Birch Aquarium at Scripps Review

Great place for an afternoon. If it s not crowded there is a lot to see. The views of la jolla and the ocean are spectacular. The entrance is a bit pricey.

Great. Loved being able to watch feeding and get info. Great place.

Very nice place. Lots of cool exhibits and a great view of the ocean from outside!

The aquarium is not big but has a powerful collection. A lot of activities for kids and an amazing view to the pacific. Plan 2 to 3 hours.

Very nice simple aquarium with an amazing cliffside view! The entry prices were around $20 for each adult. A lot of aquatic information and interactive areas for children to play and learn! Come check it out!

A somewhat smaller collection than other aquariums (about 1-1.5 hrs to walk through) but here's what I saw here that I hadn't seen elsewhere:
1. Picturesque dragonet
2. Fried egg jellyfish
3. Hooded nudibranch

The view is so pretty in the back! Staff is super friendly and helpful!

Small venue but beautiful displays of fish. The new sea horse and sea dragon exhibit a great addition

Gorgeous new large exhibit if see dragons is a must-see! Be sure to visit the amazing jellyfish and beautiful octopus, and the curious little sea turtle- she loves visitors!

Very interesting and good place to visit. There is a lot of exotic creatures from the sea there. It is awesome, for the price of US$12.00 for students.

Respectable Aquariums and Species, but you can see EVERYTHING in an hour & 1/2. For the price, not pleased.

A fantastic space to admire and learn about sealife. I found it particularly amusing that the sardines were donated by a bait company.

The aquarium was clean safe and staff was friendly. The appointment requirement keeps the attractions open and able to see them without being rushed.

I enjoy taking my grandsons to visit Birch Aquarium. Logistically, everything is convenient. It's easy to get to, parking is available on site, the spaces aren't overwhelming. Every time we go we learn something new. All the exhibits are excellent, but one that sets it apart is the interactive section about The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research ships. We always end our visit at the tide pools on the terrace where we enjoy not only the exhibits, but the beautiful views. The last time we were there we overheard a girl of about 4 or 5 telling her mother, "The aquarium is so much more fun than the zoo."

Very informative staff. Great place to get kids interested in sea life and science concerning the ocean

Nice little place to visit with kids cheap enough takes an hour

Watched the trainers feed the sea turtle. The kids enjoyed all the exhibits especially the hands on ones

Excellent place to take your family or with friends. You get to see sea life hands on and you learn something new every time you go. They have amazing views of the ocean and of La Jolla Shores as well.

If you love (like me) seahorses, then this place is for you! They are specialists on seahorses preservation. So cute they are, along with the other kind of species that are worth the visite in Birch. As this is not a huge, big aquarium, it is really easy to see everything there in a few hours. Employees are really friendly and helpful. I had a really good time and which you the same ;)

Cute little aquarium! Good for kids for sure. There's a little park with a see saw and water toys as well. It felt very interactive and wasnt very crowded for summertime. It's not super large but if you take your time through the exhibits you can have a really nice time

Wonderful place, nice location, even though it's a small aquarium, there are a lot of things to see and learn, good for kids, highly recommended.

Very good place for kids. Great education on global warming.

It's a small but well planned facility. Great giftshop.

A little on the small side but perfect for kids. Beautiful view of the ocean

Very lame aquarium considering the geographic location. Best part is the scenery outside.

Its a small place. Its a good place to start your kids to see that aquariums and learning.

My boyfriend and I visited because it was a cloudy day in San Diego. We were so glad we went! The staff was very friendly and let us touch some of the creatures like a red sea urchin and a sea cucumber. I liked the layout of aquarium which takes you from northwest coasts down to the Carribean waters. If you'd like to learn some cool facts and see some sea life, this is your stop for a couple of hours. It's right by the beach, too so you can always combine other activities with going to this sweet aquarium.

OMG FISHIES!!! Seriously though, they've got many different tanks set up to show various marine ecosystems. My personal favorite being the kelp forest exhibit. It's huge, and they have seating so you can hang out and just stare at the kelp forest with all of the various marine animals that live there. They also have a ride pool area outside where you can touch some of the animals like anemones. Also outside you have fantastic views of La Jolla Shores and the pier. The pricing to get in isn't unreasonable either, definitely worth it.

Fun place to go for an amusement park with out all the amusements. Highly recommended!

My 2 year old had a great time but so did I. Fun for all ages. I ll be coming back I m sure.

Nice but small. Interactive tide pools. Even unfertilized shark eggs you can touch!!

This is a wonderful small aquarium for families and tourists to stop by while in San Diego, specifically, beautiful La Jolla. Birch Aquarium presents a variety of small marine life to visitors in an accessible way including through various More

Kinda small, but a great time and awesome displays.

