- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Birch Aquarium At Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Rating Details »
Categories: Aquariums, Colleges & Universities, Museums
Neighborhood: La Jolla Shores2300 Expedition Way
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 534-3474
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
90 reviews for Birch Aquarium At Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Good, but I was hoping that the aquarium was going to be underneath the ocean, and not carved into the mountain :(
Even then, we had a good time seeing and learining about the oceanography in the San Diego area.
It was as if I had been transported into a world where I quite possibly could find that rascally little Nemo. In fact, I think I may have found him -- right smack in the middle of Birch Aquarium, along with loads more beautiful and interesting fish.
It was my second trip to the aquarium, and it was just as neat as the first visit. This time, though, we got there right as they were feeding the fish. Instead of trying to search through the kelp and coral and murky "sea" water, the fish were right out front, clamoring for their bits of food. I especially took to a seahorse that seemed to be showing off for me. It was a sight to see, I must say.
It is a great place to visit, whether you're on vacation or just wanting a cool place to take your kids, friends or even parents. Plus, you'll get to say that you did find Nemo... and a bunch of his friends!
This aquarium is really cute and a nice extension of the Scripps Research Institute. When I was here as an undergrad at UCSD (2002-2006), it only cost $6. Apparently it is now $9. Regardless, that is a cheap price for an aquarium.
It is not a "world class" aquarium, just a little aquarium with some nice little exhibits. It is at a beautiful location, so the views around the aquarium also make it a worthwhile visit. It's so cheap, it's totally worth doing at least once if you are in the area. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but it is what it is...
This is a great place and a nice alternative to sea world. I would definitely recommended checking this place out. They have some really cool exhibits.
OVERRATED! Now that that's out of my system...
I think the bottom line is that if you've been to a world class aquarium (i.e., The Atlantis in the Bahamas, the Jacques Cousteau Museum in Monaco), then the Birch Aquarium just absolutely pales in comparison. It's not even in the same galaxy, and I wasn't prepared for the stark contrast.
The hype around this place really set me up to expect top-notch quality exhibits with a vast variety of species. Birch was very disappointing for me. A big yawn.
The truth of the matter, though, is that if I had kids I'd still totally take them here.
If you are/were a bio major and have seen great aquariums or done marine research, then my advice is to pass on Birch. If you want to entertain children for an afternoon or want to see a quaint, straightforward aquarium, then by all means give Birch a try.
Not too much to look at. I could probably take a glimpse at everything in less than 25 minutes. But still interesting, nonetheless.
Why I give it a bad rating is because of my experience with the "petting zoo" outside - or whatever one might call it where you can pet some sea animals. I wasn't allowed to touch certain animals. And so me and some little kids surrounding me were all disappointed. Turns out we could touch the little underwater hermit crab things. 30 seconds later after petting and holding the little crabs, the little kids around me are all screaming as the have crabs hooked onto their fingers.
The second time I went, the petting zoo/tide pool was totally off limits and no one could touch any animals. I don't know why.
*Sigh* Kind of disappointed about this place.
First, I need to emphasize that the Birch Aquarium is an excellent place for kids of all ages. I had not been to the aquarium in a few years and I must say, it has changed for the better. On one side are several rooms with various ocean animals and hands-on educational videos, demonstrations, and games pertaining to marine life, recycling, and environmental changes. There is also an excellent studio where one can read a news clip from a teleprompter and be recorded for all to see on the outside of the room. My daughter really enjoyed that!
On the opposite side of that area are a ton of beautiful tanks of all sizes housing all shapes, sizes, and colorful marine life. Some common (i.e., tiger sharks, sardines) and others not so common (i.e., garden fish, sea dragons). In the middle of this attraction is a tremendous display of various animals including huge grouper, sharks, etc.
After enjoying the inside of the Birch Aquarium, we went outside to the area that has several tide pools. This area overlooks the ocean and on a clear day the view is beautiful. In the tide pool area, we were able to touch starfish, sea urchins, and some very slimy sea snails. There was an octopus in the larger area, but it was hiding very well despite our lengthy time searching.
Again, I recommended the aquarium to all ages. We witnessed shear delight from toddlers to teens and adults enjoying the many different ocean animals. Like everywhere else, admission has gone up but in comparison to other places in and around San Diego, $11 for adults and &7.50 for kids is not bad for several hours of unique entertainment.
