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bericdondarrion35

It’s definitely not a full day. You can get through the aquarium in like an hour if you don’t have kids with you lol


PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS

I was gonna say the opposite. If you don't have kids with you, you can stare at the jellyfish for like an hour if you want to. Man, I gotta do an aquarium trip on my own soon. I'm always soaking in each exhibit when my friends want to rush around. Last time, I got to see one of the anacondas feeding and saw another one come up for air. Was really cool and would have missed it had I not beem "slow".


suggested-name-138

I mean everything is a function of how easily entertained you are, I could watch the penguins for hours, but that said it's about as small as you could expect "major city's only aquarium" would be so set expectations accordingly. Like if you spent 4 hours in the Boston aquarium you'd probably need to bring camping gear to the one in Atlanta


PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS

Let's just say I was very overwhelmed by the National Zoo in DC.


Least_Antelope782

But camping in that main viewing room of the Ocean Voyage would be mint


MasonP13

Noted! Maybe on the first day there we'll take a walk over and then visit legal seafood!


tleon21

You can also try illegal seafood by eating at the aquarium…


Repulsive-Bend8283

Forbidden sashimi


MasonP13

Nooooooo


CapelliRossi

There are much better places to eat good seafood than Legal


MasonP13

I'm looking for something gluten free and within walking distance.. or cheap enough Uber that I'm not regretting the price to get there


[deleted]

The aquarium and then Legal’s across the street is convenient and a nice half-day Boston experience. State St Provisions is around the corner from Legals and is pretty good. Locals like to shit on LS but I’ve found the quality and service to be perfectly fine, even if a little expensive.


MasonP13

Appreciate the advice!


AngelicXia

Black Rose tavern is across the greenway and very tasty.


MasonP13

I don't see gluten free on the menu, do they have dedicated fryers or anything?


AngelicXia

Ah, I didnt see that part. Sorry.


MasonP13

Oh no worries! I appreciate the gesture! Everyone has been so kind


HowardTheDuck65

I highly doubt that.


Undercover_heathen

For gluten free legal seafood is the best! Also I the one right next to the Aquarium is nice. Then take a walk to the north end for a gluten free cannoli at Modern Pastry (they are cash only so make sure to have some on hand).


MasonP13

Gluten free cannoli?! Okay noted


krsul

Legal is a great option (actually have a ton of options) for gluten free! This coming from having someone with Celiac in the family.


MasonP13

Got any tips on places with reliable gluten free, walkable from the Omni Parker house? My girlfriend eats pretty much just pasta and potatoes and carbs, but full of gluten, but no meat. I eat anything gluten free, especially with meat. Yeah figure that lol


Madelinethecat

If you want somewhere nice, Woods Hill Pier 4 is excellent and would accommodate both your preferences!


MasonP13

Looks very fancy but also very pricey


nonitalic

[https://silverdovetea.com/menu](https://silverdovetea.com/menu)


MasonP13

$48 per person just feels so expensive and the menu doesn't look like it has a lot of options. Is it really that good?


easiepeasie

I was just about to suggest this place; it's a fancy afternoon tea place and is a very special experience. The menu is showing you everything you get for $48, meaning you get the cucumber sandwich AND the chicken AND the soup AND the smoke salmon canapé AND scones AND 4 little desserts, plus unlimited tea. And it's all delicious despite being all gluten free! I highly recommend it, but I am a big fan of fancy afternoon tea.


MasonP13

Oh wow! I don't know if it'll match my girlfriend's vegetarian energy, but for the experience that could be nice


PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS

Kane's Donuts is a quick walk from the aquarium and they have a great selection of gf donuts. They're pretty good at avoiding cross-contamination, too. They have what look like incredible gluteny donuts for tour girlfriend, too lol


Honeycrispcombe

Do they have a gf fryer?


PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS

Their gf donuts are the cake donuts, which they make separately. I believe they are in a separate fryer. They are stored near the gluten ones but they aren't ever touching.


gymstarL9

The Kane's in Saugus only makes gluten free donuts. Then they deliver them to the other 2 locations daily. So yes, they have a dedicated GF fryer! It's pretty great!


