Oregon Coast Aquarium

The Oregon Coast Aquarium at 2820 SE Ferry Slip Road in Newport, Lincoln County, sits directly on the shore of Yaquina Bay and houses one of the most comprehensive marine wildlife collections on the United States Pacific Coast. Opened in 1992 and covering 23 acres with approximately 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, the aquarium displays more than 190 species native to the Oregon coast and Pacific Ocean ecosystems. The signature exhibit, Passages of the Deep, is an acrylic tunnel walkway submerged through three ocean habitat zones — Orford Reef, Open Sea, and Halibut Flats — where sharks, wolf eels, and large reef fish swim overhead and on all sides. A dedicated Jellyfish exhibit displays multiple species in illuminated cylindrical tanks. Outdoor exhibits house sea otters, harbor seals, and Pacific octopus in naturalistic enclosures on the bay shoreline. The Seabird Aviary is a walk-through habitat with tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots, and common murres in a simulated rocky coast environment, providing close observation of species that are difficult to see at sea level in the wild. The aquarium maintains an active marine wildlife rehabilitation program and has a history of housing celebrated animals including Keiko the killer whale during the 1990s. Educational programs for school groups run year-round, and a summer sea camp serves children. Newport's historic Bayfront and Yaquina Bay Bridge are within walking distance, making the aquarium a natural anchor for a half-day along the Newport waterfront.