Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium — Attraction in Town of Oyster Bay

I absolutely love this place. I have been going here since I was a kid.In the 90's I was fortunate to be able to bring my 2 children here. Recently I was even more fortunate to come back again with my 4 year old grandson. The expression on his face as he got to feed the fish was heartwarming to say the least. It was nice to look back on the memories my family has made over the years. Like when I came with my kids and they had the birds of prey. My daughter at 28 years old still can recall the entire experience!! And how much fun she had with her sister, feeding the fish and catching fish for the first time. I will always treasure the time spent here. There is no other hatchery I have been to that is as unique as this one. I have been to several over the years, throughout Texas and New York. hoping to find another as wonderful as this one. Yet I have not. They now let you purchase a bucket of feed for the fish, yet they still have the crank machines if you do not want to buy a bucket. They also have refills on the bucket for a cheaper price then the original purchase. Along with feeding the fish there are tons of turtles outside too! Inside you can see many different frogs , turtles, lizards, spiders. And in the other building there is an aquarium. To get up close with the fish. I have to mention it is sad that the resident snapping turtle was stolen and died shortly after he was recovered. But you can still see him and read story as he has been taxidermied and is in a display now. Thank you for all the...

I would’ve given it more stars but they kept bothering me about my mask not being over my nose OUTSIDE WITH NO ONE ELSE AROUND ME! We were literally the only ones in the outside area for over an hour. I feel like this place is being a bit overboard considering we were outside and no one else was there! Beware for the kid’s and your time here. They will make you feel extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome!!!! I had 3 kids with me under 5, one of them had to go to the bathroom so of course my five year old tales mask off and I didn’t notice right away cause I was changing my one year old. The same staff member comes and again reminds me about my son not wearing one and I get we need masks but at this point again no one else was there and I was right in middle of changing my baby. She then tells me it’s not over my nose(it kept falling down as I was talking). At this point I felt like I was being harrassed. I was doing my best and told her that and yet she continued and drilled me about how I need to be respectful. It was too much and I was so embarrassed and humiliated in front of my children. The staff there need a serious one on one talking to about manners and understanding children and life. There was no mercy being applied in a time when I was changing my baby and didn’t see my sons mask was off again. Like I said this place is EXTREMELY STRICT AND WILL MAKE YOU FEEL UNWELCOME AND UNCOMFORTABLE. They are clearly on...

The Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium is a simple place to visit for some fun. I have passed by the hatchery a few times, curious as to what it exactly was. As someone who resides in Queens, and doesn't come across a hatchery everyday, it was a really nice way to spend some time.

There are three main components to the place: outdoor trout feeding areas, a reptile/amphibian center, and the aquarium. Although modest in size, the space delivers a lot of excitement especially if you love aquatic life. I could've sat staring at the baby turtles inside of the aquarium for hours. I also purchased the fish food to feet the outdoor trout fish for $4.00. They gave us a half filled lunch bag, a pretty hefty amount for that price. It was fun to feed the fish, and to see them navigating for the food.

Overall, I liked this place. It ties into Cold Spring Harbor's love affair with aquatic life, and is a niche thing to do if you've never fed trout before.

Some reminders: There are bathrooms on the premise, and a modest gift shop next to the reptile/amphibian center. There is parking on site that we did not...