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Aquarium of the Pacific
Rating Details »
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 590-3100
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 590-3100
$10 off for Yelp Users
Visit our website through this link and enjoy $10 off adult admission now through 11/25. http://bit.ly/2LRW4y
Announced 1 week ago- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
244 reviews for Aquarium of the Pacific
Very small and intimate. A lot smaller than other aquariums you would visit. But I like the fact that you could do this in under 2-3 hours. Also, a great deal if you do the coupon deal on their website.
This aquarium is very interactive, lots of exhibits that you can touch the sea life. A nice little bonus is the bird aviary outside.
On the down side, because the place is small it can be very crowded on busy days. VERY crowded.
I thought this place was expensive, but when I got there it was only 11.95$!
I'm not sure if it's because I showed up at 5pm, and they close at 6pm... shrug.
I thought it was great!
I am an avid diver, and keeper of marine tanks, so the whole tropical section was right up my alley.
They have awesome strawberry nem displays, and a huge clownfish mob that just weave in and out of giant bta's. So cute!!!
I spent a good hour roaming around this empty facility, adn felt like I totally got my money's worth.
Yay!
Unfortunately as much as I love the Ocean, love animals, and the creatures of the sea, it didn't meet my expectations. Maybe the educational aspect met my expectations, but I think I expected more overall. I usually wouldn't complain about price, but I feel like I could have went to Sea World and had much more enjoyable experience. For the price, I guess I expected more. Definitely an educational experience and would recommend it for obvious reasons, (kids & educational).
Enjoyed Sea Otters, Sting Rays, Jelly Fish, & Sharks.
Your last name had better be Rockefeller, or have a fistful of coupons to go on this overrated misadventure.
Once you've blown the dinner budget to get in, what do you have? 10 minutes of fish tanks, a 15 minute shark documentary and a gift shop.
Check out Dana Point instead - you can interact with the ocean and walk the beach when you're done.
I like this aquarium. I've been here a few times and I love just looking the different types of fish and sea creatures. Who knew there was a such a thing as a sexy shrimp? Haha. You can see all kinds of sea life - jellyfish, star fish, different types of fish, sea anemones (you can even touch em!)
It's fun coming here with my little cousins and seeing them so fascinated with the different types of sea life. But there's more then sea life there's also a bird exhibit and they even have some animal from I think Papua New Guinea - looks like a wallaby, but it's not - can't remember the name. They even have information on what happens to rain water and where it goes. It's very educational and nerdy - I like it!
I also appreciate how friendly and helpful the staff are.
The aquarium is a great place to go with kids and it's cool it's situated near restaurants, shops and you can even take pics at the pier.
Don't eat here though, it's kind of pricey. I suppose that's what you expect.
Ah, I miss Cali :)
I absolutely adore this place...so quaint...so fun....i docked a point because its a little small and the place is always crowded...gah...
i always get my sister to buy tickets at UCLA because she gets the student discount so the tickets are only 15 bucks...so thats a saves...yay...
i always take dates here because it can be an all day event and i love just staring at all the fishies...if my date sucks i can just ignore them and just have fun petting the sting rays...
the first time i came here i came with my sister and cousin...we had so much fun just running around trying to see everything at once...i swear we were like kids in a candy store...so excited we were jumping around all over the place like a ping pong ball...i think anyone who hasn't come here should definitely make a trip out of it and trek out here and see all the fish and the great displays...
the otters and the sting rays are some of my favorites...i love that they made it interactive and more fun for the kids...and for the kids at heart...love the aquarium...
i'm a huge fan...been back for many more dates...someone has got to buy me a stuffed animal right? my odds are with me...
This was my first time coming to this aquarium and sadly I liked i, but did not love it, which sucks because I really wanted to love it.
We brought my son here for his second birthday! He loves watching "Finding Nemo" so I thought what better present than to show him real live "Nemos" and "Dorys".
Getting there was fast and easy. We went on a Wednesday morning so it wasnt very packed with people. The prices seemed a bit much for an Aquarium.(Guess Im just used to visiting aquariums for free, yay fieldtrips!)
The exhibits were nice, they had a good, not great, variety of animals. (We saw about a million "Dorys"!)
The thing I enjoyed the most was when we could touch (two fingers only ! very importante!) the sharks and manta rays. That was exciting.
I did not like the bird exhibit very much. We were on the side trying to see "Tito" the porcupine and this absolutely gorgeous large cockatoo looking bird, and the lady at the stand selling the "Nectar" ($3 for a little cup, maybe half an ounce) kept telling us we couldn't go too close to the exhibits and all this other bs (we were nowhere near the rope). She kept asking if we were going to buy the nectar. So we just ignored her and went into the lorikeet exhibit. They are soo cute, but be careful because they bite. I was more worried about one flying into me or dropping a load on us. So we went through this exhibit pretty quickly.
After a few hours of walking around we were starving, and as there is no outside food or drink allowed, we had no choice but the scuba cafe upstairs.
OMG! can you say taking advantage? We had a chicken sandwich and Chicken Fritters (three chicken strips with fries) and two cokes. Its was friggin $23! Just the cokes themselves were like $4 each.
I guess what really matters is that my son had a really great time looking at the jellyfish, sharks, and numerous "Dorys" and "Nemos".
