How many of us once harbored dreams of swimming with the dolphins? At Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute WHOI (locally pronounced as “hooey”), visitors can fulfill their marine biology fantasies at the country’s most prominent oceanographic research institution. The institute is home to the famous Alvin submersible, which famously discovered the wreck of the Titanic, as well as the new five-foot-long REMUS, which can explore 98 percent of the ocean floor.
A good exhibit center (15 School St., 508/289-2663, www.whoi.edu [1], by appointment April; 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat. May–Oct. and Tues.–Fri. Nov.–Dec., donation requested) details Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s past, including an exhibit on the Titanic and a life-size replica of Alvin.
During the summer, scientists lead a more hands-on view of the facility with tours (10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Mon.–Fri. July–Aug., free) of the labs and docks.
Links:
[1] http://www.whoi.edu