Monterey Bay Aquarium Reviews

A great place to know about underwater beings and a great place to spend your day at..

Ticket is around 45 per head.. a little expensive but it is worth it for nature lovers and people with kids.. great views.. awesome location to spend your day with sea food at nearby places with sea view..

Very hard to get parking even on a little busy days.. street parking is hard to find and all other parking lots charge 20 dollars.. stareet parking costs you around 2$ per hour.. there is a public parking a block before the aquarium.. but parking there is expensive too with 18 bucks for public parking..

Best day of 2020!!!! Too bad the California sunfish died

This aquarium holds a special place in my heart. Always enjoy coming here and now I can share it with my kids like my parents shared it with me.

Takes several days to really experience the whole place excellent entertainment and learning experience love the manta ray touch pool

Pretty decent but ... phew... the price! We ended up spending well over $200 including entry fee, parking and a very light lunch, for a family of 4. A family year pass is $250, much better value if we didn t live 2 states away.

a wonderful place to bring curious minds - young and old.

My foreign husband loved it. Good food and lots of pretty wipd life.

Very busy. Lots to do. Great for kids. Enjoyed the anchovies the most. Best with lemon on sourdough

It was neat. Good shows, awesome jellyfish displays.

One of the top tourist attractions in Monterrey. Lots of ocean species can be seen here. Excelent maintenance of building and preservation of the wildlife.

It was fun and make sure you have the time to visit there is so much to do in the area.

It is incredible, beautiful, and big! Loved the sea facts, art, and the large tanks they have with all the sea animals. Oh and the sea otters are just so damn cute!! Highly recomend this aquarium.

I remember going here a lot as a kid with my grandparents and my sister. We had so much fun; I'm 25 now with my little one and I plan to take her there soon.

Fantastic Aquarium and a must to stop at when in Monterey Bay.

We spent almost 4 hours in the aquarium!! So many things to see and do!! Lots of interactive activities for the kids! Family friendly and the staff was wonderful.

Once again love the aquarium, brings back childhood memories while making new ones with my children

Always a delight to visit. Many wonderful exhibits. Has become a bit pricey for a family of four.

Not worth the price, there wasnt anything interesting at all. Totally wasted time driving and hard earn money.

Average aquarium. I've been to better places. Like the Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, ON Canada

Who doesnt love this place? It has everything a kid or adult can dream for. Always clean, always safe, and always nice people around. They always have something new and have very interactive booths that are really fun.

Fabulous aquarium. Worth the trip down from San Francisco if you have the time. It's great for kids and adults alike. Monterey Bay itself is alive with wildlife and a walk down to Pacific Grove is a great way to start the day. Plenty of other things to see and do in the area.

Great place for weekends. If you are a parent it's even more excited. You will get to see all different kinds of sea animals.

If you have any fear of crowds, you should avoid this place, especially around Holidays. For everybody else, the Aquarium is an amazing place. It's educational and entertaining not just for small children but visitors of all ages.

So much fun for the whole family. Gluten free options for lunch was a pleasant surprise.

The number one aquarium in the world. This is amazing and you should plan to stay the whole day. Beautiful exhibits and educational activities. Sign up for text alerts. And don't skip the splash zone even if you don't have kids. Excellent

Terrible, too much people and very expensive, it's not that I'm expecting. Half start

We saw almost the whole aquarium in our last trip. Lots of amazing stuff. My four year old loved watching the diver feed the fish in the kelp forest. And the sting ray exhibit where she could feel the ray was popular as well. Never disappoints.

Consistently busy, even on a slow day. Other than that everything was great

Awesome aquarium. Parents just let kids off the leash throughout the exhibit ... need adult only days so the displays can be enjoyed

It was super crowded and stuffy inside. We were uncomfortable so we didnt stay longer than 20mins. Walked in, took 2 or 3 pics, used the restroom and left. Overall, the aquarium itself looked interesting though. I enjoyed it more when i was kid. I dont ever remember it being so packed.

Great aquarium worth the price. Plus they have a nursing room.

It's worth every penny. Very kid unfriendly, it's a beautiful and interesting place to visit. From forests under the sea to coral reefs to fascinating jelly fish to penguins, this place has it all.If you're in Monterey you cannot skip this

This is the best aquarium I have ever been to. The otters especially were amazing.

Our family enjoyed our trip to the aquarium and it totally met our expectations and more! What a beautiful exhibit.

There is certainly a lot to do here! The aquarium is quite large with many sights to see and lots of learning experiences. It is, unfortunately, very expensive with no free parking close by. I like that there are things to touch, play with, and explore for children and adults. There's even an area for parents and their small children to take a break. The aquarium's hours are a bit inconvenient for people who work though. It is incredibly busy on Saturday's, but midday during the week, there's far fewer people to work your way past.

