Oregon Coast, Newport - The Oregon Coast Aquarium

Our trip to the aquarium was largely inspired by the adorable commercials for the Big Bites exhibit.

The animation was really engaging, like in this one for the piranha:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glEhKPMuIIw

Also, I have always adored puffer fish.

They had the puffer, the piranha, and the parrotfish, but the exhibit did not have the charm of the commercials.

That was the problem overall. It's not that the aquarium was bad, but for the price and the drive I wanted it to be great. It was not great.

Not that jellyfish aren't always cool.

My favorite spot was the seabird aviary outside, which offered good views of a variety of birds.

I think that was the part they did best.

Otherwise, I have seen bigger aquariums with more variety, or aquariums with really great design values, or aquariums that create great perspective on the sea life. This one felt just okay.

http://aquarium.org/