Exhibit: 3
Value: 5
Service: 3
I haven't been here in many years, so I thought it would warrant a review after going this afternoon. The drive to the aquarium is just the start to a fun adventure. This is one of San Diego's most affordable attractions, and compared against Sea World, you get to see a lot of beautiful ocean life and learn about the environment while there.
The only complaint I'd have is the size of the aquarium. There is only one and a half hallways of sea life. It took about an hour to work through the main hallway. The tide pools are nice and I was able to pet a spiny lobster. Note: spiny lobster's are spiny.
For anyone that's looking to learn more about ecology and oceanography in particular, Birch Aquarium is a great place to start and take kids.
Marine Biology aint just the perfect name 4 the all-mermade p**nsite imma start up after movin out next year, its also what goes down 24/7 at this place. i always liked fish and actualy used 2 have a killer saltwater tank setup in the garage till my lil f***kface cousin Rex tried 2 ambush me w/ his paintball gun and s***tyass aim.
ne way theirs some sickass times 2b had here. hit 2nd base 4 the 1st time by the tidepools w/ this redheaded orangatangy broad Jody on a dope field trip way back when plus its also a cheep go-2 when u gotta watch ur crazy f***in neices or nephews. (not 2b fruty but) its rly pretty and colorfull inside so it might seem like a good idea 2 do sh****ms here but i honostly cant reccomend it.....
yeah it starts out fun trippin on the big california sea room but if u ever watched that "Future is Wild" show (back2back w/ the new King Kong on blue-ray) all ur gonna think about when the giant octapuss looks strait at u is him and his squid buddys gettin suuuper f****ing evolved and ripping ur hole jaw apart as u watch urself growing old from a distence.
I really would have given Birch 3 1/2 stars. Yelp yelp yelp...when O when will we have the ability to give 1/2 stars!! Because there are definitely highlights and lowlights to my experience. But as a general statement I enjoyed my visit.
Highlights:
I got in for free utilizing their participation in free admission to B of A customers the first Sat. of the month - All you need is to show them your bank or credit card - NICE! Saved the $11 price.
Education value: I really enjoyed the structure of the exhibits. They take you on a tour of the habitats throughout the pacific coast and the marine life in those areas. Everything from our very familiar La Jolla cove sea life up to the Pacific North West. Each exhibit tells you what area it represents with photos of the different species to match up with what you are seeing in the tank. Most of them give a brief bio as well.
There is also a room that is more educational than live exhibits, telling about the effects of global warming on the ocean and such. my favorite aspect of that area was the interactive display of the amount of energy it takes to light a regular light bulb vs. the low energy spiral ones. You turn a crank as fast as you can to light each up. No matter how hard I tried I could only get a faint flicker out of the regular bulb...but the energy saving one lit up easily....Point very well taken!
Location: Located on the hillside above downtown La Jolla you enjoy a beautiful ocean view from the outside area with the tide pool exhibits. You are provided with complimentary 3 hour parking in their lot and we had no trouble finding a spot (even on a Sat. afternoon).
Lowlights:
Collection: Though they do have a great diversity of species it is a bit lacking. Anyone who has visited one of the prominent aquariums in CA (such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium) would have a bit of a deflated experience here. Even with looking through each exhibit slowly we managed to see everything in its entirety in less than an hour.
Other visitors: Now this is just a personal complaint...it would be a highlight for other people. Most of the other people are parents with young children. So you have the abundance of strollers and kids running around screaming etc. Since the aquarium is small, that heavily affects the atmosphere and experience. But to the parents out there: yes, it's a wonderful place to take your children to enjoy and learn about marine life.
Tide Pool area: I have a few issues with this. First, like most of the aquarium it is a bit lacking. The only creatures in it are some basic anemone, seaweed, sea cucumbers...and not many of each. You could probably find more creatures in the tide pools down at the cove on your own.
I appreciate that you can touch (one finger) anything inside of it, but I was surprised they don't have an area with a sink to wash your hands before and after. it seems concerning to let anyone touch these animals without washing they hands first. I don't know if things like sunscreen on a person's hand, for example, are harmful. Also, after touching away it would be nice to clean your hands for personal sanitation. Places like Sea World have these wash stations in the tide pools - doesn't seem that difficult. Instead you have to go all the way outside of the building next to the gift shop to wash your hands in the restrooms.
