If you've never seen a marine show, the sea-lions show here is the place to start. Less gimmicky than similar commercial enterprises in Florida and California, the demonstration illuminates as it entertains and, at 15 minutes in length, doesn't test the attention spans of the very young. The rest of the exhibits are enough to occupy at least another hour. Beluga whales squeal and twirl for their trainers at feeding time, and there are fur seals, endangered Steller sea lions, penguins, and sharks on display with underwater viewing windows. Dozens of rays flutter like butterflies and translucent jellyfish billow and flex in slow-motion dance, a hypnotic display. A 40-minute "Beluga Encounter" program puts visitors right in the water with friendly whales and lets them touch the animals ($99-$149, depending on time of year; reservations strongly suggested), and there is a similar "Penguin Encounter" program. Elsewhere, exhibits on the Titanic wreck and other sunken ships, a re-creation of an Amazon rainforest, and a display of glowing, fluorescent coral emphasize conservation and the joys of scientific research.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New England, 14th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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