That's why this family comes here year after year

- The best thing about it Atlanterhavsparken is that we get to be in such a beautiful environment and that the children can have fun and learn a lot at the same time, says Gerd-Christina Breen.

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The Telvik-Breen family, with father Espen Telvik, mother Gerd-Christina Breen and children Hermine and Gabriel Telvik-Breen aged six and eight love to go out to Atlanterhavsparken . Ever since they were tiny and in a pram, it was great fun to go out to look at both the fish, the penguins and the seals.

- We have probably visited Atlanterhavsparken a little more often than most, especially after we had children eight years ago. It has been incredibly nice, and we have followed the development with the new things that have come over time, with both Oterøya, the activity room and not least the science center, says the family father Espen.

Children's favorite

The place the kids like best is the activity room. Here there is both an indoor jetty over the crab pool and a contact pool where you get really close to many rare marine animals. Here you can hold a sea sausage or touch a soft starfish, a spiky sea urchin or take a closer look at a shell. The bait is ready on the pier so you just have to start crab fishing.

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- The children love fishing for crab and are Gabriel's favorite. Hermine's favorite is the bait on the starfish and sea urchins in the contact pool. Being in the activity room is probably the coolest thing for children at this age, says mum Gerd-Christina.

Norway's first

Another thing that the kids are really excited about Atlanterhavsparken is the new, beautiful Science Center, which opened on September 1 last year. In 2019, the Ministry of Education and Research appointed Atlanterhavsparken to become Norway's first Marine Science Center, which currently has three exhibitions; Living in the sea, the Sea Nation and Marine Research.

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- Atlanterhavsparken has always been very good, but the new Science Center has given the experience an extra dimension. We think it is so important to learn about life in the sea, one of our most important resources, and here it has been solved in a way where the children think it is great fun to learn, the parents say.

The science center exhibitions

The "harbor nation" contains thematic areas with exciting activities that show why Norway is a harbor nation. In the exhibition, you can go into a kelp forest, go on a cruise with the diving bell, make waves, build underwater landscapes or catch herring on the fishing field.

"Marine research" is an exhibition area with beautiful illustrations that provide insight into the food chain in the sea and how fish oil is created. Only five percent of marine life is known to us today. The exhibition will provide some answers, it will inspire, create wonder and show the importance of further research on life in the sea.

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"Living in the sea" is the exhibition where you experience animals' biological adaptations for just a life in the sea. Through various experiments and activities with fantastic models and installations, the experience is made more exciting and the biological more understandable. Inside the exhibition you can see, read, listen and do.

The marine classroom

- The science center is an extended classroom for the entire region and an arena that provides audience experiences and learning. Here you can learn about how Norway has become a leading port nation and explore up close what a crab or fish looks like under the "skin", says head of the science center Heidi Bostad Roaldsand

The popular Otters

Pappa Espen's favorites are the three lively and charming otters Nusse, Muffe and Pia. The three crabs each have their own incredible life story, where they were found motherless and abandoned in nature, before they came to Atlanterhavsparken . The lifeguards were ordinary families who gave them both bottles and food before they came to the park in turn.

- We remember well when they repaired Oterøya and when the otters came, they immediately became an audience favorite. It was also a moving story to hear about their upbringing and the path to it Atlanterhavsparken , says Espen.

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Charm troll

- On Oterøyahar Muffe, Nusse and Pia have plenty of space and a separate lighthouse they can seek shelter in. In the underwater observatory, the otters get close contact with our guests. They are social, make lots of noises and love visits. Nusse is the oldest and very cuddly. Pia is very playful. It is also Muffe who is known for sucking on his thumb when he gets a little stressed, says otter dad and aquarist Trond Østrem.

You can see and read more about the incredible stories of Nusse, Muffe and Pia here.

South American guests

The three otters got off to a tough start in life, but now most of the joy and gloom on Oterøya, which is located next to the seal pool in Atlanterhavsparken . The seal pool is one of Europe's largest. The penguins nearby are international guests in dress and white from Chile and Peru.

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- Our penguins are part of the Humboldt family, and are with us because we participate in a breeding program in collaboration with many other aquariums. The goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of the penguins, says aquarist Adrian Sørmoen.

The Nordic region's best family attraction

Atlantic parks located in the middle of the magnificent nature on Tueneset, in the ocean gap with a view of the fishing fields and the deep, Norwegian fjords, only three kilometers from Ålesundsentrum. Twice is Atlanterhavsparken named the best aquarium in the Nordic region by the Swedish family site barnsemester.se. which picks out the best of the best in travel and experiences for families with children.

One experience after another

In the aquarium building itself is the spectacular Atlantic tank, one of Europe's largest, which houses the large cold-water fish in our sea area. With a walking children come in, they can experience many different fish and strange sea creatures and the dean can see and learn about the sea insects - the crustaceans. There are open pools and closed tanks with fascinating insights into the UN's sustainability goal no. 14 on life in water.

Real item

Atlanterhavsparken is a fantastic showcase for life along the Norwegian coast and the Atlantic Ocean. For 24 years it has been one of Northern Europe's largest and most unique aquariums.

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- Every day we convey real experiences in real surroundings. The nature is real, water is pumped directly and unfiltered from the sea, the fish are of local origin and all plants and organisms are natural, says general manager Tor Erik Standal who hopes many will find their way to Atlanterhavsparken this summer to experience, see, and feel life along the Norwegian coast live.

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