Birch Aquarium at Scripps Review

Interesting and varied displays; knowledgeable, friendly staff.

This is not a big aquarium... That being said, it's a very enjoyable and informative place to spend an afternoon! The displays are excellent, showing clearly what kinds of fish & other marine life can be spotted within each tank. My only criticism would be that there should be an indication of how big each fish is, so you have an idea of what to look for. The informational signs are clear & concise, and there are lots of hands-on exhibits that were clearly a big hit with kids. The only disappointment were the tidal pool exhibits. As an east coast native, I'm used to tidal pools with a great variety of critters in them (horseshoe crabs, starfish, etc). I don't know if those things simply don't live on the west coast or not, but these tidal pools seemed rather lifeless in comparison. But overall, considering the very reasonable admission price, this place is definitely worth checking out!

I don't know where to begin. Me and my gal LOVED this place so much. We spent around 8 hours here. There is non stop stuff to do in the 2 aquariums they have. If you love sea horses look no further about 90% of the fish are seahorses....amazing. The cafe outside had the best food we have ever eaten in our lives. We love this place so much we want to show our passion. Me and the gal are getting tattoos to remember this. Our plan is to visit this place as often as we can so we have decided to fly out here multiple times a year. If Birch himself reads this we are you #1 fans and the tatoos on our cheeks should be proof of that! We will see you next month!

An amazing aquarium. Just no other way to describe it

1st time visit using the California museums for all discount, so a $3 admission was definitely worth it. They have an amazing amount of different seahorses on display in a brand new exhibit. Very well put together. Don't miss the large reef aquarium or the outside tide pool displays. Highly recommended!

Went for Easter egg hunt very crowded and the prize was a turtle poster lol

I have always loved the aquarium. No matter if the aquarium is in San Francisco, Monterey, Atlanta, San Diego, etc. I am very grateful for the Birch Aquarium. It is in a beautiful area in La Jolla. The species are beyond reasonable. The staff is always friendly and helpful. The aquarium is full of beautiful tanks and exhibits. The top deck is an epic place to hang out and look over the ocean. Our family has an annual membership which is a great deal and you are provided guest passes for family and friends. The fifth shop is robust and the snack bar has a good amount of quality options. Thank you!!

Very Fun to go to. It has an outside area for kids and adults to have fun. The Ocean view is amazing. Theres a spot above the parking that you hike and theres a swing with a beautiful biew!

Great facility for being relatively small. Careful what time you go because if you come during the feeding session in the big tank, they close off one exit and it gets really crowded really quick!

Great place for education and to spend your day. The aquarium is self guided as it isn't big at all. All you need at most is at two hours and plan it around one of their feeding tours during the weekends (shark feeding and kelp tank feeding). Love that they have their tanks arranged by region so you can really grasp how each animal differs by location. Also like how they have exhibits that discusses climate change and the affect it has. Plus they are all interactive. Especially enjoyed their seahorse exhibits. They even have a great view of La Jolla by the tidepools.

Tip: Parking is free (three hours) and if you are Bank of America member, you can come here for free on their posted dates.

Always fun to see the seahorses and a nice sunset at the overlook.

Beautiful aquarium on the smaller side especially for the price paid to get in. The energy area outside was my kids favorite spot since it was hands on.

Enjoyed the aquarium. Knowledgable staff. Wasn't too busy.

The staff is friendly and helpful. The aquarium is a little small and it's probably not for kids who are younger for the price. If you have Bank of America credit cards you get in free the first weekend of every month. Just show your card and ID

This was our quickest location on our trip and I loved it. The receptionist was awesome and answered my son's flurry of questions with great knowledge and amusement. The touch pool and ocean lookout were our favorites. My son hounded us with questions and excitement. I loved the glass views they made it so toddlers and kids could easily view. The hands on area was interesting and the kids were entertained a while there. Would recommend for anyone who wants a more learning experience with an aquarium.

Great staff and exhibits. Don't miss this aquarium!