Three Stars For you!
When one thinks of a zoo or aquarium images and feelings of being in touch or at peace with nature may come to mind. These feelings are ill suited for the Aquarium of the Pacific. With the dense crowns and insatiable children it is quite a zoo, and I'm not talking about the animals. There were people everywhere, especially kids. Crowded, noisy, and everything else you would want to avoid but might expect when humans try to charge for nature.
Luckily the animals save us and the aquarium from ourselves. I am a boy. Therefore I like watching the sharks swim and they have a decent tank for viewing this. I am also a lush and I liked all the different seals and under water and above water viewing opportunities. I also liked the different types of jellyfish they have on display and the thought more than once crossed my mind do get a huge pet jellyfish for my house, but not in the way Will Smith did in 7 Pounds so don't refer me to any depression hotlines.
I got my tickets for this place for free. I think I would have been disappointed at 25 bucks a pop. We only stayed about an hour before we left but it was a nice thing to do on a Sunday afternoon for free.
I love going here, I love looking at all the animals and sea creatures. I think it's amazing that you get to pet the sea anemones, sea urchins, sting rays, sharks, etc. I get excited with the thought of coming here.
The aquarium is pretty cheap. If you follow them on twitter, they make announcements on special deals and when you can go for free!!
The only "bad" thing I can say about the aquarium is that sometimes it gets packed with kids going there for field trips, so you basically have to dodge them while they're running around.
It's a great place to bring family, kids, friends, vistors, etc.
I loooove this aquarium - so much that my boyfriend and I bought a membership. There's nothing like getting to just zone out and connect with the fish. My favorite part is.... never mind, every part is my favorite part. You definitely can not find a happier, healthier looking bunch of fish in all of the LA area. The sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals are great too. Let's not forget the puffins!
Good note, they're awesome about cameras. I came in with a hand-held camcorder and shot a whole short film with puppets interacting with the fish. No one gave me any crap about it - maybe because I bought the puppets I was using from the gift shop...
Go, please, one and all. Make fish a habit.
Okay, call me a dork, but I really love this aquarium. There's a whole mix of animals to see, kind of like a zoo and aquarium in one. There's birds and sea lions, several types of sharks, and about four separate touch pools that I can remember off the top of my head.
My favorite thing about the aquarium was the visitor's guide/aquarium map that they hand out when you buy your tickets. Some pages have blank circles in the corner and you go around to stations in different parts of the aquarium and emboss them. I guess it's a way to make sure that you've been to every exhibit.
I loved how this place had different species of sharks. I was even lucky enough to be at the shark exhibit while they were doing a feeding. I didn't appreciate the children trying to force their way through the crowd behind me, but that's another story. Most of the aquariums I've been to have a couple reef sharks and maybe a hammerhead or two. The Aquarium of the Pacific has a sandtiger shark and some kind of ray that's at least five or six feet across. The sea lions were also a great exhibit. If you can get one to pay attention to you long enough, it will follow your hand around if you wave it in front of the glass. I happened to be wearing a yellow shirt that day, so I guess I stood out on the other side of the glass because the sea lion would follow me until he had to go up for air.
The touch pools are also a great exhibit. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and they are patient with answering any questions. If poking at slimy creatures or looking through glass is not your thing, there are also "movies" (I say "movies" because they're only about 10 minutes long) in a theater in the aquarium about random sea life, and a couple of them are 3D.
Overall, it was a great experience, and I'd love to come here again.
What's cuter than a meerkat?
The ocean's equivalent that is the sea otter.
Meerkats ARE freakin' adorable. But, a sea otter twirling around in the water trying to chase its' tail, like a puppy is just tooooo cute.
Speaking of cute sea critters, I absolutely LOVE the baby sting rays, who also resemble puppies in their mannerisms.
But, what I love is when we're checking out the sexy shrimp--not a joke, these shrimps are called "sexy shrimp"---is when I'm saying: "hey, check out those sexy shr----" because at that point, I just tripped over some five-year-old who happened to wander off to check out the king crabs in the same corner. Then, I say: "Guess what, kid...I'm going to eat those king crabs later for dinner, now would ya----" and at that point, I just tripped over another kid.
You see, not only is the aquarium abundant in otters, sharks and fish, it's also abundant in kids....lots and lots of kids....
But, back to the technicals, every once in a while, the Aquarium offers Yelpers a sweet discount off their original ticket price. But, buying the tix online can also save you about five dollars.
Oh, and bring a camera to capture the memories. =)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/2/2009
Oh, how I love the Aquarium of the Pacific. I don't care that people think this aquarium is a… Read more »
My friend and I both got a free admission certificate in our half marathon goodie bag so we decided to make good use of it. We went at around 3pm and it was packed!! So many families, but also a lot of lovey dovey couples. =) The last time I came here was when I was in high school and back then, I thought the place was ginormous! Well, it's big, but not that big. We checked out all of the exhibits in about 2 hours. I loved the jellyfish, sea otters (soooo adorable!), sea lions, and sharks. We didn't see any sea turtles though, which was very surprising.
