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We stopped at the “Mount Desert Oceanarium“, just outside Bar Harbor, on Saturday, July 9, 2016, on our way back from our 3-day jaunt to “Acadia National Park” for the Park’s Centennial. I had always wanted to check it out and the kids, of late, are BIG into things Aquarium-related. It was a damp and cloudy afternoon and visiting the Oceanarium seemed like a good option. We are so glad we did.
Though it has a “Touch Tank” with starfish, horseshoe etc. and some exhibits of fish this delightful place really should be called a “Lobsterarium” as opposed to an “Oceanarium”. 96% of it, in my estimation, is all lobster-related. Nothing wrong with that, especially in Maine. It is a treasure trove of exhibits and information about lobsters and the working, extremely busy “Lobster Hatchery” is a sight to behold. I, though Deanna is the daughter of a lobsterman, had no idea as to the early life of lobsters. Wow. 10,000 or more eggs laid at a time by a mother lobster but in the ocean less than 1% of these result in an adult lobster. The survival rate is much higher in the Hatchery — the only one in New England.
A visit to the “Oceanarium” includes two 30-minute presentations, one at the Hatchery and the other at the “Lobster Museum” as well as 30-minutes exploration at the Touch Tank. The presentations were very informative. I, as usual, lucked out. I got to have a long and meaningful chat with founder and owner David Mills (seen in the pictures above). This led to him spending nearly half an hour with Deanna and the kids showing them how to ‘knit’ lobster bait pots etc. That was a bonus.
All together a very good experience. Well worth the entrance fee, i.e., $15 for adults, $10 for kids. If you are in the area definitely stop by but make sure you have allocated at least 2.5 hours for the visit. Enjoy.
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