Best sealife aquarium?

Susie63

Dreamin' of Disney
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
We would love to visit an aquarium when we are in SoCal! There are a few so....which is best?
 
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the best Aquarium in California, in my opinion. But, that's in northern California..

Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA is really nice. Pretty big, has walk through tunnels, feedings throughout, you can pet sharks, stingrays, star fish and anemones. Has a bird house where you can feed parrots from your hand. It has some absolutely huge tanks to filled with all kinds of sea life. It also has a big jelly fish section and a big sea horse section. This is probably your best bet in so cal.
 
Agree that Monterey Bay is the best, but if you're not driving up the coast Aquarium of the Pacific is the best down here. Legoland has a cute one if you're planning on visiting anyway, but not comparable to Aquarium of the Pacific.
 
Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is probably the best combo of closest/best in the area. If you will be down near La Jolla/San Diego I've been impressed by how much the Birch Aquarium at Scripps packs in.

PHXscuba
 


Well - Monterey Bay Aquarium is the standard which other large aquariums have followed. A lot of the newer aquariums (including Aquarium of the Pacific and Georgia Aquarium) were inspired by it. They also pioneered the display of live jellyfish. Before Monterey Bay did it, aquariums had a difficult time keeping jellyfish alive. The remodel of the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco was done in part because it seemed outdated compared to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. However, Aquarium of the Pacific is probably the best aquarium in Southern California.

Another option is the California Science Center in Los Angeles. It's not a really large aquarium, but they have a little of everything there including aviation exhibits, basic science exhibits, an aquarium, an IMAX theater, etc. The aquarium section is small, but they have a kelp forest exhibit similar to the one at Monterey. The best part is that all of the exhibits there (except the Space Shuttle Endeavor) are free.

la-me-scm-kelp-forest-at-the-california-science-center-20140806


https://californiasciencecenter.org/exhibits/ecosystems
 
Thank you. Aquarium of the Pacific it is:fish:
Be sure to allow a lot of time there. There are so many areas and exhibits that it is easy to overlook some and complete bypass stuff on accident. When we were there a couple years ago, we were sure we went through the entire thing and we never saw the sea dragons. I'm glad I asked about them on the way out because there was another hall that we never noticed which is where the sea dragons were along with a lot of other cool stuff.

There was a snack bar inside, but I recommend bringing your lunch. There are several restaurants just outside the parking lot. Only mentioning it because we ended up getting very hungry since we spent a lot more time at the aquarium than we thought we would.
 


Another vote for the aquarium at Long Beach. It is much bigger than it looks at first. When you get there check the wall or board to see what times the features are happening. Shows like the divers, shark feeding on so on. We liked to eat at Bubba Gump's which is across the street only because we don't have one here.

If in the San Diego and LA Jolla area the Birch Aquarium is outstanding. Loved the sea horse display and the view outside is incredible.
 
Another vote for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. However I worked as a scuba diver at California Science Center in Los Angeles so I absolutely love that place because not only do you get to visit the aquarium they are all sorts of other animal exhibits there. They are also other permanent science exhibits, an IMAX theatre and not to mention the Space Shuttle Endeavour. At the moment there are several special exhibits like Body World. Finally they are other museums near the California Science Center all within walking distance.
 
Love Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, the crowds in Long Beach can be horrible.


The Birch aquarium is a more intimate aquarium in a MUCH more beautiful location with tons of unique (and usually higher end)dining options nearby, some with amazing views.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is a really cool aquarium in a highly industrial port (right next to Queen Mary if you want to see that adn where the DCL ships leave from when they depart Long Beach), surrounded by a lot of the big chain restaurants within walking distance, plenty to eat and see nearby. Though I personlly prefer King Taco when I am in that area.

Kind of depends on what you are in the mood for/time for.
 
Don't know how it compares to others, but we visited Aquarium of the Pacific a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it.
We purchased a combo ticket for $49 and took a whale watching cruise with Harbor Breeze. It's ticket counter is right next to the aquarium entrance. Great experience!
 

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