---
Overall I had a nice time but that opinion was influenced by being free for sure. it's nice that they provide free parking and the admission isn't too pricey. I've seen discounts in some of the local coupon books, and they offer a student discount. Great place for a little marine life education - and obviously, good place to take the kiddies for the afternoon.
I must be spoiled but I figure San Diego could offer a better aquarium than say, Long Beach. After dropping $12 to get in, the exhibit is only 30 ft long...if that. Well maybe it's a little longer but you figure there would be more than just a couple hallways of tanks.
And the interactive tidepools outside were just pitiful. A couple sea cucumbers and 6-8 star fish? I counted less than 10 specimens available to touch. SeaWorld definately offers more.
Oh well, hopefully with those prices, they will use it to expand.
I took my son to the Birch Aquarium yesterday, I actually expected much better. It is small but still good for its size. I love the octupus tank and the jellyfish were beautiful. They have a tank where you can see sea slugs and lobster. We saw a lobster that had to be 3 feet long.
They also had a giant tank where you could see big fish and clown fish.
Pros: 1. Beautiful fish exibits.
2. Octupus and jellyfish are beautiful.
3. Interactive exibits for the kids.
Cons: 1. Nothing really exciting
2. people against the glass so you can't see.
3. They need to put in railings in front of all exibits.
All in all this is a good place to take kids but not so great for adults without kids.
For my Money I would go to seaworld just down the highway for a few more bucks.
The main objective of taking my 2 year old niece, Michellyn, to the Birch Aquarium was to peak her already curious mind and immerse her in an educational environment but, to also reconnect with fond childhood memories (I hadn't been since I was a teen).
The admission price was reasonable ($11 for adults, free for kids 2yrs. and younger) however, on the day we visited, they were having a promotion which entailed getting in for free if you were a Bank of America customer.
It might have been a small aquarium but, it still had a decent display of marine life. My niece enjoyed gazing at the upside down jellyfish, the shark tank and the Moorish idol (since it looked like Gil from "Finding Little Nemo"). I think the learning area is perfect for children who are older than 2 years old as it is difficult for a two year old to grasp the idea of earthquakes, tides, etc. The outdoor displays were informative especially with staff readily available to answer questions and impressive for its breathtaking backdrop.
My only complaint arises from the parents who misconstrued the aquarium as a playground for their children. There were signs all around the place prohibiting anyone from climbing over exhibit railings but, there were several children who did so and parents who allowed them to do so. What exactly does this teach a child? Certainly not common courtesy or respect for the establishment and its regulations
Scripps aquarium is a beautiful destination for anyone who loves to learn about fish, the ocean and our environment. They seem to be continually adding new exhibits and figuring out new ways to make the experience interesting and digestible for all ages.
The kids activities are wonderful and the leafy sea dragons are magnificent. Go there soon!
"UNDER THE SEA, UNDER THE SEA, DARLING IT'S BETTER, DOWN WHERE IT'S WETTER, TAKE IT FROM ME!" - Little Mermaid
I really have a good time at museums, aquariums, and zoos and I have lived in San Diego all of my life and never have gone to the Birch Aquarium. Well, finally I took the trip and I'm glad I did!
The Birch Aquarium is amazing! You can do the whole aquarium in about 2-3 hours and see the most amazing animals! The kelp bed is one of my favorites along with the tide pool and the view from the outside tide pool is SPECTACULAR!
I went with my friend and her niece and nephew and the aquarium really caters well to the kids! They have activities and and exhibits that allow kids to really explore the animals of the deep blue sea! We even got a behind-the-scenes tour with Jessica and Bob "the fish guy" and they showed us some really cool things and kept the kids engaged into what they were talking about!
Thanks Birch Aquarium for being around and I hope to be back soon!
My thoughts on the Birch Aquarium may be slightly biased since I grew up going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium up in Northern California and I thought that place was the coolest thing ever. They had otters, HUGE fish, everything...you could spend the whole day there!
Then because of 2 field trip assignments, I was sent to Birch. Maybe it's because I was stuck doing dumb scavenger hunts and homework throughout exploring the aquarium, or....
Maybe because there are no otters and only a few large tanks. Honestly, you could explore this place in under 1 hour. I don't find it to be that awesome but it's definitely a good place to go at least once in your life. There is a lot to learn when you come here, such as about how people have totally ruined the ocean for the poor fish.
