Portland Aquarium

Inside the 11,000-square-foot building of the Portland Aquarium, children can touch almost everything (except a few dangerous fish and sharks and a large kelp display). Guests are encouraged to hand feed sharks, rays, and fish. Visit the rainforest room, with birds you can feed and a 12-foot tree centerpiece. Interact with the reptiles as well. Feed and hold the snake or iguana. See the chameleon change its colors. Daily interactive talks in the exhibits. The Aquarium offers birthday parties and Sleep with the Sharks overnight adventures. 

The Portland Aquarium welcomes everyone to enjoy the unique interactive experiences found within, and is especially excited to introduce children and families to the world beneath the ocean’s surface. Guests are encouraged to hand feed sharks, rays, birds, and fish, or to get up close and personal with many of the reptiles and other animals on exhibit.  Above all, the Portland Aquarium promotes education through an interactive experience in a comfortable environment. Kids and adults alike are sure to be amazed at the soft skin of sharks and rays.

The Portland Aquarium provides children and families access to the excitement and learning opportunities of the ocean without the long trip to the coast. Guests can watch jellyfish gently float and glow and admire the bright and colorful corals, all within easy reach of home. The Aquarium offers multiple educational programs and events for kids, as well as behind the scenes tours for those curious about just what it takes to keep an aquarium in good working order. Popular programs developed by the owners from their other locations, such as birthday parties and ‘Marine Biologist for a Day’ programs, are features here at the Portland Aquarium.

“We hope to inspire a young generation of ocean explorers and conservationists through education and a shared experience with a live animal, to create an appreciation for the oceans,” says owner Vince Covino. With over 3,000 living animals representing habitats from the Oregon shores to remote Indonesian Islands, the experience will instill respect and awe for our rich aquatic resources. The Covino family places a premium on the family experience, with a special interest in foster children. Having hosted 31 of their own, and adopting 3, they understand the struggles foster families face, and therefore offer free admission to foster children.