Monterey Bay Aquarium

Perhaps one of the biggest and coolest exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the really neat display of jellyfish. These jellies are bathed in a glow of orange and white light, and as they pulse in the night and glow in all different colors. They are a sight to behold. There are lots of other great exhibits too here at the aquarium. There is a huge shark tank full of many different types of fishes including three tiger-head sharks. There are many exhibits and display that boggle the mind and where you just want to sit down and stare at amazement. Visiting the aquarium is not cheap. Admission prices are about $17 per person; you can get group discounts and a membership (around $70) gives you access and admission to the aquarium for a full year. Parking is a pain; there is no free parking around the aquarium but there is paid hourly parking in a couple of garages near the aquarium. more

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of my favorite places to visit in the Bay Area. Not only is it educational, but it is also a relaxing place to visit because they have gorgeous views of Monterey Bay and their jellyfish exhibit is out of this world! The Monterey Bay Aquarium was also recently the home of a young great white shark, who had been mistakenly caught in a fishing net. The Aquarium housed her for a while until she became too large for the exhibit and was released back into the Pacific Ocean. The Aquarium also hosts school field trips, and is part of the Monterey Bay Research Institute, which is featured quite regularly on the Discovery Channel. There are touch pool exhibits, a really cool jellyfish exhibit, and deep sea exhibits. They also have a decent cafe, so you can eat lunch there. more

My family and I have been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium a couple of times now and we still enjoyed ourselves the second time around. They have a large parking garage a few blocks away but they do charge a fee. The aquarium is the largest one that I have seen. They have two floors of sealife aquariums. more

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a great place to go with kids. It's a huge aquarium. They even have place where you can watch a diver feed the sea creatures. My kid was a little scared of the dark areas though where she just cried. But my kids really liked the splash zone area where they had a lot of interative activities for them with waterplay and a bouncing area. more

Fun for the whole family!!! A trip to Monterey is magical in and of itself, but the aquarium is a totally memorable experience!! There is all kinds of different attractions within the aquarium itself. There is a shark exibit, kelp beds, sea otters, jellyfish, tide pools......to much to mention!! It's fun and educational for the whole family.... I highly recommend it!!! more

if you want to get to a really nice aquarium I would totally recommend taking the drive down to Monterey just to go the the aquarium there. it is one of the best aquariums in the entire area and there are lots of cute local resturants and shops to hang out in after you go. more

Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums I’ve been to. It’s not the largest in the country, but it ranks up there because of quality. They have touch tanks where you can feel sting rays as they swim by. The sea otter show is great. Overall, a wonderful experience for both kids and adults. more

The Monterey Bay Aqaurium is one of the best aquariums I have ever visited. Not only is it located in a great location, right by the water, the facility is great itself! There are lots of different fish and sea creatures there. You can spend hours and hours at this place just looking at the little guys. This is a special place for kids because it is fun and also educational for them. more

This is a world class aquarium. This is one of the best aquariums in the country, in the world. This place is huge, I can never go to all of the exibits because I just get so tired. Come early, you will need lots of time to look around and take in all of the amazing animals. There is so much variety here, everything you want to see is here. There is a station where you can actually touch some of the animals, like a stingray (not on the stinger.) You can feel his slimey skin and giggle. Definitly a place to visit. Plus tons of seafood resturants around since it is right on the shore. Parking is sometimes a problem. more

This is the aquarium to see. Right on Cannery Row, the Monterey Aquarium provides a view into all types of underwater life. Up until early 2004, they even displayed a White Shark, before releasing it back into the wild. Worth the drive from anywhere on the peninsula. (Check the weather and go when it's warm.) more