Comment from Anitza V. of
Aquarium of the Pacific
10/19/2009
Bummer! The sea turtle tends to hang out in the Tropical…
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When I was little I used to come here everyone once in a while. When you are about 7 years this place seems to be huge, however, now that I'm 18 this place still seems big. They have so much to offer here. You could literally spend a whole day there. There are tons of fishes an other sea creatures here. They also have a restaurant for your dinning experience and the food is great! Not to mention the fact that there are exhibits in and outside. If you have a free weekend and you want to spend a day outside of LA come here. It's got a great view of the port at night too. Their gift shop is pretty awesome! I've gotten some great gifts here for some of my younger cousins and they love them.
Also, I had my senior prom here and it was great! They kept some of the exhibits open that way everyone could look at them if they were tired of dancing. Not to mention that we danced right by the fishes! If anyone is looking to have a prom at a unique place this is it! It's beautiful outside and night and this place makes a great memory!
Basically, what I am saying is: COME HERE!
Aside from the Monterey Bay aquarium, this is quite possibly the best aquarium I have ever been to (and it's much closer to me!). They have a huge aquarium right when you walk in, and much of the place is organized by geographic location so you can view native fish from various places on the globe. I also love the jellyfish and shark exhibits.
I LOVE the sea otters as well as the area where you get to touch the sting rays.
I enjoy going back here again and again!
A top notch Aquarium! Tons of shows, displays, fish & sea creatures - Aquarium of the Pacific is well worth the drive and the entrance fee. Gorgeous displays, plenty of hands-on experiences, knowledgeable staff... my whole family loves this place!
Sharks, rays, tropical fish, jellyfish, coastal tide pools, northern & southern pacific ocean displays... sea otters, sea birds, sea lions & seals.
Arrive earlier in the day for an experience with less people. There's food for purchase there, but Shoreline Village and Rainbow Harbor/The Pike are within walking distance. During the summers, there's the Lorikeet forest, which one may walk through and feed small colorful birds, which land on your hand/shoulder and drink from small cups you hold.
The gift shop is enticing - so many terrific things, like puzzles and educational items, beyond the usual cool shirts & tchotchkes.
Great activity for kids and adults!
Seriously.
What could be better than getting away for a day to visit the aquarium?
On a Tuesday?
That Visa/Mastercard commercial convinced me... so! I put together a somewhat spontaneous trip to the LBC, and reserved tickets online a day in advance for a discount.
Petting stingrays, bat rays, starfish, and sharks... watching otters and penguins play... feeding nectar to crazy, screetching, kamikaze birds...
...don't you agree that alllllll of this is so much better to see spontaneously on a otherwise boring Tuesday?
I thought so too.
For this lovely little weekday adventure, my boyfriend and I were simultaneously transported back in time to when we were in elementary school on a field trip to the aquarium with all of our old screaming classmates.
And it was awesome.
Came here with the BF over Labor Day Weekend and took advantage of their Shark Summer hours and deal: http://www.aquariumofp...
For $12/pp this was a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Pros:
Ton's of photo opps.
Feeling the sting rays & sea urchins
Sea Otters!
The bird cage! (we got after 6:30 and didn't get to feed them but they were friendly and would land on you)
Tiger Shark!
Stamping your visiters guide with each stop
Cons:
SOOO many people!
The shows (feedings, classes, etc...) have all ended by 5 p.m.
Could be bigger/have more variety
Definitely worth the #12!
What can I say? I'm hooked! (Pun Intended) If I don't visit this place at least twice in a summer I start to get depressed. I LOVE aquariums and not in that creepy Troy McClure kind of way. Its just watching ocean life makes me happy. Every time I find my self in a coastal city I must visit their local aquarium. It all started when I was little and my parents put a large fish tank in my room. Now I can watch things swim for periods of time longer than I really want to admit.
Aquarium of the Pacific isn't as big as some of the others I have seen but its home and always seems to bring back memories of elementary school field trips. I know a lot of people complain about the prices but folks this is my Disneyland. And 23 bucks is a fine price to pay to enjoy a whole afternoon. I can't name an exhibit I don't love. Though my favorite has to be The Shark Lagoon when you can touch small sharks and sea rays on their backs as long as you only use 2 finger. There is nothing like a 25 year old man pushing children out of his way so he can get his digits on a baby Thornback.
If you find yourself tired of fish might I suggest a trip to Shorebird Sanctuary. The birds actually fly around you which is both fun and horrifying at the same time. When your body feels that urge to sit you could always drop another 3 dollars and enjoy Monsters of the Abyss 3-D which in my opinion is the best animated ocean movie ever made. Eat your heart out Nemo. If you really want to try something new the Whale Cruise started this month and I tell you there is nothing like seeing a blue whale from a small boat. It really makes you realize how tiny and fragile we all really are. I could go on like this but some things should just be seen for themselves. So if you find yourself with nothing to do this summer why not take a trip and visit you little finned friends. You will be glad you did.
Now whose hungry? I'm craving sushi!
That HUGE ocean. Intimidating, mysterious, compelling... so vast that your mind can't drink it all in. That's the power of the sea.
The sea invokes a universally felt wide eyed curiosity - an emotion rarely realized in this too often time choked world. Perhaps that is why my fleet admiral companion and I approached "Aquarium Day" with such a giddy and childlike spirit of adventure.
