Seacoast Science Center — Attraction in Rye

The Seacoast Science Center was one of the places we decided to visit during our vacation. Admittedly, I thought the center was much bigger than it was. However, the center is utilizing most of their space with exhibits and or historic information. There is also a rather comfortable ocean front view with nice open hallways.

NOTE: This place is much less expensive to visit, let's say, the New England Aquarium. We spent a fraction of the cost to the Seacoast Science Center. Of course, this is different than the sea creatures found at the New England Aquarium but still has the same vibe. Also, may I add, there was so much more room here as opposed to the New England Aquarium. If you want to visit a center filled with ocean creatures and don't want to be within shoulder space between someone else, this is the place to go.

There is also a fun interactive boating area for children. My daughter had such a fun time fishing and sorting her daily haul. There are other activities through the center for children and curious adults as well! Although, there were a couple of things that appeared to be out of service or not working correctly on our visit. The microscope appeared to have a bad connection to the monitor it was connected to and the scale appeared to be out of service.

We visited during what I would call an off season. I read many reviews and I see many people complaining about the cost of parking. I believe those parking costs are only applicable between Labor day weekend to Culumbus day. So if you have never been here before and would like to visit without paying a parking fee, I would suggest visiting mid...

This review encompasses the area around the Science Center as well.

The Science Center itself is decent. It's a very small square-ish building that you can explore quickly in 30 minutes unless you actually take your time looking at everything. There is a touch tank where you can grab and feel sea urchins, clams, starfish, and other creatures in an icy water tank. There's a small play area as well, although it's more of a padded corner for toddlers to play with basic toys and maybe read. Plenty of interactive stuff for kids, and there is a tank area where you can see octopi, crabs, and fish. Not bad.

The surrounding area is pretty cool too and worth exploring. The coastline is full of shell and rock hunting opportunities, and there is a fairly-large park area that kids can go to burn up energy. I frequently take the kids to the coast to explore. There is a large area dedicated to cairns as well... be careful of not disturbing any and build your own!

There is a fee for the parking lot here BUT if you drive past it, there are spots to park for free if you don't mind backtracking...

We showed up an hour before close, and honestly, that's all you really need to get through the exhibits. Especially if you have younger children who don't want to hang around and read all the info. They are Blue Star affiliated, which I just learned means AD military plus 5 guests get in for free, so that was a nice surprise. The touch pools are really entertaining with sea stars, crabs, sea snails, etc. My kids enjoyed this part the best and spent the most time here. They also do presentations. We caught the last one on the lobster, and it was informative and interactive. At the end, the children were allowed to go up and touch one. The center is located inside the state park, so you need to pay for parking. I believe it's per person in the vehicle, I can't remember, but the total for 2 adults and 3 children was 12 dollars. Once you finish the center you can walk around the park. They have a good sized play ground, a food truck, picnic tables, and a wonderful view of the coast. My kids loved searching through the rocks. Overall, it was a...