Monterey Bay Aquarium Reviews

Great place, showcase for sea life. Very kid friendly. Many parking structures nearby with free shuttle service. Located in the historic part of Montery.

Great place to take kids and adults. If you think you'll go more than once a year it's worth a membership to skip the lines. Super crowded during the holidays even on a weekday though.

Allow lots of time to see it all. Great place for kids. You will learn a lot about the ocean and all the wonderful creatures.

Good times with the nephews. Must see in the Monterey area. Enjoy!

Loved this place! Touch tank was awesome(stingrays). The ocean decks on every level to get some fresh air was convenient. They have timed feedings which are awesome if you can get there 15 mins early to get you a nice spot in the window. I loved the jellyfish exhibit. They have 3 levels and 2 sides. Make sure you give yourself enough time to walk through. They also have a cafe in their but you can get a stamp to exit grab lunch and re enter. Museum is right on cannery road so there are plenty of restaurants and snack shops to adventure to and return to the aquarium to walk off lunch. Also, check out the downtown east and west parking garage to park all day for $7 and ride the MST trolley for free. (Get a free tour round town, you will pass the wharf on the way to the aquarium) Overall, plan to spend the entire day at the aquarium!

Have been here multiple times over my lifetime, and I don't get tired of coming.

My favorite aquarium in the country! Sea otters in the kelp forest, pacific giant octopus, and even otters swimming in the ocean outside. The jellyfish exhibit is unlike any other I have ever seen. I even got to come here when they briefly housed a baby great white shark. I love to bring visiting friends to this aquarium, and they are never disappointed!

Massive!!! If you have gone to any other aquariums this one will be massive. If you go to this one first you probably don t need to go to any other aquarium (except maybe the Georgia Aquarium).

Too bad CA is stupid during covid. Go when California wakes up and you are able to enjoy the museum.

Such a magical place. Every time I bring someone here, it's like I'm visiting for the first time.

Great aquarium, the staff is knowledgeable and the collection is outstanding. Their dedication to research and conservation runs deep.

It really has an incredible variety of Aquatic fish and animals, and was certainly worth going to see. The place is generally crowded and busy. So if you don't like crowds then it's probably not the place to go. The Coral Reef area looked like a lot of fun for kids. But I think they need more kid friendly shows.

They need a bigger viewing area for the sea otters especially at feeding time.

Nice place to bring your kids. Finding parking closeby during the holidays is a Challenge.

Not worth $ 50.00 a ticket. SeaWorld is 10 times what this joint is. Lack of parking & then $ 20.00 when you did find spot. Your better off going to Walmart & looking at there little aquariums

Monterey Bay Aquarium has so much to offer. If you are every in the Bay Area, make the drive and check it out. The town is relaxing and slow paced. It will be a nice break from the city. Be warned, the crowds come out in droves. Tons of children so have patience if you want to see the fish. If you don't want to pay for parking, park a few blocks away in the residential area.

I've been here 3 times now and every-time is a blast! Sure its crowded but that's to be expected, If you are in Monterey for the day this is defiantly one of my top choices. There are many restaurants within walking distance. Just an all around great location

Stellar Aquarium. I've always enjoyed coming and it's a blast each time.

Beautiful location, aquarium is very informative, nicely laid out, there is off site parking with a shuttle to the aquarium, closer parking is limited and can be pricey especially on weekends and during the summer. You will probably have a better time if you go to the aquarium on a weekday less crowded. The admission price is expensive, I think there is a family pass you can buy, if you have kids and really like going to the aquarium, purchase of the family pass is a good option. The aquarium takes about 5 hours to go through, there are places to eat inside. Also if you are handicapped, can't climb stairs to upper levels or don't want to climb the stairs or have a stroller, there are plenty of elevators. We went to the aquarium on a Saturday in July it was very crowded, we went in the morning and did find parking relatively close by, we got lucky.

Great aquarium, with lots of things for kids to touch and do.

Fantastic views and very educational, some of free (with admission) opportunities to interact with the wildlife.

Absolutely perfect. The best aquarium in California.

