Aquatic Resources Education Center
The Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) is open to the general public Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 2 PM. If you enter Anacostia Park on Nicholson Street, turn right on Anacostia Drive. AREC is located next to the roller skating rink.
1900 Anacostia Drive SE
Washington, D. C. 20020
AREC at Anacostia Park is operated by the Washington D. C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) in partnership with the National Park Service and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Inside you will find aquariums full of the fish, reptiles, and amphibians that inhabit the rivers and streams of the Washington area. The main purpose of the center is to host school groups, but the general public is welcome to come browse through the exhibits as well. If staff is available—DOEE biologists—they will show you around, otherwise you are on your own. When I visited, there was just one person working, so I spent about five minutes looking at the aquariums and was on my way. For more information, see the AREC web page.
While AREC is one of the few places in Anacostia Park where you will find some type of employee, it is not a visitor center, so don’t go inside and expect to get a park map or any other information about the park. There is a National Capital Parks East headquarters building located at the south end of the park along with the U. S. Park Police headquarters, but this is an employee office and not open to the public. For a map and other information, go to the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens Visitor Center. Kenilworth is part of Anacostia Park.
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Last updated on April 25, 2020