Our first task was to buy tickets. Not wanting to miss a thing, we opted in on the 2 1/2 hour sea life cruise, the price of which - about $45 -included admission, and the chance of seeing a whale!
It was no more than the length of a Lemon Shark from the ticket line to the entrance, and before we knew it we were standing underneath a behemoth Blue Whale! It hung from the ceiling, suspended between floors so one could get a 3d look. The Blue can reach lengths of one hundred feet, and can weigh over 150 tons. All I can say is "humbling". And the thought of going out on a boat and having one of these monsters swim underneath it made me a bit anxious, as well as excited and I was quite ready for more.
Once you step into the main hall, you may not know which way to travel. It hardly matters. Just let your instinct guide you - you know, like the animals do. The place is a bit smaller than you might expect and within a couple of hours you can visit pretty much every nook and cranny, and some more than once. So take your time! Read about every fish. Heck, name them even!
Bring your camera - you can't take a bad shot of those Jellies, (space creatures for sure). In fact, there are so many extra-terrestrial looking sea flora and fauna that you'll just want to take them home and stare at them on your computer screen to make sure they were real.
Once you've had your fill of the inside exhibits, and glanced at the sharks from belly to dorsal, and smiled at silly sea lions swimming within a few feet of you on the other side of the glass, and thought about how those Spikey Crabs might taste, take a stroll outside where you can actually pet some Stingrays and small sharks. There is also a bird exhibit where colorful parrots might actually land on your shoulder.
Now if petting something that can take off your finger worries you, do what we did. Drink beer! Hehehe. Oh yeah!!
Who cares if it's not quite noon yet? The aquarium certainly doesn't, why should you? And grab a delicious corn dog. You'll probably have to fight for a seat, and search for a working mustard machine, but it will be worth it. And the fries aren't bad either. They serve about 4 types of beer and I'm pretty sure we tried every one.
Whoa Whoa now, our boat is about to leave the dock! We rush over to the boat but it's a hurry up and wait situation. Once we finally got on the spacious dual leveled boat, we grabbed one of the many tables in the galley and sat down with more beer and some chips. The view from the windows was relaxing and we were living the high life.
I must say that this cruise is a fantastic deal. Ours ran over 2 1/2 hours, and I would have enjoyed it so much more if I hadn't spent such a long time in the "head" because of sea sickness, (sick to the gills one might say), and an hour with my hoodie over my green face in a pseudo "just trying to deal" nap. But before my sea legs gave out I did get some great pictures and the ocean breeze was quite delicious. According to the fleet admiral, some dolphins swam along with us, but no whale. However we did pull up on a buoy full of lazy sea lions who apparently only live about 10 years. Their eyesight goes out on them and they become food for something else. Ahh mother nature at work.
When we got back, it was time to visit the gift shop and skedaddle. I purchased my partner a shot glass for being so comforting during my boat ordeal and I myself walked away with one.
So if you're feeling crabby, and your boss is a shark, and you feel like you have more anemones than friends (sea joke there...), than get your feathers unruffled and don't miss the boat on the LBA.
as a child, father and i enjoy sea creatures more than anything. the peace and joyfulness these aquatic fin creatures brought us, were irreplaceable.
father and i always drive by the aquarium, but as an asian dad that pinches every penny, he has always wanted to go inside but refused to because of the price. on his 60s birthday, gf and i decided to take a family trip down to the friendly aquatic creature center... aka the aquarium of the pacific.
i have not seen such genuine joyful smile on my father's face since our two 250 gallon salt water fish tanks 15 years ago. it brought tears to my eyes watching a 60 year old man acting like a 6 year old telling me everything he saw and how much it reminded him of our old fish tanks.
petting the sting ray was interesting, two finger rub... they said. every time i rub them with my two fingers, i can't help but to wonder... how can such docile creature killed crocodile dundee. maybe he didn't use his two fingers correctly... ;p
not exactly sure why there is a bird cage in the aquarium, but nevertheless, those birds were funny. you really don't need to buy the nectar for them to climb onto you, even though all the workers made it their first priority. those birds do bite, but it doesn't really hurt. just gently put ur arm next and below their belly, if they want to, they will climb up... or try to bite our delicious human flash.
thank you aquarium of the pacific for making his big 60s birthday a memorial and special day.
When it comes to aquariums, think of who's on the other side of the glass. And I'm not referring to some snot nosed, barefoot 3-year-old that won't stop screaming. And I'm definitely not referring to some snot nosed, leash holding, aloof-to-my-own-child's-screaming-because-he/she-i s-just-a-kid-and-besides-I'm-used-to-it-so-why-sho uldn't-anyone-else-be-used-to-it, adult. (And not the converse of those two individuals either).
