Really liked this place. Very informative. If you have time take the free tour. Our guide explained a lot about the bay and the creatures living in it. She also took us up to look at the dolphins. You won't be able to see the dolphins if you don't go on the tour.
You will be just amazed at this little gem of an educational spot!
To do absolutely for its setting and the whale skeletons
Excellent exhibits, interactive opportunities for the kids. Entertaining and informative, with family-friendly admission price.
We were looking for some places in Santa Cruz other than this usual theme park, to take our 6 year old daughter and found out this marine discovery museum. It was very educational and there was also an half an hour tour of the research taking place there, and even we had a chance to see the sunset. As this place was very near to the ocean, the views were spectacular as well. They volunteers were pleasant too. Overall, we all had a great time. Must go place in santa Cruz!
This is absolutely the most wonderful place for families, individuals, anyone. I gives a person a higher perspective on the importance of protecting our ocean, and its inhabitants as well. A great place children to explore and learn all about our oceans , sea, and experience hands on with some of the different species that live in the ocean. A must go to place.
What a gem. At a small cost the aquarium is accessible but this hidden complex also acts as the center for Marine Biological studies for the University of California Santa Cruz
The largest skeleton of a Blue Whale is on display, as is another one of a Grey Whale
Just looking at one of the vertebrae inside is a sight to see
Also has a spectacular Pacific walkway along the cliffs of the coastline
Just down the street from Natural Bridges Beach, Park, and Manarch Butterfly sanctuary this is a great place to visit and explore
Nice little ocean marine education center. Make sure to take the tour!
You hear a lot more about the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row, but there's also a marine discovery center in westside Santa Cruz, at a breathtaking ocean side location with educational coastal paths. Admission is nominally $9 with breaks for seniors, students, and children. There are rotating exhibits, an aquarium, and huge skeletons outside ("Outdoor Giants"). Part of the scenic facility is available for rent (conferences, weddings, etc.). Parking is easy and free. I've only been there during the week. It may get crowded on weekends. There are periodic community "free days" with no admission. You can check their website for that information and much more. This is an extension facility of UCSC.
A fun family adventure. They have some cool things to look at and are located in a great place.
Great place to take the kids for a few hours. Lots of interactive displays. Make sure you take a tour, if you're lucky you can see the dolphins.
Inside of the Center has excellent exhibits. A few outdoor exhibits, including a life size skeleton of a whale. The trail alongside the ocean, behind the center, has my favorite bench in the world. Love you K.
Tour was fantastic! Swell sharks are wonderful and all for under $10/day
What a cool find that we drove by so many times and didn't realize what was hiding there! Fun little sea creatures to touch, like sharks!! The area is well kept and the staff seems immensely happy to be there, so much so we wanted to work there too, lol! I certainly would love to be there every day to help with the dolphins!! Absolutely soul warming to watch as they swim and play. I hope the funding never ceases for them, and they are definitely on my list of places to donate to! It offers a wonderful day of surprises :-)
Small place good for an hour visit, not much to see here. Kids might love this place. Terrace point is very close to this place
A very quaint marine educational center. A touch tide-pool is available for invertebrate learning opportunities. The admission fees are between $7-$9 bucks per person. Parking is limited. Best time to attend is during the week. Beautiful views from the center surrounded by educational walk paths.
We learned a lot of fun facts about sea animals in the area and about the ocean as well. They had tours that went with the cost of the entrance that were very educational.
Really cute and the tour was very informative, touch tanks we're super cool
Interesting! I got to touch a shark, and you can access the beach after a short walk
Great way to spend an hour or so and learn about local marine life.
I really enjoyed wandering the Seymour Center. They have a ton of hands-on exhibits for kids (and grown up kids), tanks with live creatures, a touch pool with very knowledgeable volunteers, they even had a special tank with Swell Sharks and give out stickers if you touch them. After touring the inside you can head out for a stroll along the coast, learn about some shipwrecks and check out Mr. And. Mrs. Blue (photo).
Kids loved it! Cheap little fun things to do love love love! The sharks you get to pet are beautiful
A fun place, full of interactive exhibits and knowledgeable volunteers.
Cute and small sea museum. Staff were very kind and knowledgeable.
Not too many species, but very cute. They let me to touch small shark, amazing experience. Huge and beautiful skeleton of whale.
This place is small but extremely enjoyable. The staff is friendly and i love the hands on exhibits. The octopus is really cool.
This was a great experience with our children! We got to learn about a lot of the local sea life and pet starfish and see the dolphins. If you're looking for that great Monterey Bay experience without the aquarium pricing, this is an excellent alternative for a fraction of the cost!
Hidden gem. Staff is great, very knowledgeable, all ages.
Grandkids (3.5 & 1 year old) loved the touch pools. The kid friendly tour was great. We got to see the dolphins be fed and it was very informative.
Very nice tour guide, all very interesting and beautiful area.
Just a great place. Very hands on with the wild life
I dropped by after hours to see the ocean from the cliff tops and check out the beauty of the light winds and the Evening Sun set.
dedicated parking is available for beach access between the hours of 8 and 5 p.m.
Great family place, kids young and old get close up and hands on experience!
Super fun place to take the kids on a Saturday. I love the focus on the research and scientists.
Tour was very good and the staff is friendly. I like that they allow you to touch some of the ocean creatures.
