Should You Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium?
Charles and I just returned from an incredible trip to the Bay Area. We did enough to fill multiple blog posts, but I wanted to touch on a personally amazing place we went to - the Monterey Bay Aquarium. When planning a vacation, I am always interested in seeing some animals. Whether you agree or not, I'm a zoo/aquarium girly. High-quality wildlife exhibits and conservation efforts do a lot of good for animals worldwide. The operative phrase there is "high quality." Not some Tiger King BS, right? The Monterey Bay Aquarium falls into the high-quality bucket.
Logistics
The aquarium is right on the water in Monterey. It's a small town, and most of the touristy stuff is clustered near the aquarium on Cannery Row. It's an old sardine-packing district, and it's not lost on the aquarium. The irony of being one of the leaders in oceanic conservation is located on the site of an old fish-packing plant. It is expensive. No way around that. It's $65 per adult, and there are no tourist discounts. That's the admission, take it or leave it. As an aside, they did have a program for low-income locals, if that's you! All tickets are also online, and they mention several times that there are no on-site ticket sales.
Parking was rough. There are a few outrageous lots and garages nearby (we're talking $40+ per day, no in-and-out privileges), or you can fight for street parking. We got fortunate on some street parking and could stay for four hours there. We arrived right around the aquarium opening time, and it was already wall-to-wall people, but the line moved quickly.
The Experience
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, and it was easy to see where it got that reputation. As soon as we stepped in, the Sea Otter tank was right before us, and a feeding was occurring. Despite the crowd, we were still able to witness the sea otters in their element, flipping in the water and running for fish. I recommend keeping an eye on the feeding schedule. They occur at predictable times, and it is fun to get some additional information about the exhibits and see something a little unusual.
My favorite section was Into the Deep, which featured multiple tanks of jellyfish of all shapes and sizes. The jellyfish exhibits were not just beautiful, but truly breathtaking, with their delicate and graceful movements. It was a sight that left me in awe of the ocean's wonders.
One of the highlights of my visit was the wildlife viewing area, located on the back side of the aquarium. This area offers a unique opportunity to observe marine life in their natural habitat, with additional staff outside to tell you what you were looking at. I was lucky enough to glimpse a family of adorable sea otters. Watching these playful creatures frolicking in the water was a delight and memorable experience. The aquarium's commitment to marine conservation and rehabilitating injured sea otters was heartwarming.
It's important to note some downsides of the visit. As I mentioned, the aquarium admission price is quite steep. It was just the two of us, but if you're traveling with a family, you'll spend hundreds of dollars quickly. Additionally, the aquarium can get quite crowded, especially during peak times, detracting from the overall experience. We were there at the opening on a weekday, and it was still full. This is neither here nor there, but it's also a lot of perhaps not well-behaved small children. Kids need to have experiences in places like this. However, many tiny kiddos were loosely supervised when we were there, causing chaos. So, something to know!
The Verdict
It was wonderful. Cost and feral children aside, I would go again and again. No amount of time would have been enough, and there is always something new to see. The staff were the most incredible, educated people who could answer nearly any question. If you're in the area, I can't recommend it highly enough, with a few hundred dollars to spare.
Let me know - have you been? What was your favorite spot?