Oh, and for those who are/were UCSD students...it's nice to look at the huge kelp forest tank and reminisce on when you used to be able to watch that tank on that dorm room channel. Now I know where it is!
Highlights:
- The outdoor tide pool section. Only TOUCH the starfish! Don't lift them!
- The view from the outdoor shark tank...what a lovely sight of La Jolla!
- The seahorses that look like seaweed, the leafy sea dragon. Very neat!
- The huge whale sculpture!
Large Aquarium displaying marine fish. Most local to the California coast. The also have a section of exotic type fish and what not.
The other half of the aquarium is an educational center discussion earth quicks, tides, etc. Great area for the kids.
Their is a tide pool area in the back with volunteers that will answer your questions.
All in all a great trip post lunch date or with the kids
The Birch Aquarium is nestled in the breathtaking views of the coastline of La Jolla and the Scripps Pier. Only being $9 to get in for students, the Aquarium makes for a cheap and interesting way to spend the day. It summer and it was Saturday, which apparently means family day at the aquarium because it was crowded. Other than a little bit of lag going from tank to tank, it really was not that much of a burden. In order to avoid the crowd, we didn't do the typical start of The Hall of Fishes, but rather the "Feeling the Heat" exhibit. This explored the fate of our planet due to climate change and the irreversible effects of CO2 emissions. Although this is a current topic and it has now been ingrained into our brains, I felt the Birch Aquarium did a wonderful job on displaying the facts in a visually appealing and interesting way. Lots of hand on activities and videos to watch. There is also an educational section for smaller children to participate in activities. Next we headed to the Tidepools and surprisingly the view was what caught most of our interest (no offense to the tidepools, but the La Jolla coast is magnificent). The tidepools look out to Scripps Pier and the surrounding La Jolla coast. You can see beautiful sights of San Diego. After taking in our fair share of the views, we journeyed over to the Shark exhibit. I would have to say this was the low point of my day. The exhibit was small, and placed outside in the back corner of the aquarium. I expected to see something like Sea World's Shark Tunnel, but instead was greeted by a somewhat small sized tank filled with smaller sharks. It may be my expectations mixed with a little excitement from Shark Week that let me down, however, I do feel their Shark exhibit was a little less than satisfactory.
To read the rest of this review please visit my blog!
Great place to kill some time if you're into marine life and checking out some insane looking creatures of the sea.
Its been awhile since I last went but I would love to go again.
Kids love this place.
I love fishies and a lot of other sea life and I always find looking at them to be so interesting. I even like to take the time to look and admire the ugly looking things because it's just so interesting.
I really enjoyed my first time here but only wished there was more to see. Only half of the place is an aquarium, the other half was like a science museum. Although, it was quite educational, I'd rather see more fish tanks.
I'm sure people won't like my two star review of the Birth Aquarium, but just like what the rating guide says: "Meh. I've experienced better."
Just like normal expectations of any child-friendly location, the place was crowded with children getting their finger prints all over the glass and spending 10 minutes screaming "I found Nemo!" to every clown fish they see.
Half the aquarium is a "Climate Change" exhibit where 75% of the stations are broken or not working properly. It made me want to zip quickly through that area, and that takes up half of the building!
I was disappointed in the size of the aquarium, too. It didn't feel any larger than one of the three aquariums at the Seaworld just a few minutes down the highway, and the collection of fish wasn't that awe inspiring, either. I've been to several aquariums throughout the US, and this one was one of the most disappointing, especially since it was so hyped up from reading reviews.
The best part of the trip up the highway was the beautiful view of the ocean from the back tidepool area. When other reviewers say you can see the whole aquarium in 2-3 hours they must be really dragging their heels in the mud, because even walking slowly we go through it in less than an hour.
$9 with a student ID. The first half was good. The second part needed some more excitement, it was all about global warming and one game they had said carrots and bunnies are bad because they emit CO2. If bunnies are bad then I just can't live.
I went here for a fieldtrip a long time ago and it was really neat. My favorite part of the aquarium was all the seahorses they housed. There were so many different kinds. I could watch them all day.
I've visited Birch Aquarium three times now and my third visit was the most memorable. The first time I went for a class field trip on a Saturday but did not appreciate much of it. The only thing cool about it during this visit was the sardines tank near the center; if you touch the glass the fish swim away to one side, haha. The second time I had to come here for a college class but it was a simple assignment so I just browsed quickly through and thought it was boring.
