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Monterey Bay Aquarium Gift & Bookstore
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for Monterey Bay Aquarium Gift & Bookstore
Penguins, Penguins, Penguins!
Oh how they waddle, squawk and coo. I walk in and start grabbing penguins until my arms are full of the adorable stuffed creatures. A big sigh as I eventually put most of them back on the shelves for someone else to adopt. As a member of the MBA I do get a small discount on store purchases, and most have been penguin items. The Ocean Discovery Store has the best stuffed animals and stuffed penguins along with many kids toys and kids books. The Splash Zone gift shop near the penguin exhibit has many penguin items like t-shirts and sweatshirts with penguins on them that the main store may not carry. The main gift shop has penguin pot holders, postcards, posters, books, mugs, jewelery and magnets.
Not the best giftstore I've ever seen in an aquarium. They have a sale going on some of their t-shirts, 40% off, including one with an ugly MBA print but the cotton was wonderfully soft and made with 90% energy saving methods. Mostly sea/ocean themed items which are pretty pricey. In a locked glass case were local artists glass renditions of jelly-fishes. Just gorgeous, but $400-$600 sticker price. Not a lot of local artists creations, more "Made in China" things that you would find at most higher end tourist traps.
A few MBA publications/books are against one wall with ocean music CDs. Their otter stuffed animals are awfully cute but way too expensive.
There are a couple of other smaller giftstores in the aquarium but carry solely items which appeal to younger tykes. If you're a MBA member, there's a discount on purchases but no reciprocity if you're a member of another aquarium.
The gifts here are crazy expensive, but at least I can feel good knowing the money is going to help fund the research and education of the general public about Monterey aquatic life. I just really wish they wouldn't sell so much cheap tchotchke crap (like bendable pencils) - I know it's all to provide something within a price range for everyone, but I have a hard time with an environmentally-conscious organization (and this is a problem with ALL gift shops) providing the world with a another way to fill their lives and our environment with needless junk.
That said, other items like jewelry, posters, clothing and books are all excellent quality and there is a HUGE variety to choose from. Even if you're not "into" museums or aquariums, you could still find something in this gift shop to suit your fancy.
High prices, overcrowded, nothing really novel aside from the stuffed animals. Mostly generic items with a decent book section and a few minimal sales. I'd go with 2 stars if the profits weren't going to help the bay and the animals.
On busy days, this gift shop is not exempt from the annoying crowds.
We found a cute sea otter back pack for my partner's niece. Well, that was the excuse we used to buy it; we'll see if it ever makes it into the care package for the holidays. I like their selection of temporary tattoos; I'm a big fan. Some of their jewelry was way too ocean-themed, but some of it was nice. In general, the prices are very inflated.
The staff was nice. We were looking some sort of glow-in-the-dark paperweight thingie, and a lady offered to hold a light to it and bring it back to us in a box so we could see it work. She seemed very proud of herself; it was cute.
There are store along the Row that have similar merch, but this is the place to get stuff with the MBA official logo.
OOoOOO..I saw this huge white seal stuffed animal in the gift store!! The seal was soft and so cute!
What did the price tag say? $39.99!!!! Yikes!!! I don't need the stuffed animal anymore. $40 isn't worth the price for a toy.
It's too bad because Walry, my walrus stuffed animal, needed a friend.
Located in the Aquarium. Nice gift shop and loaded with all types of books and take aways. The books range from kids to scientific. Worth checking out.
Some neat souvenirs for those that need a momento for their visit.
Caution: cute plush otter animals will be hard to not buy for your kids.
I'm a sucker for the stuffed animals and this place has just about every type of marine mammal to feed that hunger. All of their selections are adorable and irresistable and you just want to buy one of each. They're lucky I don't bring a shopping cart with me to fill with my new friends [: I still have the mini penguin I bought from here and I love it!
We found t shirts that were on sale, got a penguin t shirt for $5.00 bucks and a fish t shirt for $4.18. That was a steal considering those same t shirts were seen at the touristy trap stores for $12.99!! Got a small magnetic dolphin for $5.99.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/31/2008
Well my kids dont really like stuffed animals..I've got 2 boys. There isn't anything much other… Read more »
I bought a lighted display stand for a cool jelly fish glass piece...actually two sets of them for my kids. Not cheap...$120. I purchased them on my way to the airport. Of course when I got home and plugged them in, they didn't work. Good luck contacting someone in the store. No responses to any attempts. Not even possible to talk to a person in the store....Update-Ultimately I did get a call back and they exchanged the item. It was difficult to get them but they did the right thing in the end:)
They have lots of things to buy at the store, but boy... are the plushes overpriced.
I have on several occasions found many awesome penguins here. They carry them in many forms -- from little plastic toy ones, to penguin earrings, to plush cuddly ones. They may not have penguins in the aquarium, but they certainly have them in the bookstore, and it's worth the trip for penguin lovers!
Picked up a sterling silver MBA logo charm about 10 years ago to remind me of all my good times there as a child. I used to live up the street!
Isn't a large store, off of the entrance but chock full of cute stuffed animals of the sea, bags, cups, trinkets..you will no doubt leave with something to remind you of your awesome aquarium experience.
plushy animals, picture books and oodles of random trivial odds and ends related to monterey, the bay, and marine life. i still have the piece of amethyst from my very first field trip visit there close to 15 years ago... [i had a cool chaperone... ha!] - but i am always tempted to pick up some jewlery and stuff from here every time i find myself in the area...
