Monterey Bay Aquarium Review

Not only children like this place, but adults would have fun here.

Even though it was exceptionally busy this holiday period, a good time was had by everyone in our group.

Loved the presentations in the auditorium (we attended the ones on Otters and Great Whites). They are 15 minutes each and run every half-hour. The kelp forest in incredible and the Open Ocean exhibit is breathtaking (and huge!). They have tons of touch/play areas for the kids and an outdoor viewing area. Definitely worth the trip!

This is a must see if you're in Monterey. It's great for adults and children. There is a lot to see and do so it could definitely be a full day of activities.

Whole family loved this place. Have been here a number of times. Awesome place.

One of the best Aquariums in California. So many different animals and you can interact with them. A great place for kids but also awesome for adults.

Awesome and worth every penny. Excellent for children and although busy, there was plenty of room to walk around. The feeding exhibitions were a little disappointing. You need to get to the area about 30 minutes in advance and there isn't really a lot of feeding that you can see. There is a trolley that runs from the aquarium to downtown but they make a loop so you need to be on the right street to go in the direction that you want to go. They all beginning and at the aquarium.

One of the greatest aquariums I have ever been too. So many great exhibits! Great for adults and kids!

If your kids like fish, this is the place to go. Has more offering than the Aquarium of the bay in SF. However, They need to do a better job in the children's area - there's an area reserved for kids under 34 inches to play in, but parents were letting their 9 year olds run rampant in there, knocking over all the smaller kids. Totally unsupervised.

A fun safe place for kids to look at amazing creatures and do a lot of interesting activities

Knowledgeable staff amazing interactive aquauriums. Love this place

A Must-See!!!

If you are within 100 miles of this place Just Go! It's beautiful, educational AND fun. You can enjoy seeing some of the most beautiful and unusual sea-life. It's truly an awe-some experience.

A breathtaking aquarium - if you re in the Monterey/Carmel area, it s absolutely worth a visit

Fascinating. We'll laid out. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

This is such a nice to visit and very informative. Very pleased to see the various animals up close and watch them in their natural habitat. The staff is very informative and helpful.
Great place to take children as well as adults. A "can't miss place"

Well worth a visit, if you happen to be in the area. Parking is an issue, if you're prepared to walk then head south about 1km, lots of free parking. It's a nice walk along the beach front. You also get to see the seals.

The kids loved the Monterey Aquarium. As compared to our local Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has quite a few additional and unique exhibits. The tentacles area was an interesting and educational blend of live exhibits, art, and informational displays. The Open Sea aquarium is amazing. These extras are reflected however in the significantly higher price (for both one day and yearly membership).

A nice aquarium. I found it geared heavily to children, and the many displays a little preachy. If you want to see a really good aquarium come to the Seattle Aquarium. It is hard to beat.

Who wouldn't want to go here. The place is a maximum experience. I learned new things. Amazing place!!

Amazing! Many unique kinds of fish, including local gems. Jellyfishes are so beautiful! Parking is extremely crowded, be prepared.

If you're not good with huge groups of people, go on a Monday. I love this place, and the ocean wildlife it cares for.

Great place to visit. Food and beverages are pricey you may want to eat elsewhere. Exhibits are very nice. They are service dog friendly but there are a couple of places they want someone to escort service dogs.

Worth the money! So much for you to see and shows to watch! My family really enjoyed it.

Great aquarium. Knocked a star for the ticket prices. We didnt speed through it, and we left the aquarium to eat at a restaurant outside, still felt like we had done it all in about 4 1/2 hours; at $130 for a family of 3, that just seems high.

Great aquarium with plenty of shows all through the day.

One of the best Aquariums !! You can see different species of aquatic animals there !!

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Beautiful animals. So much fun. They have play structures inside for little kids. You can get a stamp to come back the same day. A great day, the whole family had a great time. Definitely worth the money.

Super cool aquarium at the Monterey bay. The admission price is a bummer though.... I find $49 per person to be too much for a budget, especially if you have a large family

Very nice aquarium but very overcrowded. Constantly being bumped into, stepped on and poked. Made parts of the aquarium hard to enjoy.

Good place to take kids and learn about fish.
Little pricey but worth it.

The best aquarium in the world. One can get a lose look at the aquatic life. Empty less are knowledgeable and ready to help. Good place to spend a day!!

Still a good one in business...but I see some decadencial things...

This place is amazing. The sea otters are adorable and the kelp forest is incredible.

Been going here since I was 3yo. Beautiful every single time.

This place is awesome a little crowded during noon time. I would recommend coming early if you want to get a good viewing if you are coming without kids

Awesome aquarium to go visit. They charge like it is twice the size but it is still worth going to see! The have a lot going on during the day at different times so be sure to check the schedule when you get in. Their Cafe is also reasonably priced and serves good sandwiches.