The third time was extraordinary ! I spent 3 hours working on a packet for an Oceanography class that asked me specific questions about various tanks and fishes; it made me truly appreciate marine life. I love the kelp tank because it is soothing and you get to sit on the opposite side and watch the fishes interact. There is also a section that teaches the public about global warming. The tide pools outside are a bit small and somewhat lifeless but the view towards the ocean is beautiful.
The price is decent, especially if you're a student. I'd definitely take my kid someday.
Fantastic small aquarium! It was a rainy day adventure with my mom. It was packed, parking was rough, but it was worth it. The crowd actually flows through at a reasonable pace, and most of crowd was friendly.
The displays were informative. The moray eels were ugly. The sharks were active. It was good :)
Why only 3 stars?
The HUGE exhibit on climate change. I get that it is important to be informed on these types of issues and how the affect the world, but it is an AQUARIUM! I came to see fishies and sharks, not reproductions from An Inconvenient Truth.
Take out the climate change exhibit and put in more things related to the beautiful ocean!
Also, the tide pools were closed :(
Hopefully this Climate Change thing is a rotating exhibit, and it will be replaced by something more suited for an aquarium.
What can I say? Birch is a pretty small aquarium. I can't complain b/c it was free for me...but in comparison to the one in Long Beach, Birch really can't compete.
Great place to take a date or the kids--but have something else planned for afterwards b/c you can go through the entire place in about 30 minutes--and that's w/reading practically every miniscule detail about all the creatures.
Birch is not the behemoth aquarium like Monterrey or Sea World, and it's not quite the size of Long Beach. I can appreciate the little guys a bit more, as if you take your time, I believe this place has a lot to offer and you get the benefit of exploring a smaller space, allowing you to see and experience more without that dreaded overload. If you were in Paris, it'd be like forgoing the Louvre in favor of Musay D'Orsay. Or "something" like that.
Theme song: http://www.seeqpod.com...
Weather: Perfect. 75 degrees fahrenheit
Crowd conditions: 40% maximum capacity, only 2 kids screamed all day
Mood: Pensive
Total time spent: 2 hours
There are 7 main exhibits. My favorite is the dark tunnel called the "Hall of Fishes/Shark Reef." They use colorful lighting and backgrounds which make for really cool pictures. First, I saw lots of cool, colorful jellyfish. They are just the most amazing looking things but dangerous!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And then a mini-sting ray guy popped out to say hello. Cute little guy! Can't believe his cousin was the untimely demise of Steve Irwin!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
You make your way to the main attraction - the Kelp Tank. 70,000 gallons of water! There are elevated risers for you to sit back and enjoy the view. Sharks, fishies, and other critters swim about.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
See it live here!
http://aquarium.ucsd.e...
More little guys were swimming about. I used to have them in my home fish tank.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And who can't resist this guy?
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
2nd cool exhibit I liked: The tide pool. You can touch the critters that live below. Pet your garden variety of starfish and many others!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Make your way back in to check out the coral reef displays with more colorful rocks helping to camoulflage the fish. Can you see someone looking at you here?
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And the beautiful sea horse. He looks like part of the plant life, right?
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Enjoy the view of the Pacific! I often take this for granted.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Oh, another weird exhibit I saw. I think they should've put this exhibit at the San Diego Zoo instead.
http://static.px.yelp....
Overall, I love that you can just stop off at the aquarium, spend a couple of hours, and continue on your way to San Diego. Doesn't have to be some fanny-packed, wake up early, brown bagged lunch type of day you have to plan for in advance (e.g., Sea World). Just enjoy the exhibits, pet some star fish, enjoy the view, take a walk, relax, and relish in the day's greatness.
I love doing fun things that also provide some sort of education. Zoo: been there. Sea World: meh, done that. Birch Aquarium? Amazing! I can't believe I've lived in San Diego most of my life and never experienced the Birch Aquarium. I was expecting something really cheesy but I had a great time!
Whether you've got a gaggle of ankle-biters or you're looking for a great date spot, there are good times to be had by all. $19 (student discount score!) got us a great day of fun and fish. Much like the zoo, you follow a darkened hallway and can stop at whatever tank piques your interest. A friendly volunteer was never far behind to answer my pressing questions, like how do seahorses do it and where do eels go numero dos?
