Heading into New York City and looking for some fun things to do? The semi-new National Geographic Ocean Odyssey might be just what you’re looking for.
When my kids were off the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I wanted to take some extra time to hang out with them (after all, they’re my favorite people on earth!), and plan some fun adventures. And that’s exactly what we did.
I had heard about National Geographic’s new Ocean Odyssey exhibit in the city a few months back, and it was on my exhaustive running list of “things to do with the kids,” but we hadn’t yet made it in. And to be honest, I almost skipped our planned visit. It was a crazy cold day, around ten degrees, and I seriously hate the extreme cold. BUT I also really try to make a concerted effort to not let the cold keep us from enjoying our lives, and so we quickly gathered our gloves and scarves and drove in.
Ocean Odyssey was very easy to find, and is located right in the heart of Times Square and Broadway and conveniently near Carmine’s (great for eats after!). There was a parking garage one block away and normally I would circle the block and hunt for something cheaper and a bit farther away but it was New Year’s Eve Eve, so the city was bustling and cold.
We braved the short walk to the exhibit and took the escalator downstairs to begin our journey.
Once we got our passes, we waited in a holding area with a few other guests, and then were led into another room with a guide. Your visit lasts roughly 60-90 minutes and you are led through a series of rooms, diving deeper into the ocean with each passage. Although your visit is largely self-guided, your group is ushered from room to room in a timely manner so other guests can begin their journey. In the beginning, the timing before we were told to go to the next room seemed a bit rushed to me. An extra five minutes would have been wonderful. I only noticed that in the first few rooms; after that it seemed to relax a bit, especially as we got into areas that had more panels to read from.
Much of the exhibit is 3D and interactive, which was very cool and unlike other exhibits we’ve been to.
I think this room might have been our favorite, as the fish really felt like they were coming right at you:
In this section, if you share a fact you learned with one of the guides, you’re given a puzzle piece to add to their wall:
In the very last room, which was large and spacious and had many different kiosks to read from, you could take as much time as you wanted, and there were even spots to sit, and then your next stop was the gift shop.
If you’re looking for a fun afternoon in the city, National Geographic Ocean Odyssey checks the box. It *is* a little expensive, but a portion of the ticket sales goes to protecting ocean conservation.
National Geographic Ocean Odyssey
226 W 44th Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue
Times Square
New York, NY 10036
Hungry for more NYC adventures?
Our visit to Black Tap. Hopefully the hubbub has died down a bit.
When we met up with friends for Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
*This is NOT a sponsored post, but my tickets were complementary.
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