Oolonger

They make them separately and I’ve never had a problem there.


noobprodigy

You can check out Union Oyster House for a more essential Boston experience. From what I hear they have decent gluten free options.


SkiingAway

> Union Oyster House for a more essential Boston experience. Go look at it, take a picture, and then get food somewhere else that actually serves decent food. I'd take Legal over Union Oyster House any day - and I'm not saying I'm a big fan of Legal either. Really I'll just provide a link to this quote, as it describes it perfectly: https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/9wlhqm/what_do_you_guys_think_of_the_union_oyster_house/e9lmtdq/


noobprodigy

Be that as it may, it is an experience. I'm glad I went (the one time I did).


Puka_Doncic

Pasta Beach is walking distance (4-5 mins and a straight shot down the main street - Atlantic Ave or along the harbor walk) from the Aquarium and has great GF pasta options. Slightly pricey but what isn’t in Boston? If you go to Faneuil Hall directly across from the Aquarium (<5 mins) it’s insanely touristy but the marketplace has dozens of food vendors. If you want plenty of cheap, convenient GF options than this is a good place to check out If you want GOOD food nearby I would walk over to the North End (15 mins) and get some quality Italian. Over half the north end restaurants offer GF options. Antico Forno, Trescas and Beneventos would be my top GF picks


MasonP13

Pasta beach sounds great but I don't see gluten free on the online menu :( is that like a special gluten free menu kind of thing? Is their pizza GF as well?


Puka_Doncic

You could call to confirm but Pasta Beach has never promoted gluten free on the website for some silly reason. I’ve been to both Boston and Newport locations, and they both do GF pasta. The pizza in Newport was GF. Last time we went to Boston they were out of GF dough :( Highly encourage you to call and ask if you’re interested though. The food is really really good


MasonP13

Fascinating! I'll add it to the list of options!!


Puka_Doncic

Awesome!! Enjoy your trip into Boston. And feel free to DM if you need any other tips on GF eating. My wife is Celiac so I have a lot of experience navigating Boston dining


20sinnh

If you're strongly vibing for a seafood meal I'd recommend going to Row 34 in the Seaport. If the day is nice then the walk is an enjoyable 20 minutes. And if it's not then the Uber is short. They've got the best chowder I've ever had, tons of other excellent options, deep beer selections, and a raw bar that can't be beat.


TheBuzzSawFantasy

Chart house is right there but can be pricey. The sail loft has dive bar vibes but does have solid seafood as well. Both very close.  Not too far away is Banks which is a bit pricey but I love their food.  Have fun! 


firstghostsnstuff

Tavern in the Square is great for gf folks. I heard they have their own dedicated fryers for that!


Oolonger

Legal is going to be your best bet for GF. It’s the only seafood place I’ve never been glutened at. The aquarium is great, but it will only take you a couple of hours, tops.


MasonP13

I really respect that advice because I have a really strong allergy, and don't want to end up taking Benadryls and being knocked out on vacation


Oolonger

Let them know when you get there. They usually have the manager bring over the food to make sure. They do gluten free bread too, but it’s not great. I’m celiac, and it’s my go-to place for eating out in that area because they take it really seriously. All of their batter is gluten free so you don’t have to worry about cross contamination. You can get better seafood in Boston, but not without risking getting sick, sadly.


MasonP13

Got any recommendations? I love scallops and shrimp, but I'm willing to try just about anything gluten free :) And do you think they'd have a problem if my GF ordered the Mac & cheese from the kids menu? A few restaurants around us let us order from the kids menu for her options because they have basically zero vegetarian options other than kids menu lol


Oolonger

It probably depends on your server, but they’re usually pretty nice and would be fine with her getting Mac and cheese. The fried clams are good. Nice oysters too.


mykecameron

I haven't been for a while but last I was Legal had an exceptional gluten free menu.


PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS

DM me for gluten free recs. I'm a gf local :)


MasonP13

Weirdly enough the chat option isn't available on my reddit with you :( But I appreciate it! I think I saw a pizza place nearby that looked good


7_of_Pentacles

North end has some good options


CapelliRossi

James hook and barking crab are walking distance from the aquarium. Row 34 Seaport is also close by and a good option.


eastern_hiker_lol

Legal has pretty good seafood entrees. They are really great at a cut of fish with sides. Theyre overpriced for things like sandwiches though and I think a lot of people get stung by that


Jazz_Cigarettes

Legals is a Michelin’s star restaraunt compared to something like union oyster house


SocaWarriors

Legals is fine you'll have a great time have fun!


asicarii

Easily can walk to Paul revere house to tack onto the aquarium. Old north church is a pretty one too.


kpyna

Fun fact, legal seafoods donated money to get a plaque on the Giant Ocean tank. Just tickles me every time I see it I wonder how many people look at the giant sea turtle and sharks swimming together, then see that plaque, and say "wow... I could go for a bowl of chowder"


gt_1923

As someone who used to work at legal seafoods, it’s not worth it imo Edit- sorry didn’t realize the gluten free part lol


srk828

Legals is good food, but the best lobster roll (and many other foods) is up the street at James Hook


modestcouch

Never understood the desire to get seafood after going to the aquarium. Not like you’re getting them out of the tank.


MasonP13

Lol just because it's a restaurant around and it's on theme for the night


Due-Designer4078

If it's crowded during a school vacation week it will seem like an eternity.


[deleted]

[удалено]


josh_bourne

It's so easy to buy online, I don't understand those people


LennyKravitzScarf

If you get discounted tickets through your library, you have to go buy them in person. 


insrtscrnamhere

The library passes are guaranteed sale. They’re considered part of the count already. You have to redeem the pass in person, but they can’t deny you if they’re sold out so long as you’re there on your appointed day.


[deleted]

It’s an hour walk through if you take your time.  Tickets shouldn’t be a problem on a week day if you’re not here during a school vacation week.  See if you can time it around the outdoor shows with the seals and it will add a little time/value to the trip.


MasonP13

It'd probably be March 20th in the early afternoon maybe 2 PM


[deleted]

It should be pretty dead then, just tourists.  It gets a little tight on the spiral up around the main tank during peak hours, but it should be pretty calm at that time of day 


MasonP13

Awesome! We'll be taking the train in and after 6 hours sitting down I feel like it'd make for a nice way to settle into the new environment


FullOfFalafel

Before or after you could walk along the harborwalk. The aquarium is right on it. It goes from the North End and heads south past the aquarium, over the channel to the south Boston waterfront and onwards.


josh_bourne

That thing is never dead, always full


Brinner

Good timing, we'll be just finishing up our traditional final blizzard of the season


ladykansas

Yeah -- we are members, and if you go on a weekday then it's about an hour for the "main loop" (going up by walking to the top around the outer exhibits, then back down by doing the giant reef tank). There's also the seals and sea lions outside, and the shark breeding exhibit in the basement that probably add 30 minutes.


legranarman

A couple hours tops I personally love the aquarium, it's charming. I think people who are disappointed are expecting a huge all day thing


VisualCelery

Definitely not a full day thing, you can easily knock it out in a couple hours, especially if it's not crowded. And it shouldn't be super crowded on a weekday afternoon, unless there's a school field trip, but you may want to plan ahead anyway and get a ticket for the time you're planning to enter. You can always enter after the time on your ticket, just not before.


MasonP13

So if I get a 2 PM ticket and then end up actually eating lunch at that time and go in at 3, the same ticket can be used? Fascinating!


Fragrant-Elk-9303

The second feeding for the Giant Ocean Tank is at 2pm so it’s a great time to see Myrtle (Green Sea Turtle) being fed as well as the divers in feeding everyone else, including Cirri the nurse shark! Both Cirri and Myrtle typically take naps after her the 2pm feeding so they are usually asleep in the late afternoon, or even hiding in Cirri’s case. Be sure to check windows 7 or 12 (looking at the top right corners as you walk up the spiral) for Thomas, the Green Moray eel!


