Butterfly House & Aquarium to open Eastern Shores touch pool

Aquatic species found on the East Coast will have a new home starting this week at the Butterfly House & Aquarium.

A new touch pool will open at the aquarium at Sertoma Park, featuring diverse species such as horseshoe crabs, sea stars, spider crabs, knobbed whelks, channeled whelks, purple urchins, sheepshead minnows and killifish.

Guests will have the opportunity to touch — gently — some of the animals, including the crab and whelk species under supervision from staff.

The grand opening is at 10 a.m. Thursday. Hours for the exhibit will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Eastern Shores has been a months-long renovation and re-theming project that takes the place of the decade-old tide pool exhibit that featured West Coast species. Instead of requiring visitors to step up to see the animals, the pool surface is now lower and accessible to all. Animals also have more space to retreat if they’d rather not be touched.

“We are so excited that members of our community will get to see their local aquarium in a new way, meet some new animals, gain some new learning experiences and build a stronger connection to marine life on the other side of the country while learning about how to preserve and protect these amazing places in the world,” said Michelle Coley, aquarium and conservatory director.

“We want our community to know we are committed to providing opportunities for learning, exploration and connection – and that we are always working to strive for the best possible welfare for our animals.”