Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium
A small aquarium, natural-history exhibits, pollinator garden, boardwalk, and bay trail link indoor interpretation directly with the habitats outside.
Artwork inspired by Sarah J. Eddy
The center sits within Audubon’s Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, so tanks and exhibits function as preparation for field observation. Local tide-pool animals, bird displays, marsh, meadow, and Narragansett Bay reveal how watershed habitats connect rather than standing as separate attractions.
Begin indoors, then carry one species or ecological question along the boardwalk to the shore. Check tide, weather, and program hours; the outdoor path can be hot, windy, icy, or wet. Wildlife remains wild, and the aquarium is intentionally modest in scale. The return walk is worth slowing down because tide and bird activity may already have changed since arrival.
- Refuge
- Claire D. McIntosh
- Water
- Narragansett Bay
- Experience
- Aquarium plus trails
Quick guide
- Begin indoors
- Choose one local species to seek outside.
- Cross the boardwalk
- Watch habitat shift from meadow to marsh.
Know before you go
- Begin indoors
- Choose one local species to seek outside.
- Cross the boardwalk
- Watch habitat shift from meadow to marsh.
- Check the tide
- Shoreline life changes with water level.
- Keep expectations wild
- Observation is not a sighting guarantee.
Good to know
Building and trail hours differ, and the exposed boardwalk has little shelter. Ticks, mud, high heat, winter ice, and school programs affect the outdoor portion.
Notice these
- Local aquarium
- Marsh boardwalk
- Bay overlook