Photo: Mike Peel via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Long Island Aquarium — Behind the Scenes Tour
A 90-minute small-group tour with an aquarium biologist. Walk above the shark tank, see the food prep kitchen, meet the rescue sea turtles in rehab. Limited to 12 guests per tour. The 11 AM slot is the quietest; the 2 PM is for kids who just finished general admission. Plan for the tour to bookend a half-day visit, not stand alone.
The aquarium’s behind-the-scenes tour is the kind of experience that turns a fine day-trip into a kid’s favorite memory of the year. 90 minutes, biologist-led, 12 guests max, and you actually see the working side of the aquarium — food prep, turtle rehab, the catwalks above the shark tank.
Booking notes:
- Book at least 2 weeks ahead, especially summer Saturdays
- Includes general admission for the rest of the day (good value)
- Recommended age 7+ (younger kids may get bored on the technical parts)
- The 11 AM tour is the quietest aquarium time; do that first, then lunch, then general admission
Pair with: Lunch at Tweed’s in Riverhead or coffee at North Fork Roasting Co. (5 min away).
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Read before you go
- town spotlight Sayville Village: A Local's Guide for 2026 Sayville Village — the South Shore walkable downtown that locals refuse to gentrify, with restored 19th-century Main Street, the Sayville Cab Company since 1958, the Sayville Restaurant Group anchors (Casa Luis, Cull House), the Saturday Farmers Market on Foster Avenue, the Fire Island ferry terminal at the harbor, and an annual event calendar that runs from Memorial Weekend Classic Car Show through Holiday Stroll. Walking distance from the LIRR. The slow-paced South Shore village that works.
- town spotlight Northport Village: A Local's Guide for 2026 Northport Village — the North Shore harbor village with restored 19th-century Main Street, the working harbor + town park, the Engeman Theater, the Saturday farmers market, and the John W. Engeman Theatre + Northport Yacht Club rituals that anchor the village's calendar. Walking distance from the LIRR. The North Shore family Saturday at its best.
- seasonal What We're Tracking: The Long Island Summer 2026 Calendar Takes Shape The Editors' Memorial Weekend reset on what we're tracking for Long Island summer 2026. Programming announcements, venue updates, the new restaurants worth a drive, the festivals that bumped their dates, and the East End rhythm shifts. Updated weekly through Labor Day.