I'm referring to the animals themselves, folks - the animals that are, for one thing, automatically cool for even existing, and for another, living in the aquarium solely for our entertainment. For an arguably modest fee, with the flap of a fin, a flipper, or a feather, it would seem these critters are aiming to please! And sure, even though we get to learn a lot about ocean ecosystems, how they're disintegrating like Greenland, and what we might aught to do about it, let's face it. The reason we go is for the animals, their shiny lights, their cute and colorful dispositions, and their extremely sharp teeth!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And given those requirements, Long Beach's "Aquarium of the Pacific" certainly fits the bill. From shiny iridescent lights that emanate from the Northern Pacific Gallery of Sea Jellies, to endlessly barking Sea Lions echoing from the Southern California/Baja Gallery, there's "just enough" entertainment for a nice day. With no shortage of colorful fishies in the Amber Forest, and a fully stocked shark tank featuring some that may inspire the excitement of "Jaws", don't be surprised if you find yourself in a frenzied melee -- of enthusiasm, that is. But whether you decide there are enough of these critters to justify your $23.95 admission is entirely up to you. Or entirely up to the shortness of your attention span.
But for me, the Aquarium of the Pacific is like Ritalin. And just seeing the tank of sea jellies is like relaxation at its finest. As soon as I enter the Great Hall of the Pacific, I feel my "ADD of the week" slowly melting away. Like a cool and calming ocean breeze, I slowly start to read each and every snippet, on each and every critter. Like the tide rushing in, I become fixated on each of the tanks, not being able to avert my gaze until each critter is properly identified. Why? For me, the Aquarium is really the perfect size to relax and thoroughly enjoy, without that dreaded overload.
Overall, the aquarium can get busy, but the key is to appreciate and fixate on the cool stuff there is to see. If that doesn't work, hell, take it with a Tecate in hand. We sure did. If relaxation techniques, Ritalin, or a ride on the "Dolphin and Sea Life Cruise" ($42.95 including Aquarium admission) doesn't inspire you to mellow out, perusing the exhibits with a limited (but appreciated) selection of ice cold beers should. And if that doesn't help complete a perfect day, I'm not sure what would!
Some would say that without the discount the $23 admission price is really not worth it. True, the admission is expensive but with the $10 Yelp discount, the cost is substantially reduced (it's apparently no longer available now). Once you arrive, parking is another $7...don't forget a water bottle or a snack since that will probably ring up to another $10 or so.
Getting the logistics out of the way and arriving at the acquarium safely and soundly, WOW, was the first word that I could mutter. This is a beautiful location!
The blinds glide down gracefully covering all the large windows immediately darkening the main hall and images of sharks swimming with viscious elegance are projected throughout the walls of the inside of the aquarium. It was amazing seeing this unfolding right in front my eysel. After the short film about sharks ends, the window blinds gracefully lift away revealing the strong afternoon sun shining westward into the large windows of the aquarium.
"Let's go see the jellyfish!" my friend yelled back towards me, ras she run up the stairs light years ahead of me. II am an aquarium lover! I loved the Seattle aquarium, and the aquarium in Chicago that I went to years ago..I guess I always just have this love for acquriums!
I don't care it'll be crowded on a weekend!!! I love this place...and I am coming back again soon.
I wish it was bigger. There are tons of cute sea animals, but it tends to get kinda crowded, especially when people stand 3 inches away from the glass, for like ten minutes. We didn't get to see any of the shows, because we got there in the late afternoon, but everyone was talking about how great they are; gotta catch that next time!
OK, firstly I must acknowledge that our visit was not on a normal day. The aquarium held an adults only evening where no one under 21 was admitted, and admission was at kids prices. So we had it cheaper and without the hordes of screaming 3 footers. That means we got to walk around calmly and quietly, pet the sting rays, watch the jellyfish and generally have a good time. The exhibits are well organized with a lot of information on the way.
Keep an eye out for other special evenings!
Came here with Ellen C, a fellow Yelper who joined me on a Monday afternoon to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific for a "Teacher's Appreciation Day." Tickets are normally around $25 bucks or so, an amount that I would probably not pay to visit an aquarium. However, free tickets are always an excuse to visit something.
Overall, I was really not too impressed with the aquarium. I found there to be a decent selection of aquatic wildlife, but was expecting something more since this place has a decent reputation. I probably wouldn't come back on my own again, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to come check it out for free. 3.5 stars if I could give it, but we'll go with 3 here.
100:1
That is the approximate ratio of children to sea creatures you will find on any given day at the Aquarium of the Pacific. I almost had a panic attack when I saw the swarms of mini-humans. It was like a scene out of the movie *Birds*, but with sniveling, yelling, and temper-tantrum-throwing children instead.
I love children. I really do. I work with kids. I even have a mini-me of my own. But I don't do well with overwhelmingly large doses of them. But, what are ya gonna do? We were at one of the most popular field trip destinations in SoCal. Fortunately, a very nice concierge lady informed us that the children would be leaving by 1:30 pm. We got our hands stamped, took a walk, went to lunch and came back at 1:30 sharp.
She was right. The place was nearly empty by then. I took a mental note to never come back in the mornings again.
The layout of the aquarium is interesting. In some ways, you can tell that the developers anticipated large volumes of people. The main entrance is a huge open space and there are several stairways that lead to the upper level. But we only found one elevator to get to the other levels. This is not good when you are among a hundred other people with strollers. The same goes for the badly designed parking lot elevators. I swear, only childless men could design such a thing. At least there are plenty of relatively clean restrooms and diaper-changing stations.