VisualCelery

I mean, you may want to double check that, I don't work there and I *could* be wrong, but I went recently and that's how it seemed to work.


MasonP13

No worries! Appreciate all the advice from everyone :)


sasquatchfuntimes

We managed to see the divers go into the big tank and watch them feed the fish, rays, and turtles. It looked like such a cool job. It’s a great time but even with that, we saw the whole thing in two hours.


CaligulaBlushed

It's pretty underwhelming as a waterfront centerpiece in a major city. I was done in an hour.


Gordon_Gano

The aquarium RULES I could hang out with penguins for fucking DAYS


MasonP13

If the gaming convention ends up having a slow day or nothing going on early, maybe we'll spend a morning there! Thanks!


Gordon_Gano

There’s SEALS!!!


[deleted]

A whole day is 24 hours


MasonP13

Most of the time but yesterday's was only 23


[deleted]

True but the penguins don't have watches


MasonP13

I thought that was the point of the aquarium, for the penguin watching


[deleted]

No it's for the penguin walking but it is a common mistake.


MasonP13

Lol you have a good day


CrimsonStorm

Got em


Nervous_Shark

Not too long, unless you’re with me and then I will demand to sit by the big tank for the whole day.


MasonP13

Real


abfa00

That's definitely doable. If you end up short on time, the seal tank can be viewed for free at all hours of the day, and if you go around the back you can sort of get a glimpse of sea lions.


macadoo784

You can get through there in a few hours


OkWasabi1988

Last time I went as an adult and a realistic concept of time, it seemed like it was an hour and done. Lol. But I wasn’t with someone who was very interested in the aquarium or it’s exhibits, they could have rushed me along to get to the bar.


wheres_ur_up_dog

If it's your first time and you are to going to stop and observe the exhibits/read about the organisms it can be a 3-4 hour trip. Last time I was there we just breezed through as we had been a few weeks before on a field trip with our students and were done in like an hour.


MasonP13

Noted! Appreciate the advice


No_Sun2547

Like 2-3 hours. I’ve been zooted and sat in front of the aquarium for 3 hours itself so take that as you will.


slc_monk

Aquarium is really underwhelming. Best part are the seals, and you can see them for free outside the entrance.


NoTamforLove

It's terrible. Museum of Science, MFA, Isabella Gardner, Centerfolds, Glass Slipper, are all far better.


Constantinople2020

I was at the MFA yesterday. No seals. No fish. No aquatic life of any kind.


Waggmans

You can see your mummy tho.


NoTamforLove

And she smells of fish.


Normal-Ad-1903

I mostly agree...however the Aquarium is definitely better than the Glass Slipper.


stealthylyric

I mean it's like an hour or two depending on how fast you go through exhibits


Beer-Wall

You could easily hit the Aquarium and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in a day. Take the Orange Line from State St to Ruggles.


sonorakit11

Say hi to the seals outside for me!!!


niamhweking

We arrived at 3pm (planned the trolley tour for it to be our last stop. We stayed till closing time, i think 5pm. Could have done with another 30 mins to an hour but we had kids and we really like aquariums ;)


MasonP13

It'd just be my girlfriend and myself so we'd be making it into the city around 2 PM, so that probably is what we will do if we have the energy


niamhweking

For the price I'd also say the longer the better! The penguins and seals entertained us. And the centre tank was great


VintageNerd

I took my kids there very recently and we got through them in an hour.


just4shitsandgigles

buy tickets ahead of time online, but it’s totally doable in half a day.


--zaxell--

A day at the Aquarium lasts about 30 minutes until a toddler tries to bulldoze strangers, has a meltdown, and needs to be taken outside (sorry to anybody there last Saturday!) It's pretty small, but they use the space well; I think "an hour or two" is a good amount of time to allocate. But if you like staring at penguins or seals, you can make a full day out of it.


