Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center

Welcome to Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center

Regular Hours: Thursday - Monday | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
*Open daily during Winter Whale Watch Week: Dec 26 - Dec 31

Hours and Location
Plan Your Visit
Exhibits
Field Trips

Tickets

 Admission is $5 per person aged 5+. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Buy a ticket Group Visits Gift Certificates

Public Programs and Events

A person is talking in front of a crowd holding a microphone and a photograph of a sea star.

Touchpool Talks

Saturdays | 11 a.m.

Join us at the touchpools to explore the lives of the many bizarre creatures that call Oregon's rocky intertidal home.  

A journal with white pages, flowers, writing, and a pencil inside.

ArtSea Day

Jan 24 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Try your hand at a variety of ocean-inspired art activities, including painting, embroidery, poetry, nature journaling and more. Let the coast be your creative muse as you explore and create.

Arial view of a female gray whale swimming with her calf. Photo NOAA Fisheries

Whale Watch Week

Dec 26-31 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Join us this holiday season to celebrate all whales, with special highlights on migrating gray whales through games, films, and fun activities.

Two adults hold up a small child with a paintbrush in his hand as they hover over tubs full of sand.

Fossil Fest 2026

Feb 14 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with something truly timeless—fossils! Explore displays from collectors statewide, and bring your own specimens to be identified and dated by our on-site expert.

 

OctoCam

8/5/25 Today we say goodbye to the Visitor Center's current octopus. He will be taken out on the research vessel Elakha and lowered back into the ocean so he may live out his days in the wild. For now, we do not have an octopus on display. Be sure to check back for updates on our octopus exhibit.

Meet Our Volunteers!

We are fortunate to have such an amazing group of volunteers at Hatfield.

Watch this video and learn what inspires them to join our volunteer crew and share their time and talents with the community. Interested in joining them? Learn how.

 

Featured Exhibits

Two children stand in front of screens.

Regional Class Research Vessel

This interactive simulator lets you experience what it feels like to be at the helm of a large research vessel and steer it through Yaquina Bay.

Hands reach into a clear box containing toy boats, fog, and plastic mountains.


Oregon Coastal Fog Simulator

Use the fog machine to create coastal fog over the ocean and guide it over passing ships! Learn about the benefits of fog and how it changes over time. 

Sea Urchins and anemones in a tide pool touch tank.


Tidepool Touch Tank

Gently pet sea cucumbers, urchins and sea stars. Discover what happens when you stroke the sticky tentacles of a sea anemone. Friendly volunteers are on hand to answer questions and help visitors of all ages.

 

Hours

Summer (Memorial Day - Labor Day)
Open Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Regular Season (Starts Labor Day)
Open Thursday - Monday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Buy a ticket online, or get one at the door.
 
Closed: Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1

Location

Visitor Center
Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Drive
Newport, OR  97365-5229

Phone: 541-867-0100; Option 2
Email

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