Only the greatest Aquarium in the world. Something for all ages. Good cafeteria inside. Outstanding displays (and otters of course), terrific staff.

Nice place to go with kids, exhibits are amazing, we love coming here. On the down side its really crowded and its really hard to get to some tanks and kids play areas are really busy, to stressful for parents.

BEAUTIFUL place. A bit in the high price. But all worth it.

awesome historic site. The aquarium is full of cool exhibits, including the most adorable sea otters!

I liked seeing all the different fish at this aquarium

Outstanding. When you have seen this aquarium, you don't need to see another one. Lots of interactions, with stuff or displays. Displays of fish are astonishing. Feedings are great, too, for example by diversity in the kelp forest tank. And the food is good, too :)

This is the best aquarium I have ever been to. There is something to do for people of all ages. We always make time to go when we are in town.

Decent. I think the Baltimore aquarium was slightly better.

One of the best aquariums I've been to. The food in the cafe area was a little expensive

Great museum. Plenty of information. The staff are highly knowledgeable about all the animals they have. Plenty of exhibits to walkthrough. Good for all ages. Very informational. Plenty of love feedings of the animals and all are taken with great care. Fantastic museum.

If you are in the area, this a must see.
The indoor area is airy and welcoming. The kelp tank is fabulous. The jelly fish area is very interesting. The tanks were you can touch star fish and other sea animals is great, kids and adults enjoy this area. The outside tanks holding all sorts of fishes is amazing. I would allow 2-3 hours (at least) to see it and enjoy it all.

Love this place! Great place to take toddlers and young children!

Love it here! My daughter has a blast every time! Due to Covid, we miss it so much!

It s good place for day .. and the best part is open ocean exhibit ..

Very nicely designed and we'll kept aquarium.
Very friendly and knowledgeable team of volunteers and staff throughout the facility.
If you're in town, highly recommended to pay a visit. Plan for a minimum 3hrs if you want to see the whole thing, at a quick pace. 4.5+ if you want a more relaxed pace

Good for families. Plan on seeing the otters
They also have shows at regular intervals in the open theatre.

It was a nice place to go but it just wasnt for me. Maybe it's because I've been around water and aquatic life all my life but I just couldnt see paying $100 to go again. Place is nice, clean, plenty of knowledgable staff. Great for kids

Awesome experience, make sure to catch The Open Sea Feeding!

One of the best aquariums in the nation. Year after year I keep coming back and this place just keeps on improving! Beware that other people love it just as much, so expect some seasonal crowds.

Educational, astonishing, and a perfect trip! Weather is great and views are beautiful inside and out.

As usual great presentation great things to see recommended for anyone going to Monterey

It's a great place to spend most of the day with family to see and learn about the sea life in Monterey Bay!
Friendly workers, very informative!

The aquarium was wonderful but they really do a good job of lying about caring for nature! I found an injured sea lion pup not more than a mile from the aquarium, called it in to them and four hours later it was still there suffering... if you care about all animals, I d recommend supporting someone else than these guys!

So many things to see, the staff was amazing and the price wasn t too bad!

Worth the money. Can get crowded. Very family friendly. Good areas for toddlers to explore and touch and move things. There are even special rooms for breastfeeding.

Amazing experience but very hectic with people. If you have a question ask the volunteers, extremely friendly and helpful!

very fascinating to see how they have changed from the early 2000s to now! just as amazing as i remember.

My kids were amazed for 3 hours solid. Very caring staff.

Stunning...I have travelled all across the globe but this has got to be one, if not the best aquarium I have ever visited. The staff was very competent and friendly, the tanks on display were clean, spaceous and beautifully put together. A magical immersive experience all around!

Incredible displays, wonderful service, a bit pricey but such is the cost for upkeep at such an extensive facility.

Amazing place. Really interesting and lots to see. A but expensive but definitely worth it. Highly recommend the Sea Otter Conservation tour.

The Aquarium is always a nice place to go to. They have so much to see and do. We ate at the restaurant there and the food was very good. It's always good to go to the Aquarium and then visit around the Monterey Bay area.

During the summer it's always pack and it hard to move around, so I recommend to go during winter because you can walk around just fine, instead of being catastrophic.

