Seaside Aquarium facts for kids
Seal at the aquarium
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| Date opened | 1937 |
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| Location | Seaside, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°59′43″N 123°55′45″W / 45.99526°N 123.92916°W |
The Seaside Aquarium is a special place in Seaside, Oregon, United States. It's a privately owned aquarium and one of the oldest on the West Coast! Here, you can explore amazing sea creatures and learn about ocean life.
A Look Back in Time
The building that houses the Seaside Aquarium has a cool history! It was first built in the 1920s as a huge indoor saltwater swimming pool. This type of pool was called a natatorium.
Ocean water was pumped into the pool from the Pacific Ocean using a pipe. You can still see this pipe today at the beach! The water was even heated for swimmers. There were balconies where people could watch others swim below.
Later, during a tough economic time called the Great Depression, the pool closed. The building was then used for different things. It helped raise salmon fish and even hosted wrestling matches!
Finally, in 1937, the building became the Seaside Aquarium. This makes it one of the oldest aquariums in the United States. It still uses that same original pipe from the 1920s to fill its tanks with fresh ocean water!
What You Can See
The Seaside Aquarium is home to about 100 different kinds of marine life. You can discover all sorts of interesting creatures here.
Amazing Sea Creatures
Get ready to see some unique animals! You might spot sea stars with up to 20 "arms." There are also different kinds of crabs, mysterious wolf eels, and even moray eels. Don't forget to look for clever octopuses too!
Meet the Seals
One of the most popular attractions is the harbor seals. The Seaside Aquarium was the first place to successfully breed harbor seals in captivity. This means they were the first to have baby seals born and raised there!
You can even get a chance to feed these playful seals. It's a really fun way to interact with them and learn about their habits.
The Tsunami Fish
In 2013, something incredible happened. A boat that was lost during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan drifted all the way across the Pacific Ocean. When it reached the coast of Washington, it had live fish trapped inside!
One of these special "tsunami fish" was brought to the Seaside Aquarium. It was put on display so visitors could see this amazing survivor that traveled so far.