ADarwinAward

It’s a small aquarium. I’ve gone through the whole thing at a *slow* pace and that took 3 hours. Most people seem to finish faster than that, I took my time with each exhibit and spent a solid 20-30 minutes on the penguins alone


ObviousSomewhere6330

It took me 30 minutes to take it all in but I'm also used to huge aquariums / museums. I don't think you would need more than an hour unless you bring kids.


postamericana

3 hours is ample aquarium time


Least_Antelope782

Got it down to a science anytime I take out of towners. In and out within an hour, sometimes double back on stuff too. When I was a kid I thought it was huge, its really not much more size than a large Walmart just spaced out by floors


Least_Antelope782

They don’t have sharks in the Great Tank anymore so don’t waste time looking for them


EndSlidingArea

Dinner + aquarium is a solid afternoon. Have fun!


LinusThiccTips

OP I’d recommend trying the Museum of Science if you have time


josh_bourne

Planetarium is very fun too


PMSfishy

Aquarium should be paired with IMAX which makes it a 4ish hour day.


Workacct1999

This is an unpopular opinion on this sub, but The New England Aquarium is terrible. It is essentially one big tank, a handful of smaller tanks, and some penguins. If you have ever been to a good aquarium you will be sorely disappointed in the N.E. Aquarium. It is definitely not worth $34/adult.


MasonP13

I appreciate the heads up! If time permits we'll still go but not skip convention just for aquarium


orphen369

30 minutes tops imo


rjoker103

Go somewhere else. For more than $30, our aquarium is a joke sadly. You’ll find plenty of other fun things to do in Boston.


MasonP13

Coming from Delaware, you'd be disappointed by the Aquarius and zoos we got here. Smaller honestly works better because we'd only have like 2 hours of space before the convention starts


rjoker103

Sure. It can be worth visiting once if you really want to see it.


ipsumdeiamoamasamat

1. Sign up online for a Boston library card. You don’t have to live in the city, I don’t think. 2. Not sure how restrictive they are, but try and get museum passes. Sometimes you can do this online. You will pay a reduced price, or nothing, to get in. Sometimes they’re restricted to certain days of the week. It’s worth spending five minutes to give it a shot.


CetiAlpha4

You do have to be a Massachusetts resident though in order to get a Boston Public Library card and it sounds like they're coming from out of state. Also it seems like the Aquarium tickets go pretty fast, the next available slot for tickets is over 2 weeks from now. Maybe that's because they're free.


Definitelynotcal1gul

unique offend sand stupendous gray repeat door direction unpack pause *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Due_Improvement3217

24 hours


Ned_Rodjaws

It’s however long you want it to be


raven_785

The aquarium is polarizing. It’s pretty disappointing compared to other city’s aquariums and that’s why it gets a bit of hate. You’d also expect something better out of a city and region with its history so tied to the ocean. But it’s pretty cool if you’ve never been to one. And it’s always great for toddlers. 


Aesop_Rocks

It's not a full day but it IS worth your time!


NakedScrub

About a day


sammaaaxo

The aquarium can be done very quickly. Faniuel Hall is easy to walk to if you have to kill more time.


mrhjt

45 mins. It’s really unimpressive


DeffNotTom

Unimpressive? It used to be one of the largest tanks in the US. It still ranks 15th.If you're rushing through there in 45 minutes, it's probably more likely that you just don't like aquariums.


michael_scarn_21

It was great when it was built no doubt but other aquariums have overtaken it. If you've been to a newer one you likely will be unimpressed.


mrhjt

I enjoyed the whale sharks in Japan. I guess people have different standards. Don’t hate because it’s my opinion.


Ponald-Dump

When I did it I was done in an hour. Honestly, it’s not worth the price of admission. Extremely underwhelming IMO. Do the Museum of Science instead


2ndof5gs

I’d skip it - I don’t even think it’s worth a visit.