Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium

Get your hands wet and discover amazing local marine life at the Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium. We bring the ocean to eye level with marine touch tanks, daily programs for adults and kids, and over 30 live animal exhibits for you to explore!

The Mini Aquarium mission is to foster curiosity of local marine life and inspire action towards personal and global sustainability through display, interpretation and direct action. We are one of a growing number of catch and release aquariums in North America, with a sustainable approach to marine education. We collect our animals in the spring, share their stories and life histories with our visitors over the summer, and then return the animals to their marine homes in the fall.

We offer a variety of visitor experiences, from self-guided tours of personal discovery to science interpreter lead programs and tours. How do sea stars feed? What do sea urchins do to protect themselves from predators? How do lobsters get their colour? Learn about the ocean world one-on-one from our knowledgeable staff and volunteers. For the little ones, we have daily puppet shows, storytime, and craft activities in our kids area.

Our Hebron Ocean Science Lab lets you explore the micro-world up close and personal. Visitors are encouraged to get their hands wet in our six touch tanks, and to find themselves at eye level with our amazing local marine animals. The blue blanket of our ocean holds many wonders just below the surface, and the Mini Aquairum offers you an opportunity to discover them without the use of a wetsuit. Come visit us this summer!

Open daily from June to October