The big weekend approaches...

This Saturday is our first day of open hours! From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., we'll be introducing our creatures to our visitors, as well as playing games, eating some snacks and doing some fun crafts. At noon will be our first story time of the season, so you can get a taste of what will happen every Tuesday. We'll also be boarding the M/V Thomas Laighton at 1:55 with some animals and crafts, plus holding a 50-50 raffle. Don't miss it!
This kicks off our regular schedule for the summer: 11 to 4 Tuesday through Friday, and 10 to 4 on weekends.
If you have any questions about the tank or the day's activities, email katherine@blueoceansociety.org. See you Saturday!

Opening soon - in a new location!

New season, new location – we’ve moved!
In an exciting venture, the touch tank has been placed near the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company’s gift shop and ticket booth. For the past several years, the touch tank has been situated in its own area on the dock, far to the right of all the action; now, the touch tank is central to where passengers of the M/V Thomas Laighton will be boarding and where others enjoy the use of the public picnic tables.
This new location for our animals, crafts and information will offer boat passengers a chance to check us out before or after the tour of the Isles of Shoals; it will also be a fantastic spot for those who drive in or walk from downtown to see us. The touch tank and craft table will be under the canopy and right on the water – a perfect place to cool down on a hot day, participate in some fun activities and learn about our local marine environment.
Starting on opening day, Saturday, June 26th, we will be offering new and exciting crafts for kids to try, and our “Creature Features” will give visitors a new animal to learn about each week. Story times will be held every Tuesday at noon – bring your lunch and hear a new story each week about the inhabitants of our oceans!
The tank’s family of tidepool creatures is growing by the minute: Green crabs, sea stars, mussels and anemones have already moved in. A moon snail and a hermit crab – two of last year’s favorites – are our newest additions, and more will come as the weeks progress toward opening day. If you’d like to see the creatures before June 26th, email katherine@blueoceansociety.org to set up an appointment.
In addition to our new location, we will also have new hours this summer. The touch tank will be open Tuesday through Friday, 11 to 4, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 4, all starting on Saturday the 26th. Make sure to mark your calendar!
Our thanks go out to the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company for their help in making this year’s touch tank location a great one and for once again donating the space. Thanks to all our volunteers and interns who bring their warmth and knowledge to the touch tank. And thanks to all of you for making the touch tank possible! See you this summer!

Opening this weekend!

The time has come - summer's back, and so is the touch tank! We will be open for limited hours this weekend as a preview for what's to come this season.

We have moved our tank to a new location - it's still on the dock, but much closer to the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company office. This is an exciting move for us, because we'll be closer where people board the M/V Thomas Laighton, and therefore closer to the action! Thanks to Isles of Shoals for helping us out with this.

The hours this weekend will be 12 to 2 on Saturday and Sunday. Come check us out, and then be sure to come back June 26th for the first day of our full-time summer hours!

Looking for touch tank interns!

How would you like to be a part of the tank team this summer? We are currently looking for interns and volunteers at our two touch tanks - on the dock in Portsmouth and at our Sea Life Discovery Center in Salisbury, Mass. If you saw our tanks last season and met our great staff and interns, you know how much fun we had, and you probably know lots about our animals and the seacoast. We'd love to talk to you about working with us!

If you're ready to apply, please send a cover letter and resume to katherine@blueoceansociety.org. To learn more about the internship, visit http://blueoceansociety.org/Education/touch_tankintern.html. Thanks everyone!

Visit Us at the Fairy House Tours - Sept 19-20

Join us this weekend at the Fairy House Tours in downtown Portsmouth! Our portable touch tanks will be displayed on the Gov. Langdon House lawn as part of the Fairy House tours from 12-4 on Saturday and Sunday.

From the Fairy House tours web site:

Come, enjoy a magical “one of a kind” tour! A self-guided walking tour of Fairy Houses displayed in the historic South End neighborhood of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Ticket includes entrance to Strawbery Banke, Wentworth-Gardner and Governor John Langdon houses. Ticket proceeds will again benefit non-profit organizations in the South End.

Families, gardeners, nature lovers and the 'young at heart' will be enchanted by these whimsical fairy habitats, built for the fairies to visit. Come discover the joys and magic of fairy houses inspired by children's literature and other fairy fantasies. Enjoy the tour and then build them yourselves on Peirce Island!

Visit this page for ticket information, photos and more. We hope to see you there!

We're open this weekend!

It's Labor Day weekend, and the weather forecast is calling for sun, sun and more sun - a perfect weekend to visit the touch tank! We'll be open from 10 to 2 Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Crab feeding is Saturday at 1. Come check out our biggest green crab, which molted and grew a new claw!

Our daily hours are over!

Hi everyone! It's been a great season - thanks for visiting again and again. We have finished our daily open hours; our last regular-season day was Aug. 31. We may be open weekends this month, but we haven't yet figured out whether this will be possible. Check back here - I'll keep you posted!