Beautiful Experience. First Weekend of the month BofA card holders get in Free.

Very educational and is very amazing all the creatures in the ocean

Pretty small aquarium. Fun for kids. Can see it all in under an hour.

I took my son to this aquarium, we had a wonderful time. Very interesting series of fish tanks displaying the various underwater environments. Lots of displays, they were organized nicely.

Great environment and experience for children. They do a fairly decent job updating the exhibits and facility.

The exhibits are very well put together and have lots of variety

Really basic aquarium. No big tanks with wildlife larger than 5 ft long.

10,000 maniacs.. great experience, they sound great. Thanks for having the green flash experience here...

You literally go and see 1 shark... and maybe 3 blow up Christmas decorations. Totally not worth it at all.

It was small, so I wasnt worried about losing either of my toddlers while we explored! Lots of fun and we bought a membership. I can't wait to go back, the kids had so much fun.

It's a small little aquarium. Staff are friendly. A Beautiful Ocean View!!!

What awesome aquarium. With the Pacific Ocean as your backyard, none other can compare

Great aquarium with nice exhibits and very educational. Great for kids, schools and families to visit. Teaches and Promotes clean oceans and conservation.

rude staff, boring for both kids and adults. OVERALL
boring. Not recommended

Wonderful variety of marine life. Love the corals, seahorses, jellyfish, and anemones! Fun things for kids, too. Live music with great views!

Very nice aquarium. Huge variety of sea life and activities for the kids. Really enjoyed the "touching" pool and the green energy demos at the end. The kids had so much fun.

Kids loved it but it's a bit small to spend a whole day there

Wow, this diminutive place is super popular. For a quick field trip or day trip, this is the it place in la Jolla. Family friendly or even for a solo trip. The volunteers are super friendly, helpful and love what they do. The touch tanks overlooking the bay are interactive and the staff is knowledgeable, but what a spectacular view. I recommend getting there early because parking is at a premium and they have a demo in their kelp tank where they feed the fish which is a popular part if this petit aquarium. There are three areas for kids of all ages to explore and enjoy. A great location to spend about 2 hours relaxing and enjoying a peek into our oceans. Happy exploring!

A fun local fish aquarium. All the fish seemed happy and has lots of information. Fun afternoon spot!

Nice little Aquarium to take the little one. It has a very pretty view and a lot of interactive things to help the kids (and you) learn about ocean life.

A small aquarium, but is a good place for families with small children.

Excellent exhibits for whole family to explore marine life. Kelp forest tank and tide pools are the top experiences. There are plenty of hands on activities to engage young kids, as well.

Underwhelming. Most other aquariums across the United States are much better. Loved the outside tide pool where you may enjoy hands on activities with marine creatures - and then sit down and enjoy the ocean view.

I loved it. It is very Beautiful, coming again for sure

This aquarium is much smaller than I anticipated. However, the seahorse exhibit was really interesting and they had some other species (like the nautilus') I'd never seen in an aquarium before. Seems like a great place to take kids!

Nowhere as good as other aquariums I have visited. Long Beach one is world famous so a bit biased.

Free parking, great ocean view, very informative, great for whole family.

Some really cool sea creatures are kept here. It was crazy busy and loud. I think the ratings are more for the wonderful work and research they do than the aquarium us tourists saw, because it was so so compared to other aquariums we have been to.

Small aquarium with Great exhibits. Wish it was bigger with more to do.

The aquarium was interesting, and the different fish well documented. Best part for me was the coral. So beautiful.

Good option for Sealife, much more affordable. Our 6 year old loved everything in it.

It is a really compact aquarium and it's easy to get through the exhibits in an hour or two. The highlight of our visit was the "tide pools" outside... and the view from the outdoor plaza.

Very cool. Lots of fun and helpful staff. Really easy to get to and less crowded than other Aquariums.

Great place. I loved this place, great view of the beach. Great ocean animals to see. Tide pools are available too for kids. And is just a great place.

