The Undersea Gardens has now been removed from the Newport Bayfront where it was a top visitor attraction in Newport for over 40-years. The Gardens closed in early October but ran the gift shop until mid October. Over the last few weeks the structure has been removed. The structure is being towed north where it will be deconstructed.
The closure aligns with the company’s commencement of a renovation to the Ripley’s, Believe it or Not! and Wax Works attractions taking place across the street. According to David Heater, General Manager of Mariner Square “For more than 46 years, the Oregon Undersea Gardens provided unique insight and education to children and the public about our undersea world. It has been a great journey, but it is time to move on."
Oregon Undersea Gardens was built in 1964 as a floating barge aquarium and has been home to over 1,000 species of fish and other aquatic species native to Oregon’s coastal waters and hosted daily dive shows. The fish that were part of the undersea Aquarium were removed by ODFW and have been relocated to other organizations such as the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Heater stated that the property that housed the Undersea Gardens Barge has been sold. It is not known exactly right now what is going to become of the property but Heater said he hopes the owners will keep it as something that fits with the fishing community and the bayfront. Currently the Wax Works is being fixed up and Ripley's Believe It Or Not is being gutted and is going to be completely brand new after the renovation. The updated attractions are expected to re-open late spring 2020.
A video interview with Dave Heater about the Undersea Gardens and Mariner Square can be found on our Newport page.