Situated next to the Pacific Ocean is the beautiful Aquarium of the Pacific. It is located in Long Beach, California, and the fourth most-attended aquarium in the nation. It is a great destination for families to spend time learning together. The fact that it is open nearly every day of the year, makes it a great location for families to visit.
Today I am sharing some photos with you of this must-see family destination that we recently visited.
A Learning Experience for All
Visitors are greeting by a giant whale when you enter the facility. There are videos shown on a nearby wall each hour. The learning begins for everyone, the moment you walk into the building. My friend Katia’s daughter was ready to check out the exhibits with us!
Through a variety of windows to the sea and multimedia experiences, the Aquarium provides some great learning opportunities to “dive” deeper into ocean science.
Seeing the sea life in their natural environment is so awe-inspiring and peaceful. There is just something about watching the fish swim around in the water that is very calming.
I swear this Japanese Spider Crab greeted us!
The Aquarium has an interactive shark exhibit where you can actually pet the sharks. Luckily, these are small as I would not want to try this with a large shark.
There were even shark eggs which did not really look like eggs at all (at least not to me).
The majestic stingrays swam so freely in their environment.
Their collection of Sea Jellies is incredible. I could go on about these beauties, and I recommend that you check out their current exhibit.
There are also some great outdoor exhibits too. You can see penguins, sharks and puffins. There are also picnic tables and fountains outside, that make it a lovely place to relax for a bit.
The Aquarium displays over 11,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits that represent the diversity of the Pacific Ocean. Each year more than 1.5 million people visit the Aquarium.
The behind the scenes tour allows guests to go above the largest exhibit, Tropical Reef, to feed the fish!
This tour provides a peek into the daily operations of the Aquarium of the Pacific. Guests enter the “wet side” of the aquarium, a section not normally open to the public.
It is fascinating to see all it takes to maintain a world-class aquarium, from water filtration to animal care and feeding. Many of the divers here are volunteers. You can also learn a ton of interesting facts about the Aquarium of the Pacific’s 11,000 animals. The tour is for ages 7 and up and I highly recommend it. It also provides some great insight as to how important conservation efforts are to sea life.
100 Aquarium Way,
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 590-3100
General Admission Tickets are $28.95 for adults and $14.95 for kids ages 3-11.
Tickets for the private tour are currently:
19 For kids ( 7 and older) & Adults or member price $15
They offer discounts for AAA, military personnel and partnering college students.
The aquarium is open 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (open every Day of the Year, Except Christmas (Dec. 25) and During the Grand Prix of Long Beach – April 15, 16, and 17, 2016).
There are activities for children under 7 that are accompanied by a parent. The aquarium offers summer and winter camps, sleepover sessions and private events for birthdays or parties.
Disclosure: Special thanks to Aquarium of the Pacific for providing tickets for this fun and informative.
What is your favorite fish or sea creature?
Tamara says
The Japanese Spider Crab is absolutely saluting you. Absolutely.
I’d love to go there! I used to have a life goal to see every aquarium in America and beyond. I have a long way to go.
Raquel says
I think that’s a great goal Tamara! Aquariums are so beautiful and soothing to me.