Local Sites: Education

A trip to the Seacoast is not complete without a visit to the Seacoast Science Center, located on the grounds of Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, New Hampshire. You will be engaged in fun, hands-on discovery about the habitats and creatures of New Hampshires coast.

As you enter the Seacoast Science Center, you will be captivated by the skeletons of a 32-foot humpback whale, two pilot whales, and a harbor porpoise. Hands-on exhibit stations teach about the life of Tofu, the young humpback whale that migrated into the coastal waters of New England. You can learn how small toothy land hunters evolved into gentle giant sifters of the sea at The Evolution of Baleen Whales exhibit. An interactive video kiosk teaches how buoys are monitoring right whales in the Gulf of Maine and how scientists are using the data to help protect them.

The Indoor Tide Pool Touch Tank is always a favorite stop. You can hold sea stars, sea urchins, hermit crabs and other creatures that live on the rocky shore just outside the Centers door.

Aquariums in the Exploring the Gulf of Maine exhibit hall feature fascinating native species, including a rare blue lobster, unusual-looking deeper water fish, anemones, little skates and more. The Close Encounters tank offers a unique look at chain cat sharks and horseshoe crabs, and serves as a hands-on teaching station.

Kids of all ages will enjoy the newly redesigned Working Under the Sea exhibit, where they can pump air to a 1940s hard hat diver, operate a remote controlled mini ROV, and crawl through a model of EDALHab, the worlds first mobile underwater habitat built right here in New Hampshire.

Visit the website to learn more about the Science Center’s hours, programs, membership, and more.

To learn about other area attractions, click here.