I loved it as much as my 17 month old Granddaughter did

Fun place to go and take your kids. Tons of different styles of fish of all shapes and colors. Great for a 1 year old to capture their attention from just the colors but might be more beneficial for those between 5 and 8 so they can learn the types of fish. Can be a bit crowded and make it difficult to see the fish and if you're going to take a stroller, it wont be easy to get near the different tanks.

We're here about twice a month. Very educational and a beautiful location.

Friendly staff. My son loved it there. Great gift shop as well.

20$ per adult 15 per child. Took an hour to go through. Nothing like Monterey aquarium. Better of to get snorkeling gear and head to la Jolla cove. Good for the very young kids ie 0-5

Wonderful place. If you're coming with a family of four, it's worth it to get the annual pass. Come back often! Great for the kids or bring a date.

As avid tank lovers I have to say my son and I were pretty disappointed. This was a much smaller scale aquarium than we were expecting. There were a small selection of impressive fish and eels along with the native species but not really worth the admission. I was expecting a larger display so close to the ocean.

Absolutely breathtaking view. Very interesting and educational.

Way over priced.spent 50 bucks for 2 adults and 1 child and seen the hole place in less than 30 minutes. Thank God parking was free.

Amazing and you get to learn about the ocean creatures and etc.

Great visit. Awesome view. Got to view tide pool feeding.

Beautiful location and perfect size aquarium and tide pools!

You can walk through the exhibit in 5 mins and learn nothing or you can take you time and enjoy everything there is to see and read. Lots to learn for kids and adults. You can also get some cool pics with the amazing Pacific Ocean in the backround. Make sure you check out this place it s a must see if your in San Diego.

It's a small aquarium that's more on the scientific research side, so don't expect too much. It's good for a few hour break with the kids since they have a small play area that is very hands on.

Great ocean views, closeup with the fish and sea environments throughout.

Always a great place to go and relax, while seeing some very cool parts of nature.

Very nice place to visit with kids. The will enjoy a lot. Very good aquarium. enjoyed a lot.

Great first experience for my grandsons 1st birthday.

Everything you expect an aquarium to be plus amenities like good food and outdoor seating. Lots of exhibits for all ages. Great family excursion.

Fun aquarium. Great exhibits. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Enjoyed the exhibits and the enthusiasm of the attendants talking to the kids

Amazing place. Came here for prom had fun and I got to learn about different animals.

Awesome little aquarium. Amazing exhibits and good staff and volunteers.

Great for the price!Loved all the walk My kids had fun with the hands on activities. The outdoor exhibit had a little to be desired. Great view though! You can experience seagulls stealing your food at their outdoor food truck ( restaurant)!

Very crowded today but was a very nice place to visit

I loved it! Can't wait to go again! Children of any age will enjoy themselves!

Prepare for about 2 and a half hours if you have a kiddo and want to go medium paced. If I could have gone slower I would have taken like 4 hours! Big tanks, or small tanks with only one or two fish, I didnt feel bad for any of them! Tons of information around each aquarium. Beautiful underwater scapes and healthy looking fish everywhere! The staff were very friendly, knowledgable and helpful.

It's a great place to hang out on the weekend has a nice coffee shop out front and it's suitable for any age

I thought this was going to be a boring trip to an aquarium but it wasn't as bad. When I got there the whale at the front was amazing and workers were cleaning it so it's great to see they take care of it.This place is hands down an amazing place to bring children as they have many sections for kids specifically to insure they are never bored but as an adult the place can get old quick as once you go through it all you feel that it's just a standard aquarium. Great for kids to touch animals in water and good for kids wanting to learn more about sea life but you will definitely spend less than 2 hours here.

Very nice venue. We enjoyed seeing the aquatic life!

Get out of the house! Instead of watching things on TV, come here and see them in real life. This aquarium is very cool with lots of stuff that is amazing to see in real life. I definitely recommend it.