Beautifully set on the gorgeous coast of California within 30 miles of Big Sur and Carmel Monterey Bay Aquarium is a fantastic family outing thanks to stunning exhibits ranging from touch pools for toddlers to big shark tanks. With so much to enjoy, your biggest challenge may be getting the children away from the sea otters to see the rest of the fabulous displays.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2005. This award-winning aquarium offers families an enriching, educational and entertaining visitor experience in its nearly 200 galleries and exhibits devoted to the diverse marine life of Monterey Bay. The aquarium is home to more than 35,000 animals and plants representing 650 species of fishes, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, birds and plants found in Monterey Bay and other regions of the world. It also offers touch pools, auditorium programs, feeding shows, and the Splash Zone family gallery.
A unique seawater system in the Nearshore galleries draws fresh, unpolluted seawater from the bay. It is pumped at the rate of 2,050 gallons per minute into the aquarium distribution system. Water enters through two 16-inch-diameter, 980-foot-long intake lines located 55 feet deep in the bay. Four operating modes allow for varying levels of filtration.
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This aquarium is really huge and features two truly awesome big tanks you can stare at for hours – the million-gallon Outer Bay full of yellowfin tuna, large green sea turtles, barracuda, sharks, giant ocean sunfish, and schools of bonito. The three-story Kelp Forest with 335,000 gallons of water offers stunning views of leopard sharks and other sea creatures. Particularly noteworthy is how the facility’s displays highlight the sheer beauty of ocean residents, creating mysterious and fabulous atmosphere.
The Aquarium stands on the site of what was Cannery Row's largest cannery, and this site was not chosen at random. It is situated on the border of one of the largest underwater canyons in the world and is surrounded by incredibly diverse marine life. One wing focuses at the Ocean’s Edge exploring the kelp forest, coral reefs and other habitats of Monterey Bay, including the coastal aviary. Here there are many touch pools and the ever-popular penguin exhibit.
Described as "a children's museum inside an aquarium", Splash Zone provides a colorful hands-on gallery with special play areas to engage the imaginations of young visitors, inspiring them to appreciate the ocean. A colony of South African blackfooted penguins, leafy sea dragons, colorful coral and tropical sharks are a few of the 50 species featured.
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The world's largest jellyfish gallery includes a one million gallon depiction of the sea. A unique bubble window puts families inside the exhibit to observe the birds up close while hands-on displays explore penguin communication. For the under 3-year-olds, there is a crawl-on waterbed and soft-foam baby pond. Nearby, granite rocks with crashing waves create a backdrop for older children to create their own waves and learn how different animals swim, hang on rocks and ride the waves.
"Mysteries of the Deep" features 40 species collected from waters 3,300 feet below the ocean's surface. It's a first-ever show which introduces visitors to residents of Earth's largest habitat-the dark, cold ocean waters that make up 80 percent of available living space on the planet.
Plunge into the fabulous underwater world and meet diverse marine residents at Monterey Bay Aquarium!