Nice place just too packed, hard to walk comfortably

We went on a Tuesday morning and it wasn't very busy. We saw four feedings, a video, and all the exhibits and it took us (two adults) four hours. Could have spent even longer if we had read all the signage at each exhibit. Definitely worth the money, as it goes towards both the care of the animals and fish you see, as well as ones they're rehabilitating behind the scenes. All creatures seem to be extremely well cared-for and happy. Get to all three feedings a bit early so you get a good spot!

Gorgeous aquarium with huge exhibits. It can get really busy so I recommend going early to avoid the crowds.

Love the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a beautiful non-profit that has been a Monterey staple for decades. I always recommend checking out the big tank on the second floor with the wall to wall glass.
Don't go on a weekend, unless you're a family, as that is the time most tourists and families go, making it hard to see much or move around.

This place can keep both my boys engaged and away from mobiles for 4 hours. That alone is enough for me.

So glad we decided to visit the aquarium while in Monterey. The exhibits were enjoyable and educational. Excited to see and learn about the conservation efforts. While the tickets were a bit pricey, it was worth it considering the experience and what the money goes toward. A must see while in Monterey.

This is simply an amazing aquarium. It has so many things to see and it is super relaxing. It gets pretty crowded though.

Aquarium is fantastic. Plenty of paid parking available around it. Restaurants are pretty good around the area as well.
One time entrance fee is very expensive especially if you are from out of state and visiting as a family group. They need to do something about that.

Awesome collection of sea creatures. Talks at the auditorium are fun and informative

Always a great place to visit. We took a behind the scenes tour with my granddaughters, and we all loved it.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is always a treat to visit. It keeps all the exhibits accessible to children so don't expect crazy amounts of depth. The exhibits don't change too often, and considering the admission is $40 at its cheapest (student price), you can go once every few years and not miss out on anything much.

Nice exhibits, however the monteray bay aquarium claims all of the wild animals in monteray bay because of it's open sea aquarium. This radically inflates the real number of sea life in its actual exhibits.

First off, the brochure gave the wrong times for closing during winter. We arrived with what we thought was 90 minutes to explore but were told they would close in 30 minutes. We were still expected to pay full price, so I told them we were from South Africa and it wouldn't be worth the cost for us just to go in for 30 minutes. The very nice ticket booth ladies then said we could just go in for free since there wasn't much time left.

The actual aquarium is very good - comparable to South African standards and has plenty on offer for people to enjoy. We did a whirlwind tour but it was still good! And for the price of admission (for us, free :)) it was priceless!

Very cool aquarium. Lots of cool exhibits and the view was amazing. My only gripe was the price. $50 a person is kind of steep, especially with multiple children

We went on a Monday and it was still very crowded, otherwise I'd given it five stars. The exhibits were all fantastic, informative and worth wading through the masses to see them. Last time our favorite was the jellyfishes. This time, it was the vast expanse of the fish tank and the hammerhead sharks.

The aquarium has the best kelp forest, collection of jelly's and pinguins.

The kids have fun at the touching pools and feeding times.

Monterey Bay Aquarium The Best Marine Biology Center To Learn on the Sea And Beyond

Beautifully arranged exhibits, information filled tours, and a surprising variety of animals make Monterey Bay Aquarium one of my favorites. It isnt going to shock you with its size, but what they have done with the space is quite creative and engaging. Another aspect of this aquarium is its commitment to rehabilitation of wildlife. Few aquariums are as passionate about what is really going on in our oceans. You get the sense that its less about making money, and more about educating people. Some days are even free depending on your situation.

Amazing exhibits, and a very environmentally conscious business model. World class aquarium

Fun for the whole family, with hands on areas for kiddos which even as a adult is fun! Facility is clean and exhibits are well maintained! Weekends are extremely busy but that s expected, the staff was very helpful and courteous. Definitely a great day activity, and home of thee grumpy fish ...

We came here soley for our 14 month old. He loved all the fishies and the critters that roam about.

A wonderful place to bring the grandchildren, or just my wife and I. Every trip we learn something new. Watching the childrens' faces as the diver feeds the fish in the kelp forest is always a treat. My daughter in law spends hours watching the denizens of the octopus area, granddaughter is entranced by the sea otters, grandson loves the african penguins and puffins, son loves the giant sea bass, wife is amazed by the variety of jellyfish, and I am entranced watching the 2 molas, giant pelagic fish that look like something ate their back half. Strong emphasis on preserving our oceans through things like reducing plastic use and eating sustainable species. Definitely a place to visit.

Just when I thought I saw everything, there was more! Amazing place, you could easily spend the whole day here. The Cafe has many healthy options including a delicious salad!