We caught one of the live feeding shows, which was cool except I kept getting my hair pulled by 5-year-olds. I just wanted to see the giant eel freak out and attack. That punk eel didn't budge. Boo.
Anyway, there's some really, really great stuff to be seen here.
It only took us about an hour to make our way through this small aquarium. I've been to many aquariums and I can say that this one did have some fish I've never seen before. That leafy sea dragon was so neat and so were the huge morays. They didn't have a ton of stuff, but what they did have was cool.
The only thing that I was disappointed about was the Shark Reef. All it is is an outdoor station with one medium sized tank with smallish sharks in it. I guess it was OK, I would have loved to see bigger sharks though.
The Aquarium was kind of small but they had cool jelly fishes, sharks, tree frogs, a huge lobster, a shark egg with a shark moving inside, SEA DRAGONS!!!! and much more. I've never seen or heard of sea dragons but they are some crazy looking creatures. In the back, they have an incredible view of the ocean. They also had a hands on station for the kids to learn about water currents and kids sure love to play with water. The cost of admission was really inexpensive ($7.50 for kids, $11 for adults, $8 for students). I thought it was a cool place to check out if you have a few hours.
Such a breathtaking view of La Jolla and the Scripps Pier.My son had fun playing the tide pool.
A nice Aquarium....but not a lot to it. Your money is much better spent at Sea World...than here.
I would definitely recommend looking for a discount coupon. Try the Entertainment Book.
Nice....but your visit will be over in a few minutes.
High points include the sea dragons to the left of the entrance and view from the deck/ childrens tide pool areas outside. Lots of parking too. Plenty of places for children to explore. A teenager with me enjoyed the weathercaster exhibit where you can record your own news story and then watch it play...
*You can get free admission on the first weekend of every month of 2008 with any Bank of America debit or credit card.
It is a small aquarium but quite well kept. We were considering SeaWorld for the day but I didn't feel like running all over a hectic park and rushing to make sure we saw everything. The size of the aquarium was perfect and I was able to tell my son most of the fish names without him becoming bored or so excited that he wanted to race off to the next thing. It was really nice getting to go through at a slower pace.
We particularly liked the Sarcastic Fringehead. The Moray Eel tank was excellent! As we went through we played 'I Spy' to see if we could find each fish listed in the given tank. College students were going through with large packets. If a bunch of people were standing in front of a tank or someone was making observations we'd just go on to the next and loop back later, it was nice and relaxed.
The outdoor area would have been nicer on a warmer day and we probably would have lingered a great deal longer. The water in the play table was heated(and heavily chlorinated), a nice touch. I watched as adults got drawn into the fun of the table. Eventually all of the waterways were dammed and the water levels rose and trickled over the tops. The tide pools were rather neat as was the view of the ocean, the staff was not eager to share info re: the sea creatures as in some places which was okay with us because we tend to visit a lot of aquariums and science centers.
I really liked the exhibits on Climate Change and Disguise! My son was keen on finding the animals that blended nearly perfectly into the backgrounds of their tanks.
The last stop was the giftshop. AS is typical much of the stuff, if not all, was made in China. There were a few okay items but a lot of stuff that made me look and wonder why it was even made. If it serves no utilitarian function and/or is not beautiful and is poorly made then what is the point? It was kind of ironic that they sell really nice reusable bags for the purpose of cutting down on needless waste I bought one, a good deal at 99 cents. AS always I bought one of the ridiculously expensive pthalate free bath toys, this time a dolphin, to add to our collection. It was a perfect stop for the afternoon!
So this past weekend was friggin hot! I decided to take my little girl to La Jolla to beat the heat and go see the "fisheys" as she puts it over at Scripps Aquarium. Now mind you, I haven't been to this place since elementary school. I didn't quite remember what to expect. Regular Adult prices go for about $11.00. Since Bella is 22 months old, she's still considered free. Yay!
As one would expect, there were fish....fish...and more fish. Saw everything from puffer-fish to lion fish to moray eels to glowing jellyfish. That's just to name a few. It was educational to say the least, but I got a bigger kick out of watching Bella scream and yell in excitement..."daddy look.... fishey's...I like it...oooohhhhh". There's a man-made tide pool out in the back for the kids to touch starfish, urchins, and sea cucumbers. My little girl had a blast touching these creatures.
