Santa To Visit Woods Hole Science Aquarium December 20

enlarge image A photo with Santa is always special. (Credit: WHSA/NOAA) enlarge image The Aquarium's touch tank is a popular attraction for all ages. (Credit: Shelley Dawicki/NOAA)

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Santa Claus will make his annual visit to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium on Saturday, December 20, from noon to 2 p.m. The aquarium is normally closed on weekends in the winter, but will be open December 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the special visit.

Children are welcome to have their picture taken with Santa. Light snacks will be served, and Santa’s helpers will provide an art activity for younger children.

The Aquarium collection includes approximately 140 species of marine fish and invertebrates that are native to New England waters. The facility is also home for two harbor seals, LuSeal and Bumper, who cannot be released to the wild. After a winter and spring of construction, a new seal pool and upgraded accommodations were completed this summer. Seal feeding time is always a popular and informative event, and Aquarium staff will feed the seals at the end of Santa’s visit.

The Woods Hole Science Aquarium is open weekdays from 11-4 during the school year and throughout the winter school break. The Aquarium is a federal facility and will be closed December 25 and January 1. Admission is free; adult visitors must show a picture ID to enter.

The public aquarium has been part of the federal fisheries laboratory in Woods Hole since 1885, when the first permanent marine science laboratory was completed on Water Street after moving from original facilities established in 1871 on nearby Little Harbor. The Woods Hole Science Aquarium is the oldest continuously operating research aquarium in the United States.

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