The sea creature aspect is obviously the most important thing to discuss. The Aquarium doesn't disappoint and there are a ton of aquatic animal exhibits. Highlights include the adorable sea otters, sea lions, giant crabs, the shark lagoon, and jellyfish. The Explorers area where you can touch all sorts of slimy stuff was fun and I also loved the Lorikeet Aviary. For a few bucks, you can feed the birds with nectar. Very cool.
All in all, it's a great place to visit, especially for the younger ones. Kids clearly love this place although it's definitely best for ages 2 and up. My 1.5 year old son mostly enjoyed chasing pigeons in the courtyard and getting soaking wet from the giant water-spraying sea creatures in the playground area. I could have kept him at home and sprayed him with a hose, and he would have been just as happy. But hey, at least it was free for him to get in.
At first, I was going to give the Aquarium of the Pacific (AKA the Long Beach Aquarium) four stars, thinking that it doesn't hold a candle to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago or the National Aquarium in Baltimore, but surely it must be less expensive... Right? Wrong. Admission to either of those aquariums will run you $25, whereas Long Beach will cost you a cool $24. And while it is certainly a fun place to spend an afternoon, it falls short of delivering 96% of the value that world-class aquariums offer.
My girlfriend and I visited the aquarium yesterday (a Sunday) around 10:30am and--first things first--paid $7 to park. Then we walked over to the ticket office and waited in line to buy our expensive tickets. We decided to tack on a couple of $3 tickets to see *Monsters of the Abyss* in 3-D as well. This turned out to be an unwise decision: The 3-D glasses were cheap, and the movie was pretty but lacked substance and was only 15 minutes long. I would steer clear of their theatre offerings in the future.
The exhibits, on the other hand, were beautiful and fun. We arrived just in time to catch some feedings taking place, and the divers were great, acting goofy and waving for cameras. Each of the habitats was artfully and breathtakingly arranged. My favorites were the jellies, placed in an otherwise empty tank, floating in stark contrast to the dark background as if they didn't have a care in the world... Which they didn't, since they don't have any brains. I probably could have stood and watched them for hours if I weren't being constantly bumped by ankle biters and strollers.
On the other hand, I could have sat around petting stingrays all day, no matter how many annoying little kids were running around. This is the Aquarium of the Pacific's strong suit: They have just as many petting pools and opportunities to touch awesome aquatic life as any other aquarium. And as an added bonus, some of the stingrays are so used to being around people and being petted that they will come up to the side of the pool and do an incredible splashing/waving thing! Everyone gets really excited and it is super fun. I just uploaded a video of the spectacle to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com...
You know what? I just talked myself into giving the Aquarium of the Pacific four stars. Yeah, it's a little on the expensive side, especially when compared to true world-class aquariums, but where are you going to find a better one in Los Angeles?
The aquarium is pretty extensive. petting stingrays and starfish, sea urchins was all fun. the coral reef was huge, gigantic sea bass. the layout was a little confusing, thankfully i don't think i missed anything. the shorebird was closed though.
i did go on a sunday, at 6pm and there was A LOT OF PEOPLE. a 30 minute line, and it was just chaos inside! i also felt like it wasn't that well maintained, the glass was blurry and it just wasn't that nice of an aquarium compared to the california academy or science, but it is a very extensive one. lots of sharks, coral, tropical fish, weird fish, anything, you name it!
i also like how they try to be very environmentally conscious, and they try to educate people about the environment. they also try to be interactive and have you stamp out parts of your booklet, however i wish they would tell you where they are at, and it would've been a good way to keep track of where you haven't gone.
tip: don't go on a sunday if you can help it. maybe the extra $10 is worth it. but if you want to save money, $12 admission for sundays in the summer!
favourite: petting stingray!
do not want: too many people
last words: great place to go, especially as a family, educating too.
I don't know how much enjoyment an adult can get out of an aquarium. I mean, tripping on your friend's guppies whilst stoned in high school had its merits, but now? All this place did for me was make me hungry. The grouper at the giant display in the back, make a right for the yellowtail tuna, upstairs to the octopus, lobster, and king crab. C'mon! 20 minutes into it and I'm ready to dive and carve me up some sashimi with my car keys. And for $25? Pass.
And then we made some babies. And the first one learned to walk and talk and act all cute and shit and say "I wanna watch a see-oh!" Bring your toddlers here at least once. It is such a different experience from a zoo. It's more intimate and they can really focus on the animals and get that sense of wonder rolling.
Well, they can if you time it right. Don't even bother from May - September. Come in the winter when it's raining and do it about two hours before closing. I hate herds of ill-tempered, poorly trained (because yes, kids are essentially little animals-would a real human eat their own poo?) kids even more now than before I bred. Even better, become a member and they have all sorts of after-hours, members only events that cut the crowds down to nothing. We've sat for twenty minutes in front of a display with only a couple people walk by, even a wondrous three minutes alone in the seal tube. For a family pass it's only, um... yeah, I don't know. I'm a firm believer in the If My Wife Pays For It, It's Free To Me philosophy (don't look at the sign, don't look at the sign), so I have no idea.
This may sound perverse, but I wish the cafe served more fish. Seriously. I'd pay for the jacked-up prices if I could go from drooling over the snow crab, to a plate of snow crab. Even better, put a big aquarium in the cafe itself and let me choose my meal. "That one there, sir. The one with the notch in his fin and mischief in his eyes."