// , No live whales. But they have Hammerhead sharks and glow-pulsing Jellyfish that seem to have played too much Tron.

Top notch aquarium and totally worth the price. This place is huge and there are so many animals and things to see. It was never too crowded or lacking in anything. There was a crowd when the fish were fed but we were in the back and could see just fine. Plan your visit before you go so you can see the feedings and different outside exhibits.

Great place to come see all the different sea life. Great for kids and adults. With the restaurant it's a one stops stop. Also they have the best pretzels.

Wonderful place to see in Monterey! they've got lots of acts and informative shows going on all through the day... Don't miss going to the jelly fish section... it was simply unreal!

Pretty entertaining and have fun shows throughout the day.

Just such a great day - best of our 6 year olds holiday. We all loved it. Not cheap but amazing value. Can't believe how pleasant the staff and experience was considering it could have been a hellish tourist trap. Spent a good 6 hours there and pretty much got thrown out at closing. Whenever we thought we had seen everything we went round another corner and there was another huge gallery full of extraordinary things. We loved the jellyfish, the sea otters and the huge tank at the end. If you are I the area this is a must. Restaurant good too.

The gold standard in aquariums. More stuff to do than your childs attention span can likely handle. Fun for adults. Huge tanks house large schools of sardines, yellowtail and bonito and hamerhead sharks. The exhibit with rescued otters is great. The main shows can get very crowded so arrive early or just listen then stick around to see the critters after everyone else moves on to other exhibits.

You have to visit the awesome aquarium! The day was beautiful! They have everything from the ocean you wanna see. Take the kids! They will love it! We did!!

Always an awesome day out at the Aquarium - we go once every couple of years. Plan a good chunk of time! You want to spend pretty much a whole day here, there s a LOT to see and do for all ages. Get in at opening time and grab a program to see all the events they have during the day, and I d recommend sneaking in a packed lunch, they have plenty of food at the food court but will set you back some coin. Overall well worth the ticket price!

This place is really fun and educational! Awesome sea lifethat you may never get to see anywhere else in the world. Not in this system at least

This was a fun experience with lots to see and experience. I recommend taking the kids for sure. My only recommendation would be to make sure you bring your own hand sanitizer as it's not readily available inside.

Well worth the price of admission. The staff is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The cafeteria food might as well be gourmet. We even saw humback whales breaxhing out in front of the aquarium as we were leaving.

Save your money and go elsewhere. You'll have a much better time in Monterey whale-watching or something like that.
- First, the admission ticket is way too expensive;
- There should be people to regulate kids' crazy behavior as obviously their parents can't or don't care;
- It looks more like an amusement park designed for kids than a world-famous aquarium. Speaking of which, I don't get why it's so famous, it seemed WAY TO OVERRATED to me;
- Some animals such as sea otters and penguins are kept in ridiculously small enclosure, broke my heart to see that. They're obviously there to make the show during feeding times. It was so much better to look at free 'savage' otters playing next to the beach. Didn't like either the bat rays touching pools, animals looked so pissed off with all these hands trying to touch them;
- I would have expected much more pieces of information about marine animals in the aquariums, and much less 'made-in-China' shops ;
- the 'seafood watch program' is ridiculously accommodating - must be if you want to sell sushis for lunchtime. Nobody will save the oceans saying "we must only eat this sort of tuna and buy sustainable (WTF?) shark flesh". The aquarium should say the truth, which is that nobody needs to eat these animals, especially as they're threatened.

I'm really sickened and disappointed. Just DON'T GO.

We spent the whole day. Excellent. A lot of kids activities, outstanding shows. A must with kids. Worth the (high) price. Forgot to mention we had a great lunch at the restaurant. And thanks Danny for the great service.

Always a delight for both kids and grownups alike, so many great exhibits and especially love the seahorses and batrays.

A nice place to take my kids. I love the environment

Great aquarium. Beautiful to wander around through the sealife

Destiny may be a clumsy swimmer, but she has a big heart. She has a big everything, actually... whale sharks are the biggest fish in the sea. Destiny resides in the Marine life institute where one day an oddly familiar blue tang fish named Dory falls into her pool. Destiny is admittedly embarrassed by her obvious lack of grace, a product of poor eyesight (very near-sighted), but Dory thinks she she swims beautifully. And Dory is delighted to learn that her super-sized friend speaks whale, too. Destiny and Dory used to talk through the pipes when they were little.

