET PRICES

General Admission: $15/person
Senior Discount: $13/person
Children 2 and Under, Active and Retired Military with ID, and Museums for All participants: Free

Save The Bay has joined Museums for All, an Institute of Museums and Library Services initiative. Those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits will receive free Aquarium admission for themselves and three additional family members with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.

Save The Bay Member Rates:
$7.50/person for Save The Bay Family and Bay Club Members 
FREE for Save The Bay Seahorse, Salt Marsh Society, Hope Society, and Beacon Society Members
Learn more details about Save The Bay Membership benefits here

Public parking is available nearby at the Gateway Transportation & Visitors Center Parking Lot.

For 14 years, Save The Bay operated its “Exploration Center and Aquarium” at Easton’s Beach. Inherited from the New England Aquarium, the site taught us, not only about operating an aquarium, but also how an aquarium facility can help us extend the reach of our educational programs, allowing us to inspire future Bay stewards of all ages. 

From the very start, the idea of a Save The Bay aquarium was founded on one principle: When you learn more about Narragansett Bay, you care more about Narragansett Bay.  

Over the years—and an extensive recovery period following severe damage from Superstorm Sandy—Save The Bay realized that climate change and rising sea levels were making our beachside aquarium impractical—plus, we’d begun to outgrow the space.

When the America’s Cup Ave location became available in 2021, we jumped at the chance to expand our offerings. With early support from a lead donor, the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, we embarked on a journey to build a new aquarium, and make it easier than ever before to dive beneath the waves of Narragansett Bay.

All the details are available HERE: https://savebay.org/aquarium/