WOW WOW WOW................I am in love with the place and i m thankful to those people who contribute in making this a beautiful word of deep sea.
I got the coupon from one of the yelper ....he send the link that says admission for only $ 10 instead of 23.99...(good deal....yeah).As new to California , this was treat for me...nice, clean place, Family oriented and the most beautiful was when u can touch some of the fishes....oh wow....touching baby shark was an awesome experience...
I give this pace a 5 star.....perfect entertainment.
I really like this place. There are plenty to look at here. I love the shark area and you can go right next to the touch pool and touch the huge sting rays, giant horseshoe crabs, and leopard sharks. There are also feeding times for the shark tank area so be sure to get there early, otherwise there'll be too many people standing in front of you.
I love sea otters and they have a nice exhibit showcasing 3 of their otters. They also dedicate this area to them so they have plenty of information for you.
I like the fact that they have a lot of touch pools that include starfish, sea anemones, sea urchins. Just be sure to wait until the kids go away or you'll never get to touch anything.
The best thing about this aquarium is they have divers go right into the tanks and answer questions about some of the exhibits. They also feed the fish while they're down there so you'll get to see some feeding times. They have the biggest porcupine fish (I call them puffers) I have ever seen in any aquarium!
A tip: do not do the 3-D shows. Yes, it's $3 but it's only like 7-10 mins long. We got the Monsters of the Abyss movie and it's kinda stupid. I'm not even sure if what they say about them is true since it's all CG created. Unless you have kids, stay away from the stupid Finding Nemo clone, Deepo. Just the name alone makes me shudder.
I love aquariums and had to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific while we were in Long Beach. It is best to go on a sunny day because there are great outdoor exhibits and touch pools and luckily, the weather worked out for us. We got $5 by buying our tickets on-line (wish I knew about the $10 yelp discount).
It seems like a small aquarium at first but the displays are fantastic and the museum is feels new and well kept. I love a good shark/ ray tunnel and the divers were so great with the kids - waving and taking pictures with them. Things I hadn't seen in other aquariums: huge spiny crabs, lobsters, sand dollars, and the inside of live shark eggs. They have great touch pools with rays, starfish, anemone, urchins and sharks.
I used to work at a tropical fish store and I've been to the aquarium about a dozen times and enjoyed it each time. Most of the times it was to work an event (not the enjoyable part) which is great because I get paid and I get to see all the sea life during the down time. I love the seals and sea otters. It's fun to just sit there and watch them play for awhile. Other exhibits that are cool are the Moray Eels (as close to them as I'd want to get to), the mesmerizing jelly fish, the sting ray touch tank, spider crabs and the weird sea dragon. The Lorikeet bird aviary is fun, but you have to have good timing to go there to feed them. They won't come to you if they aren't hungry.
It's not as big as the industry standard Monterey Bay Aquarium, but it's just as fun. A little pricey and the typical Long Beach gouging of your wallet for parking are really the only draw backs.
After going to SF's Academy of Sciences , we went to the LB Aquarium with a bit of trepidation. Surprisingly, even though the LB Aquarium was small, there was a lot to see because of the way the aquarium was laid out. It is extremely interactive, especially for kids. The kids really had a good time watching the divers and getting the special shark embossings on the programs. Whereas the San Francisco aquarium has a lot of large tanks, Long Beach has a good mixture and allows people to focus more on learning things instead of trying to deal with crowds.
My favorite exhibit was the puffin exhibit because you can see how they swim underwater and there was an area that allowed volunteers to feed them. Very unique. Many of the exhibits allow visitors to see the areas above and below water.
The kids were oooh-ing and aahhh-ing constantly during our visit and definitely kid friendly. Seems as if there was something cool for them to see at every turn. In fact, I think the kids enjoy this more than going to theme parks like Disneyland (less of an ordeal for them).
Discounts are available from various hotel brochures, AAA, and online booking so check those out. Also, consider membership. One doesn't need to pay the full price at the door.
Nearby parking is convenient inside large parking structure across the street.
Despite having lived in Long Beach for nearly two years now, this was my first trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific. A little about me: I'm a big kid at heart, so even though I have no kids of my own yet, adventures like these still get me every time!
The Aquarium is a lot bigger than it looks from the inside. If you take the time to look at all of the exhibits and take a few pictures, it can take you nearly 4 hours to go through the entire thing. There are also shows for the sea lions and seals, so it's a nice opportunity to have a seat in the sun and watch the marine mammals play.
There are so many varied ways to enjoy the Aquarium, but I think where this one has its winning feature is that there are many hands-on exhibits to touch and play. In just about every exhibit hall there is at least one tank with sea creatures to touch! This is especially fun for those who like to touch things, as I do. (Sometimes museums are just so stiff!)
The outdoor area is nice because it houses bat rays and sting rays, as well as the Aquarium's sharks, sea lions, seals, and birds. There is also a little play area for kids to hang out on giant fake sea creatures that spit water. That being said: if your kid might be inclined to run up to things that squirt water, remember to bring an extra shirt or something.
You can often find divers in the tanks and they have microphones, so they give you little tidbits of info, and that's pretty neat.