$11.00 was well worth it, not for the fish, not for the education value. But mainly to hear my little girl have fun and laugh at her first time here.
Overheard at the aquarium:
Nerdy Pre-pubescent Teenager 1: "Check it out: once an alpha male obtains dominance, it will change colors."
Geeky Pre-pubescent Teenager 2: "Uh..huh-huh. Do you really think you're qualified to even comment on alpha male rituals and phenomena?"
That was one of the hi-lights of my visit at the aquarium over the weekend. We took advantage of free admission because of the Bank of America promotion that was going on: http://promotions.bank...
It was nice to be able to go for free. It's a smaller aquarium, but we still spent two hours there...maybe because my husband was playing with his camera and trying to get a National Geographic-worthy shot at each exhibit. Still, in the first half of the aquarium, we enjoyed some incredible creatures like the Sea Nettles, anenome, and countless specimens of coral besides a variety of saltwater fish. The other half of the aquarium was mostly geared towards kids in the form of a less sophisticated exhibit similar to a display of tanks you may find at a nice tropical fish store interjected with "interactive" and "educational" exhibits. To me, these were all a bit too wordy and not interactive enough to keep me or any kid I know entertained. Fortunately, there were definitely some interesting animals the other half of the aquarium had not covered yet.
I'm only giving it three stars because I was a little disappointed that an aquarium in a city which boasts of its studies in marine biology was so small and the tanks, although well-kept, didn't look like they had that much going on in them compared to ones I'd seen in other cities. The tide pool exhibit, which I thought would have been one of the hi-lights, also seemed a bit tired. Maybe it's gotten too much traffic and it's not flourishing as well as it should, but it's not tourist season yet, so I would think it should be doing better. Sea World has a better tide pool exhibit. But the real reason why you would come out to the tide pool exhibit is to witness the view on the deck. You can see forever down the coast line on a clear day. Great photo ops here.
Overall, I wouldn't rate this as a must-see for San Diego visitors, but if you've done all the bigger parks and you can take advantage of a good discount (i.e. free), it's not a bad way to spend a couple hours.
I concur...
don't pay full price.
I also had a buy one get one coupon, but i'm glad i did.
We were pretty disappointed because of the size.
There really isn't that much there. You walk through it...and then it's like, "huh? that's it??"
you could probably see everything in 30 mins. give or take
nice try Birch...but disappointing =\
I recently went to the Aquarium in Seattle, WA and this place doesn't even compare!
What they have is great, it's just so small and disappointing. You're done walking it in a half hour. It makes me want to fly all the way to Atlanta just to check out a substancial aquarium.
My 7 year old loved it so I guess I like it. I wouldn't come here if I didn't have a child -- no way! This isn't the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Basically, I was done within 30 mins and it wasn't all that exciting. If it wasn't for the discount we got for admission (50% off if you buy your tickets from MWR from any of the bases in SD) it would totally be a waste of money.
There is a kelp tank and a bunch of tanks with sharks and sea turtles which were the coolest displays there. The jellyfish displays are getting old. Every aquarium has them, but at least at Birch there were some unique jellyfish I'd never seen before.
There is also an entire room dedicated to global warming which I found interesting, but it didn't really appeal to lil guy. I guess you win some and you lose some.
Free parking for up to 3 hours.
The beauty of this place is the accessibility. Moms with kid(s) and stroller(s) will know how great it is when you can keep your children all within 10 feet of you while still being able to let them run (somewhat) freely.
Yes, people think this place is small - which it is! But believe me, this doesn't compromise the quality of the displays themselves. The individual aquariums are beautifully designed, and the fish are quite often breathtaking. I'm no expert, but judging from the response of my daughter and several other children, it's like an underwater wonderland. It's a very focused journey through the entire aquarium, so you rarely feel overwhelmed or lost - and you can really enjoy each display separately.
There is a whole interactive section where the kids can play with water currents and boats. My daughter (and others) loved this but I know some parents were aghast at how wet their kids got. Oh well - this isn't a problem for me, but if it is, just bring a spare t-shirt and you'll be fine. Also available is a whole tide-pool area - at least, they look like tide pools - where you can actually stick your hand in the water and check out the shells and coral. Very cool.
I think, if you're wondering what to do with your morning, bring the kids here for an hour or so. It's a perfect excursion that won't break the bank (and parking is free) and is a great way to entertain the little ones.