P.S. the jellyfish room is nice :)

For our family this place is a little overcrowded even on Monday. Price is another negative thing (even with a discount). I give it 4 stars only because of the great ocean view.

Awesome place ! Need signs that say no long lingering at exhibits as it so crowded and a pain to wait for people to peel their faces off the aquarium glass.

Beautiful exhibits with a great variety of marine life. Interactive live animal stations were fun!

Everyone told us to go because it was "world renowned". It's a beautiful building and location, and there definitely is a lot for kids to do, but we were underwhelmed. It is absolute packed with people and kids. And we went on a weekday, later in the day. The exhibits were just okay for the price. Atlanta's aquarium far exceeds this one. Take your money and go whale watching instead.

Very nice Aquarium.. Well built, lovely sea creatures..

This place is absolutely amazing. They do a really good job of promoting sustainability and conservation and their exhibits are beautiful. They also have a back deck where you can borrow telescopes and binoculars to watch the wildlife (sea otters, whales, sea lions).

Got here pretty early, before 12, and the smell of poop from children was unbearable. Some of the rooms were extremely hot and stinky. Eventually they turned the AC up and it helped a bit.. but they need to have it running constantly to clear the disgusting smell of dirty diapers.
Some of the rooms are way too dark and children are running around which is not a good combination. They need more lighting around the floor so you don't accidently step on babies.
The tickets are WAY over priced. Same with the food and drinks. Pretty disappointing.

I'm not sure it's possible to review this place for me beyond just saying "go go go go go". I was real careful to schedule a visit when nobody was on any kind of school break. Even so, there were less than two hours before noon when there were a good amount of local field trip kids, and I'll tell ya: the screaming of pubescent vocal cords around glass tanks is a trying experience, so bring headphones if you're sensitive to that! I zoned out a long time to the open ocean tank, it's huge and incredible. You can't help but be awed by the kelp forest tank, and the bat rays were pretty much the best Jell-o dogs ever.

This aquarium has a large number of and diverse selection of sea creatures. I got to see kinds of creatures such as lobed comb jelly, sea gooseberry, and garden eel that I don't think I've seen before. We also got to watch the feeding of African penguins and sea otters. The more aquariums I visit, the more I realize that I'd prefer watching sea creatures in their natural habitat, but nonetheless, this aquarium provides a safe and very educational place for children and anyone who wants to learn more about sea creatures. Many staff are stationed in each area just in case you require more information or assistance. They also have presentations in the auditorium. The one we attended on sharks was highly entertaining and informative. You can spend 2-3 hours comfortably. There is no parking so find parking elsewhere. Lastly, the admission is super pricey at $50 US per adult.

With or without kids in tow, this is a fabulous Aquarium. The focus is purely Monterey Bay. The staff is extremely helpful, the displays clean, the animals well cared for. And the cafe offers delicious food. I always look forward to having lunch at the aquarium

Been going here since I was a kid! Recently took my own child here, so very convenient for babies, they have elevators for strollers and baby changing stations in bathrooms. Love all the exhibits. If you can, become a member for faster entrance. It gets busy here during the weekends, be prepared for large crowds and waiting a minute to see popular creatures. There is a cafe if you get hungry.

This aquarium was talked up like it was THE best aquarium to go to in the US. We were a bit disappointed to be honest, especially for the price you pay. It s good, don t get me wrong, but it definitely wasn t what we were expecting.

Decent but surprised it is as hyped as it is. The Georgia Aquarium and Shedd in Chicago are much better, in my opinion.

Visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Go early, because there's so much to see, and it's easy to get lost in many exhibits. An absolute must for any animal or science lover. This place changed how I think about plastic, and I am recycling much more now.

Highlights were the albatross encounter, the kelp forest feeding, and the sea otters! All the animals and fish looked very healthy and clean. Keep up the good work!

Went here as a kid in the 80's. Took a walk down memory lane. Great place for the family. Definitely wait and get a good spot at the window on the 2nd floor for the otter feeding.

World-class Awesome. If you are in or around town you have to check it out.