My only qualms were that the cafe inside was a tad expensive (as are all museum food, right?) and the viewing areas on some of the more popular exhibits (like the sharks) are a tad small, so it might be hard to catch a glimpse, lest you wait a few minutes for the kiddies to clear out.
I would definitely visit again.
Pros:
The place is very educational, with out being overly educational, if you get what I mean[ they don't beat it down your throat]. They have lots of poster, and signs to read up on all the animals that you see in the water, as well as having workers who can answer most of your questions right away.
Sea otter show, is very cute!
Scuba divers in the exhibit are great with kids, and friendly.
Very clean, and well kept up.
Nice area around the aquarium to walk around at the end of the day.
They have a good number of species, wish they had more jellies though!
Cons:
I encountered a very rude worker who upset me alot!. I was in line to look at one of the animals, my nice wanted to see and this lady put her kid to the front to see what we were looking/touching. The worker very rudly told her to get away and wait in line like the rest of us. She then said Oh I will I just didn't know what was on display I didn't want to wait in line to see a rock! He then on a power trip raised his voice and said go to the back of the line now, you have to wait your turn like every one else, but the tone he had was just to rude! I hate line jumpers as much as the next guy, but there is a right and wrong way to handle situations and this man handled it wrong, after she left he even turned to me and said geeze some people! This really left me on a sour note...
This place also on the small side, but around it has lots to look at!!! I love taking a trip ever few years
This is a place you don't want to pass up, everyone should come here at least once.
Overall I would say this is a once every few years type of trip. It also seems when ever you go there are tons of kids!!! So if you are an adult going with other adults or just one child early morning might be best then you can walk around have lunch and head home around 4 or arive around 12 when alot of the schools are heading outside to have lunch.
I love touching the sting rays! There was one that was so cute I didn't want to stop touching it. It kept rising to the top to be pet like a dog it was the coolest thing to touch and to have it there was awesome! There are so many different types of tanks and fishes and sharks.
So many kids! I came during the summer... but it was fun. If you are around town with the kids, you will keep them entertained for sure.
There are other amazing aquariums around the world but this one is pretty awesome for LA/Long Beach.
Besides the walls and tanks of mesmerizing sea life, otters, sea lions, sting ray petting pools, the favorite of ours are the LORIKEETS. Earlier I had soaked my sleeve from the sting ray petting pool. While in the aviary, a smart lorikeet who didn't want any more calories from the sweet nectar sold to tourists, wanted the real thing (H2O) so it began licking my sleeve for precious drops http://www.yelp.com/bi... That totally made our day.
Anyway, there's a fish saying hello http://www.yelp.com/bi...
My nephew turned five this past week and to celebrate I brought him here, cause I want him to grow up to be a nature loving geek like his aunt, hehe. Forget Chuck E. Cheese! You owe it to your kids (or the kid in you) to check out some educational establishments that will arouse brains into asking questions more profound than "When's the pizza getting here?"
The Aquarium of the Pacific (AOTP) is two floors of some of the most amazing oceanic wildlife out there, guaranteed to tire out the ADHD out of you (after walking up and down the stairs all day, my little guy passed out on the ride home). We got there at about 11AM last Thursday, which is probably the best time to get there. Aim for weekdays around lunchtime to avoid the crowds of school kids. With no wait line to get in, we walked to the nearest exhibit and went from there.
I'm all about the 'hands-on' approach to learning and feel the Aquarium does a great job in this area. They have a plethora of creatures you can touch: sea stars, anemones, bat rays, sting rays and sharks! This place is so much better than Sea World from this perspective because you don't have to wait a ridiculous amount of time or shove and push your way to get to the touchpools. The Aquarium has even designed these touchpools with different heights that let little ones in on the action without the fear of falling in (even though I joked with my nephew about throwing him in with the bigger sharks).
We really didn't get to see any of the shows since my nephew has the attention span of a goldfish and he was more interested in touching the animals than hearing about them. And frankly, so was I. The whole Aquarium can easily be circled in about 3 hours and while I thought about complaining about the lack of more exhibits, (I wanted to see polar bears) I remembered this structure was dedicated to animals OF THE PACIFIC and nothing else. Polar bears don't like California.
Our favorite exhibits were the Shark Lagoon (which had bigger sharks than I remember at Sea World), the Tropical Reef, the Gulf of California and the Lorikeet Forest. For $3 you could purchase a small cup of 'nectar' before heading into the Forest only to be ambushed by dozens of hungry, colorful Lorikeets. Very noisy, but very amusing to have three birds attached to your arm fighting for a taste.
The only negatives I could think of was parking and the restaurant. At $7, I felt parking was a ripoff but the attendant mentioned it was good for the whole day. Only useful if you want to check out the lame restaurants on The Pike. I was planning to have lunch at the Aquarium's Bamboo Bistro, but none of their entrees really caught my attention and seemed pretty lackluster. Some of the fish inside the tanks looked tastier if you ask me... and I couldn't help but think of sushi while browsing some of the exhibits (I know, bad Pris!). I'd also suggest purchasing admission tickets on-line since you save $5 off the normal price. The entrance is pricey, but goes to a worthy cause: a great place to explore and learn firsthand about the wildlife under the sea. "Dahling it's better, down where it's wetter... take it from me!"