What the ocean use to look like when I was so much younger than I am now. I keep telling people about the past. While some remember others laugh no looking back

Lots of fun! Learned about fish, tide pool had cool fish, and many fun and engaging activities to create energy.

Amazing exhibits. The main exhibit will make you feel like your scuba diving without getting wet. The staff is very friendly and will ask you if you're interested in touching the "tide pool" animals. And if that is not enough, the view of La Jolla Shores is spectacular.

Kind of run down last time I was here, but fun for company parties.

The gift shop, outdoor interactive exhibits, and cafe are awesome.

My kids and I enjoy going here for a quick trip to get out of the house. There are many exhibits that show what kind of local sealife we have here in San Diego. We purchased the family membership, it's a good deal if you live in San Diego and can make a few visits throughout the year. The only downside is that the aquarium is very small, we can go through it in about 30 minutes.

Loved scuba Santa! My toddler loves to watch the fish in the giant kelp tank.

Smaller and more intimate than most other aquariums in CA. A great value compared to others as well. Great for a 2-3 hour getaway!

This is one of those places I can't describe how beautiful they are. The aquarium is full of fascinating sea creatures. I'm happy for having visited with this place

Great view!!! Cool information and great day with my wife.

The aquarium is quite small but offers some good information on the tanks inside. There were many staff members there to help answer any questions and to give more information. The price was also reasonable to get inside and they do offer a military discount.

There was a gift shop, visitor information center, and a drink bar out side.

Great experience with lots of great hands on exhibits for the kids. Seahorses and the sea dragons were really beautiful. The gift shop was fairly affordable.

Good size aquarium. Great for the kids. The view outsize is great

Had a wonderful experience with the granddaughter showing her the marine life. Well maintained and clean. Friendly knowledgable people, happy to answer your questions.

My girls had the time of there life. Especially when they got to touch live species.

Nice place. As normal for CA, this is pretty overpriced. I would recommend trying to find a discounted ticket.

Fun,fun,fun. For locals be sure to get a membership. They even have a reduced fee for the senior membership. The volunteers were very informative. Check the schedules for the feeding times. Fish are really active then

This place is overrated. The price you pay to enter doesn't justify what you are going to see giving the size of the place. Perhaps the feeding of the turtle is the only major thing here. Above that the staff at gate refuse to accept online coupons. They just say we don't accept them anymore even though it is still valid and the instructions says no need to print just mention the San Diego tourism authority to get the 3$ discount. If you are going to Sea Worlds than you better skip this place as you will get a better fish related stuff there.

More propaganda than fish. Not worth 20 bucks per person. I have been to better aquariums in malls....

A great place for fish lovers. Interestingly there were at least 3 mackerel in the sardine tank...

Small but thoughtfully designed aquarium focusing on local waters and ecosystems

Very interesting to learn of the immense marine life

Very crowded with school field trips... Great place to bring the kiddos. Learned a lot about their research ships.

You can visit this place in an hour and a half. Good tide pools.

I wish we had this aquarium in New York city. I loved rhe turtles and watching the fish get feed.

The aquarium is a bit small, but that doesn't mean in any way it is not good or worth seeing. It is very clean and up kept throughout. Small seating area out front with food/beverage purchases options and a gift shop as well. Inside the aquarium, there are two separate sides to explore with various fish/habitats/displays. Outside in the back is the tide pool area, which has a larger, non touching setup and a smaller setup where you can touch.

A very relaxing environment. Great for the kids. It had magnificent views of La Jolla beach. My kids really enjoyed all of their displays. A great, quiet day out.

Great aquarium! Lots to do and look at. I love the sea cucumber! Don't forget to go to the interactive electrical area

Everyone should check out the Birch Aquarium if they have never been before! There is a lot of cool water life and information in this place. I would say its a must if you live in or are visiting San Diego.

Beautiful exhibits. Went on Friday morning, TONS of loud screaming unruly children. Small aquarium - was able to get through all the exhibits in about 30 min. Parking was easy and close by. Would revisit

This isn't Monterey Bay Aquarium but it is a very interesting place to visit. There's a hands-on tide pool outside and a scenic view of the ocean to go with it. The displays are first rate and informative. There are docents all around to answer any questions you may have. Admission is reasonable and even better with available discounts. I recommend this place for everyone.

Kinda small, but very entertaining for the little ones. There petting area is modified because of covid but over all fun for the smaller kids.

Great learning experience for the kids. Highly recommend.

Great time. Animals are well taken care of. About 2 hours to see all. Parking could be a walk

Really nice discovery when visiting from out of town, it gives you primarily a California coastal education. Many families bring their children and if you love seahorses they have a ton of different ones. Even sometimes babies that are fun to try and find!

Very nice ocean aquarium, they seem to specialize in seahorses. Lots to see and read, even some hands on stuff for younger kids. There's one carbon dioxide exhibit where they lay it on pretty thick, but other than that it feels politically neutral.