Located on the shoreline of Nantucket Harbor, the Aquarium displays local Nantucket species and is an excellent place to learn about the amazing sealife around the island. Displays are always changing and range from crabs and shellfish to fish and eels. All animals at the Aquarium are locally-collected and are released back into the wild at the end of the season. Displays can also include anything from seahorses to octopus to sharks!
Admission: Members Free; $10 Adults $8 Kids. Admission includes the Natural Science Museum, Vestal St. Observatory tour, and the Mitchell House tour.
All of the animals displayed at the Aquarium are from Nantucket waters and things change every year based on what is found throughout the summer. No summer is the same as the one before!
The Aquarium depends on many local people for our exhibits. Local fishermen and charter captains bring many of the bigger animals this summer. Special thanks to Just Do It 2, Critter Cruises, and Sayles Seafood for lots of recent donations.
Also thanks to Shearwater Excursions for taking out Aquarium Interns each week to help on their seal tours. This is a great way to get out onto the water!
Built in 1968 and 1998, the two domes of this facility house a beautifully refurbished antique 8-inch Clark telescope and a new state-of-the-art 24-inch research telescope. It serves as both an active research observatory and venue for public astronomical programs.
The MMA Astronomy Department shares its research and expertise through hands-on workshops, lectures, and special observational programs. The Loines observatory is open for regular public tours, programs, lectures, and is host to several special events throughout the year.
When something special is happening in the night sky – meteor showers, a new comet, lunar eclipse – the Maria Mitchell Observatories are the place to be. Unravel the mysteries of the night sky with our friendly and knowledgeable astronomy team. Discover how to make best use of your backyard telescope or learn how to navigate by the stars in one of our astronomy workshops. Discuss the search for life beyond Earth with a visiting speaker or hear about the latest discoveries in the universe at our summer lecture series featuring leading astronomers from universities and observatories around the world. To learn more about our offerings, please check out our Upcoming Astronomy Programs.
Please note: public stargazing nights at Loines Observatory are cancelled if skies are too cloudy. If in doubt, please call 508-257-1117
Stay informed! Sign up for our free AstroAlerts to find out when the next meteor shower. eclipse, chance to see the International Space Station overhead, or other astronomical events will be occur for Nantucket! You can receive AstroAlertts by email or on your cell phone by texting to 23559 with the message @astroalert.
The Astronomy Department of the Maria Mitchell Association was established over 100 years ago. Since 1908, the Observatory has been the site of research, lectures, and other programs, and even Open Nights called “Moon Nights” before Loines Observatory was built.
The Vestal Street Observatory is open for a guided tour at 2pm Monday through Saturday. A property pass is required for this tour and this pass also allows admission to our other properties, including the Aquarium, the Mitchell House – birthplace of Maria Mitchell, and the Natural Science Museum. During your visit to this facility, you can view an outdoor scale model of the solar system, learn how to operate a sundial, and may be able to observe some sunspots if it is a clear day. Learn more about modern astronomy touring a permanent indoor exhibit.
In addition to our public programming, one of the major tasks of the Maria Mitchell Astronomy Department is to conduct astronomical research, in particular, supervised research for talented, carefully selected astronomy undergraduate students from all over the country. This highly successful Presidential Award winning program is funded by the National Science Foundation.
An excellent activity for kids, adults, and everyone in between, the Maria Mitchell Natural Science Museum is a cross between a classic natural history museum, a zoo, and a science center. It is a great place to learn about the plants, animals, and birds of Nantucket. Visit us to learn how Nantucket came to be an island, explore hands on activities, and discover the six species of snakes that inhabit our island!
Our job at the Science Museum is to document the species that live on Nantucket and provide opportunities for visitors to learn about them. The Museum’s collections are an important resource for researchers and form the backbone of the public exhibits. One exhibit shows a massive aggregation of rodent bones found in a very old barn owl box.
Take a trip back in time to 1800s Nantucket. Built in 1790, this typical Quaker house was acquired by the Mitchell family in 1818. The home became a museum in 1903 when the Maria Mitchell Association’s founders acquired the house to preserve the legacy of one of Nantucket’s most illustrious daughters.
The house contains many stunning artifacts from the Mitchells’ daily life in the 19th century, and many of Maria’s personal items such as beer mugs, opera glasses, and her Dolland telescope. The house is especially known for the remarkably preserved example of faux-wood grain painting in the kitchen from the 1850s.
The Mitchell House was named as one of the Top 10 Women’s History sites in the country by USA Today! Please come visit us to learn about the history of one of America’s most fascinating women: Maria Mitchell!