First off, yes the admission price is kind of high for an aquarium. However, once you consider what they have and what they do, I'd argue that it's worth it. My family and I have been to many aquariums in the US, and the Monterey Aquarium is one of the best.

Staff are friendly and helpful, and there are plenty of unique exhibits and animals. I would like to see more animals in the touch pools.

When we went, it was incredibly busy as it was spring break time. We had to wait in line for approximately 25-30 mins just to buy tickets. Then, there were so many people inside it was often hard to get from exhibit to exhibit. Despite these annoyances, it was still a great experience overall.

A great aquarium. Very interactive for children and adults will enjoy how informative and scenic it is.

Great environment, friendly service, tour guides are friendly and patient. Food served very expensive, definitely recommend bringing your own beverage and snacks. Because it is very busy, make sure your littles are close. Parking available in at least 3 spots for strollers. Such a great place for families! Thank you, Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Beautiful place.
Perfect for all ages.

This place is amazing. The ticket costs 50 dollars but there are discounts, check it on the web page. There some shows, be sure to be on time in order to get a great view. You can buy some souvenirs at the Stores but the gifts Could be expensive.

Over priced. 50 bucks or more per person. Crowded less then knowledgeable staff. Lots of rude pushy people n staff. Half the exibits closed off. Place was dirty and improperly lite. Guess they turning off lights to be more Green at expense of peoples safety! Would not recomend.

I've heard of people coming from all around the world to visit this aquarium, but I'm not sure what all the hype is about. The first time we went, we entered with only 45 minutes to close. We ran and took pictures next to each exhibit and still had some time left. The second time we went, we were hoping we had missed something the first time around, but no luck. I would have liked to see bigger animals, like dolphins or seals. I honestly think you see more marine life by walking along the Bay than inside the aquarium. If you have kids, it's probably worth it. There are some kid-oriented exhibits they would enjoy. If you're traveling across the globe to visit an aquarium, I would suggest the Chicago aquarium. It's much bigger with a lot of shows and interactive exhibits.

50 per adult / 40 per w/ student ID. Huge aquarium with lots to see. Multiple touch pools. Wave simulations. Feeding shows. Deep Sea showcase. Can take 3-4 hours to really enjoy everything.

A bit over priced ... liked the Toronto aquarium better

It is one of my favourite place to be. If you feel tired, anxious, or sad - come to the jellyfish room and they will calm you brain in 10 minutes.
Also amazing programs and a lot of fun stuff for kids (at all ages).

Beautiful aquarium with lots to see and great exhibits. Plenty of kids' activities.

A little expensive for admission, but totally worth it! Great place for the entire family, with awesome learning centers and hands-on fun.

Probably one of the best aquariums in the world. Excellent exhibits and knowledgeable biologists.

One of the best aquariums. A must if you like aquariums.

The Monterey bay aquarium is a true gem! This place has a lot of variety in terms of sea life. They also have penguin and otter feedings so that we can see how the keepers interact with train and take care of the animals. The great ocean segment is truly mesmerising. The individuals who work there are also very friendly. I would highly recommend visiting this place! It was worth every dollar paid in admissions! Just make sure you look at the schedule for feedings before hand so you can secure a good spot!

Very educational and detailed exhibits, be sure to catch feeding times

Always love coming here, appreciate the message of the changing environment send to us in a positive way trough the auditorium.

Plenty to see; well laid out. Unique displays. Make sure you have a good 3 hours or more to see everything a rushed visit doesn't do it justice.

Lots of cool stuff to see here! Super busy on weekends. $15 all day parking just up the street if your lucky otherwise street parking is available. They also allow re-entry here so you can walk cannery row and come back if you want! Cool exhibits.

There is not many places to visit in North Carolina. By this one is a must. However u won't find here extravagant creatures.. so if u have seen bigger better aquarium - don't waste your time for this one.

Fantastic place to learn all about marine wildlife. It has a lot of little exhibits and great in depth videos. They also have a great staff who are willing to teach and show everyone their passion for the aquatic life. Very informative and fun.

The best aquarium I have ever been to! There are so many beautiful species, and the way they are treated and taken care of is perfect!

This is one of the more impressive aquariums I've had the pleasure of visiting. Great place for people of all ages.

After visiting the aquarium, there's plenty more to see in surrounding Monterey.

Amazing how many different types of creatures are on this planet! Fun Fun Fun!!!!

It is not only the amazing aquarium and sea creatures, the way they are presented is amazing and inspiring ..
do not miss.

This is a spectacular aquarium and I highly recommend you to go. I loved seeing the otters and the penguins right up close! Also, the indoor habitats they had for the birds and some of the fish was so surreal. I could not get over the size of some of the tanks (three stories high!). You can easily spend 3 hours here.