Remodel Entry, Lobby & Café

A visitor’s experience—from the parking lot to admissions, and through to the first exhibit—should be a crescendo of nature. The Aquarium's first step in the Capital Campaign was to re-landscape the pathway leading up to its entrance, accelerate admissions with a new ticketing annex, remodel the café referencing Newport’s sustainable fisheries and history, add a new exhibit with graceful Moon Jellies, and remodel the lobby to expand its seating capacity and multiplicity to accommodate various large groups.

Construction of this phase was completed Summer 2023, but your continued support can go towards our next phase of construction: the improvement of our three indoor galleries.

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The bank of windows on the east end of the lobby were replaced by doors to afford greater accessibility and bring the outside in.

From the new doorway, visitors are able to view the estuary through a clearing in the forest, a new Children’s Nature Play area, outdoor seating, and a new outdoor Headwaters feature all at once.

Café renovation was completed summer 2023.

MJ Murdock Trust, Ray Hickey Foundation, Robert Miller Family Holdings, Ann & Bill Swindells Trust, Oregon Community Foundation and the Sunderland Foundation are among the many donors taking the lead to launch this first phase of our capital improvement plans.