PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 24, 2024
After a four-year closure and substantial renovations, the Maine State Aquarium will reopen to the public Wednesday during Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days Festival. It will remain open through Labor Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The state-run aquarium closed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained shuttered while undergoing nearly $1.1 million in renovations. Renovations include two new 1,300-gallon ecosystem tanks that are designed to look like the rocky coasts of Boothbay and Burnt Island and interactive exhibits that highlight the state’s efforts to protect and manage resources in the Gulf of Maine.