This was the highlight of our visit to Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Fun, friendly, passionate, informative staff introduce you to the creatures of the Gulf of Maine. We were able to handle starfish, crabs, horseshoe crabs, lobsters and a variety of other critters. I have had similar experiences at Bostons New England Aquarium, but Ocean World Oceanarium is far better. We learned more and interacted more here in one visit than in several to the New England Aquarium.

So cool! A little rare gem! So much information and a great experience.

We really enjoyed our time learning about all the sea creatures. Ellen is very nice and knowledgeable and we could feel she loves what she does which made us enjoy the experience even more. We are very glad we decided to drop by and hope to visit again the next time we drive up to the beach.

Wonderful place to take the kids. Very informative owner

Very educated staff

I took my 12 year old daughter there yesterday and Ellen was amazing and we learned so much. Thank you for sharing your sea creatures with us.

Great staff member. Enjoyed my 21st here!

Curator was knowledgeable. Kids loved the hands on

We spent a great august morning at the Ocean World Oceanarium while Ellen explained in detail to us the marine -mammal that call deep ocean their home. We were able to see and touch variety of species and Ellen even explained most fish names and fish parts in French to Eve-Rose my niece. We recommend this greatly for adults and kids.

Simply amazing! The collection is extensive and the experience is very personalized and hands-on. It’s a wonderfully unique learning experience with a nice focus on local conservation and sustainability. The only thing that is more impressive than the collection is Ellen. She is extremely knowledgeable about everything in the Oceanarium - and there’s A LOT - and her passion and excitement for what she does is contagious! This place is a must-see!

Sometimes you do something with the kids that you come out the other side, and you know you’ve done right. Ace in the hole. This is one of those places. Great time had by every age, a learning experience, and a shared experience as a family that we will not soon forget. Serious bang for our few bucks! Thank you Ellen!!

My family and I had a great time

I cant believe anyone to give this place less than 5 stars!! Me and my boyfriend absolutely loved it. The marine Biologist that owns it was knowledgeable and so nice! She gave a great tour and let me hold so many creatures. I also love that the animals she has, get switched out and put back into the ocean, so that no sea creature is taken out of its habitat for the rest of its life

We had the best time there today. Ellen was amazing and even my 2 year old was able to pick up deep sea crabs. Ellens infectious excitement about these animals makes the whole experience! Thank you again for all the information. The Perez family.

This place was a pleasant surprise to my family and I. It’s important to know this place is not just for kids but adults! I learned so much and truly enjoyed my time with the lovely biologist. She was so great with my stepdad that has dementia too. It was a special experience that was unforgettable!!!!!!!!! If you are thinking about checking this place out it is a must.. you should go!

It was smaller than I expected but definitely worth it! There was a lot of information and I learned a lot of new facts. It was fun, interactive, and informative. Great for all ages.

Came here on a Sunday in the summer with our 2 families. What an awesome experience! Ellen basically held an impromptu class for the kids on small ocean life and everything was so hands-on! We all got to touch and carry all the ocean life we cared to and the kids (okay, the adults too) learned so much! And all for a very reasonable price. Imagine a touch-tank at a major aquarium. Now multiply it by 5. Now add the individual attention of the proprietor. Now cut the fee in half. Thats about what the Oceanarium was.

Amazing little place, great for kids

Great place to bring the kids, its inexpensive and very educational. I recommend highly!!!! Great rainy day activity

Had a lovely time visiting today. I was lucky enough to have a small crowd so we were able to hold quite a few creatures and learned a lot. The marine biologist was enthusiastic and the lecture was interesting. Highly recommend visiting!

Full of knowledge. She has a beautiful place and we had an amazing time

Perfect for our group of 6/7 yr olds.Beautiful animals.

My Fiance and I were in Hampton Beach for the weekend and decided to stop in here with my Niece on Saturday as it was a little overcast for the beach and we were interested in checking out the touch tank. The exhibit is small but interesting and the touch tank is great. My niece Vanessa is just shy of two years old so her attention span is short and her willingness to follow directions is fleeting. While we were a little concerned about my niece destroying the neatly organized educational exhibit and helping to demonstrate a starfishs ability to grow back a broken leg, Ellen and her assistant both reassured us that she was fine and free to touch any of the displayed items. Since we werent able to take advantage of the full experience Ellen gave us a break on the price which is already reasonable to begin with. Ellen is very knowledgeable and it is obvious she has an incredible passion for what she does. It was also obvious that her and her assistant are incredible with children. I would highly recommend this oceanarium to anyone in the area and hope to bring my niece back again sometime in the future when she is a little older to check out the bigger creatures in the tank (theres a huge starfish). The customer service is second to none. A truly great place with incredible staff! Thank you! ️

So interesting to learn about the ocean with your little one! And everything is hands on!!

Don’t really right reviews much but Ellen was so awesome I just had to! My daughter (6) and my son (4) enjoyed every minute of this oceanarium. My husband and I learned quite a bit about the sea creatures as well. Ellen was very knowledgeable and engaging with my kids. A great place to stop by for kids who are hands on and want to touch the animals.

Ellen teaches you a lot about marine life and there are so many things to touch and explore. We held lobsters, urchins, crabs, starfish, scallops, and other stuff. My 2 kids had the best experience here! Well definitely be returning!

Owner very knowledgeable! Excellent!

A hidden gem. Really interesting and fun. Ellen was very helpful and knows a lot about marine biology. Definetly worth a family visit If youre in Hampton Beach.

This is a wonderful place to visit while in Hampton Beach NH. Ellen is wonderful with the kids and adults. She is very knowledgeable and encourages all to be hands on and touch all the animals! Please support her Oceanarium and spread the word!

What a great place to take the kids to!

Explore the Ocean is small, but is filled with a lot of hands on fun! Ellen is wonderful with children and is very knowledgeable! It is well worth the money!

This is a great family friendly stop, mostly all hands on and so much fun for everone!!

Walked in and walked out. Wasnt impressed

Small but full of information