Aquarium of the Pacific is really cool, but I can ...

Aquarium of the Pacific is really cool, but I can only give it 4 stars because I've been to Monterey Bay Aquarium and that one is definitely a 5.

This aquarium has some beautiful exhibits and good hands on fun for kids and kids at heart. The lorikeet area is a great photo opportunity, but be warned: You might get pooped on. It's a real risk.

I like the way they divided the exhibits by region, like Baja or Northern Pacific. It really helps build a picture of each area's ecosystem and how different organisms interact with each other. For obvious reasons, the Shark Lagoon is kind of on its own outside. Some kid favorites are the sea otters, seals and the new penguins.

Kids might find the environmental/pollution exhibits boring, but give them a taste of it so they at least know why plastic bags in ocean = bad.

Speaking of bad, eat elsewhere. The food is pretty lame and overpriced. There are plenty of well known eateries in walking distance.

Prices are reasonable, but you can usually find coupons or deals online or in grocery stores.