A lovely time! Very accessible, not very affordable. The animals look very well tended and there was a lot to learn. Information is presented in several different ways at once which can be either incredibly helpful or overwhelming, depending on what works for you. Going on a weekday is better because there are fewer people, though it's still crowded. If eating out after visiting the aquarium, consider choosing where you'll have dinner first so you can just go without having to decide while you're tired from walking through the aquarium.

It has been at least 25 years, since we have been here. One word is not enough to explain how fantastic this aquarium is.

We had a blast! My wife and I brought our son and I forgot how fun the aquarium is at Monterey especially the open ocean experience. When he gets older I want to bring him back. Very clean well organized and friendly staff. Thank you!

Had the grandkids over for the week and took them to Monterey Bay aquarium and had a blast.

Although it is not the biggest aquarium, it is one of the best. Quality over quantity. The work they do here and the way the animals are presented is beautiful. The deep sea area is awe inducing. Seeing so many animals in that habitat was like seeing them from the bottom of the ocean. They had so much room and so many of the animals were swimming together. The school of fish were awesome and one of the coolest things I ve seen! They also had an abundance of jellyfish. Of course my favorite are always the otters. They had toys for their otters to play with. They keep the animals in mind when taking care of them. They don t just put them in a habitat. They really truly make sure they are occupied with things beneficial to each animal. Otters are very intelligent creatures so to have some things that keep them busy and they can have fun with was great to see. Can you tell I like otters? Anyway! Amazing aquarium and well worth the visit and money for our tickets. I also liked that you could leave and re-enter throughout the day. My husband and I were on our honeymoon and got there late or we totally could have spent the day doing just that. I could have spent an hour of my time petting the stingrays! Such a wonderful experience. The only complaint I had was how crowded the aquarium was and how rude some of the visitors were. Which isn t their fault at all! So basically nothing negative on the aquarium s part.

Definitely enjoyed the place and it has plenty of family friendly activities though can be a tad pricey. Get there early though as most of the programs are done early morning/afternoon. The staff all were very pleasant and knowledgeable.

This is a place you need to come to at least twice if you want to see all the things. Parking can be a bear some times so be mindful and come a bit earlier then you think.

For 2 people 100$ entrance i think its to much but its a nice place, i took my son for his birth day.

We go here a lot, got membership with two guest passes - totally worth it.
I'd recommend to bring your own food as the cafe is a little pricey.

The Staff and volunteers are all well educated and really inspired my friends and I.

Come once a year with my family, when you know when not to hit the crowds,its makes for a breath taking experience.

This is one of the many attractions that Monterey city has to offer very educational, attractive also a great place to spend time with your family. It has a cafeteria inside with a nice menu, a souvenir store a little pricely for my own opinion and a playground for the little ones.

We have been members at the aquarium for several years. I would highly recommend the behind the scenes tour. I also recommend the restaurant inside... just make sure to make reservations when you first arrive or they may run out of tables.

Love this place. Kids enjoy it, always have a lot to see. The place is well kept. Lots to see and do. Many shops in the aquarium. Nice place to eat inside.

Honestly it was awful. Way too many people to even enjoy it. People, mostly adults, were just standing at those tiny windows taking long videos of the fish or just standing there staring while the kids that would get the most out of it and don't need videos were standing waiting for a chance to get a 10 second glance. These kinds of places should put a cap on how many people can come in at a time but of course they wouldn't get as much money and that's what it's all about there. Not worth the $160 I spent for my little family of four.

Wonderful experience for every member of your family.

Has a lot of exhibits for children, cafeteria okay watching the bay from outside excellent staff all around also excellent but buy tickets ahead cause the line does gets very long.

Expensive, but it's a must if you come from another State, especially if you have kids. The don't offer discount unless you have AAA insurance, so contact AAA to purchase them if you have a membership ($5 off for adults & $3 off for kids). Spacious place, kids can pet zoo, and expensive at the shopping store, so save some money.

I don't want to hold it against the aquarium-- the displays were beautiful and informative-- but on the day I went the place was overrun with screaming small children with no sense of personal space (or waiting in line!) and their apathetic parents, which will probably be the lasting impression of my visit.

Still an interesting place even after all these years!

A first class aquarium in beautiful spot. Lots of crowds but we still were able to see everything. The cafeteria has great food although pricy.

One of North America s finest displays of all things aquatic, featuring local and global specimens.

We went to this acquarium over Thanksgiving week, expecting crazy crowds and long lines. Well, a few tips:
1) check with your hotel...ours sold same priced tixs that were good for 2 days. You can walk right in if you pre-buy. And, tixs at the acquarium are a long wait, and only good for the day.
2) Go early! We got there are opening, and got great parking across the street. It fills up fast and then you'll be walking a block or two if not longer.

The location is what makes this place so good. The exhibits are nice and theres a lot to take in, but the massive back balcony was the gem. Its looks right over the bay, qjere you can see Otters, dolphins and sea lions easily.