I really enjoyed seeing all of the sea life and getting to touch some of them. The staff was very friendly.
Your young ones will enjoy it. It's not the Monterey Bay Aquarium but you also are not paying amusement park prices. We spent the morning there and then the afternoon at the boardwalk; it was a great day.
This place is amazing. Trsuted, operating by people who care about environment.
A gem of oceanic science and outreach. Beautiful exhibits and a focus on education without the crowds. Don't miss it!
Very neat place. Kid friendly, informational, and hands on. Plus they have a shark petting tank!
Unbeatable location for a hands-on marine experience. The aquarium and touch tanks are a pleasure to visit and interact with; with docent assistance, touch the Swell Sharks and feel their dendicles for a really unique experience. There are great educational workshops and events here, for teachers, children, and people of all ages and interests. The grasslands surrounding the lab has good birding spots, too.
I was not there but saw photos of Iii ..... karoch I like)
This place is awesome. We got to pet a shark. An amazing place for kids to get over their fear of Jaws or the ocean. I would recommend this to anyone visiting or who lives here.
The scavenger hunt was perfect for my 4yr old. Finding all the local sea creatures.
Great place for a wedding party and learning about sea creatures
Very cool, geared towards school kids, educational.
Perfect place to stroll with the kiddos and learn about ocean sciences with great views! Enthusiastic volunteers are a great source of info.
Very fun for the whole family. Free parking the first three hours there.
Excellent marine center with many hands on displays and exhibits. Included with the admission was a tour outside of the facility. Staff was informative and educational.
Always a great time for the kids. The perfect balance of size and exhibits. The kids love the touch pools and shark petting. There are activities and lots to learn about. The outside path had breathtaking views. Don't miss the tour. The docents are informative and engaging. A fun and low cost alternative to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
This is a small place, so it won t take longer than two hours to go through, but worth seeing sometime. You get to pet a shark that s sleeping; as well as pet a whole host of other smaller marine creatures. Outside the building there are skeletons of some large whales, and at the very back you get a view of the Pacific Ocean (with no beach) that feels surreal.
Didn't even know this place existed. While it's no Monterey Bay aquarium it allows you to have a very intimate interaction with both staff and sea life. You will not be rushed here and you can ask tons of questions. Best part is you can pet a shark.
Small Marine education center. There were panels, videos, and live exhibits. SO MUCH TO READ... Almost too much... But the whale outside was fun and the view from the cliff can't be beat!
Small but mighty.
Wonderful Science Sunday programs.
Get there early if you want a seat!!!
Also
Fantastic
Gift
Shop!!!!
Mainly aimed at young audiences. Nice marine tanks. Also had touch pools, which is not do nice for the sharks.
So much fun you should definitely take you kids on the scavenger hunt.
It's a small aquatic Museum. Good for small children to learn about sea life
A real treasure to Santa Cruz, California and the World! A must see while in Santa Cruz or near Half Moon Bay as well.
This picture is taken looking North
I m so glad we finally decided to go to Seymour Marine Discovery Center. We have been living in Santa Cruz for over four years and for some reason never visited Seymour before. Well, our loss.
This place is great. The amount of things you will learn here is off the books. All of the volunteers were amazing and very attentive. You can totally see how they love what they are doing. They were so engaging that my four years old daughter was interested during our whole visit - which is impressive. From touching a swollen shark to learning about Seal sounds and their fur, from holding a hermit crab to touching a few different sea stars, and much more, we enjoyed every part of our visit. So thanks Bonnie, Lynn, Dale, Tais and all the other volunteers that made our visit to Seymour so pleasant. Some of the activities geared towards kids include a scavenger hunt, stamps, touch pool, puzzles and more.
Remember that they are part of a marine lab, so there are people researching and actually working on the background to learn even more about the marine life surrounding us.
We did the tour and I was once again amazed by how knowledgeable these people are. I learned so many things that I was as excited as my 4yo. The blue whale skeleton is certainly a highlight of the tour, especially when you get to stand inside the whale s belly.
Take your time to read as many signs and details as you can. I can guarantee that you will learn something new. Remember that this is a small aquarium/marine center, so don t compare it to bigger aquariums. Think about Seymour as a research center. These guys are working daily to learn more and protect our amazing ocean. And they share their knowledge with us. So forget about size and enjoy your experience.
had a good time learning about marine life, petting starfish and sharks, and having a private little tour of their lab for studying marine life :)
The center is small, but very nice. Check the whale skeleton and enjoy the ocean view
Had a great time here on a weekday with little kids. They have some fun activities geared towards very young ones and many friendly volunteer staff ready to answer questions and help with experiencing the touch pools and other exhibits. The free tour that lets you see their research dolphins was very fun, too!
Great tour guide..the entire family enjoyed the visit!
I took the almost 2 girl I nanny for. She had a great time with the starfish, a hermit crab and seaweeds.
Limited selection and the real issue was the tour guide, we stopped to check out the tour and when one of the volunteers tried to involve us in the tour the guide yelled at her and said we needed to start from the beginning not halfway through, even though we already paid!! So rude, it made my kids feel very bad. So rude.
A picturesque Beach view on Route 1 and can see the Real Skeleton of Blue Whale and yet another whale (Forgot the name) in premises of California University
seymourcenter.ucsc.edu
