Way better than the Long Beach aquarium. At only a quartet the size the Cabrillo aquarium had more interesting things to see and do like a tide pool walk & a touch lagoon. Though you wont see large exhibits of seals & etc the Cabrillo makes up for it with labs you can walk into and large preserved animals on display such as a humbolt squid thats like 5ft long, or a football angler fish the size of a football, and a baby great white shark. To top it all off its right on a nice quaint scenic beach tucked away from hustle and bustle -plus its free to go in, they strongly suggest a dollar donation per kid and a 5 dollar donation per adult.
Great place to take the kids! Parking is fairly cheap at 1$ a hour. They have tide pool walks often but you can go alone just be sure to go when my kids also like to just wonder and look around while at the beach. My kids also love the gift shop but what kid does not.
I loved this aquarium. It's great for small children lots of things to touch . Very inexpensive they only ask for donations the suggested donation is of $5 per person and $1 for children. Will definitely be returning soon.
Love visiting this amazing place. Been here a few times took the little one here and had a great time on Saturday. Donations $5 dollars for adults & $1 dollar for children. Very well kept, clean, restrooms are available high standards. Easy to navigate with out a directory even when they provide all that information at the front entrance. The staff are very helpful & friendly, you can count on their knowledge and direction for the most pleasurable experience here.
I learn something new everytime I come here, they even have workshops for educators and fun activities for the kids.
Need I mention their cool gift shop loaded with all your aquatic and marine life novelties, something for everyone.
They have a large parking area in front with self paid stations.
Always look forward to visiting.
It's a science based educational experience with live & deceased aquatic specimen through out. My son loves it, he finds the preserved creature bodies and hands on areas very interesting. The way they open the touch pool like once every hour creates excitement & fun. There is a playground on the beach near by but it is nearly always windy here. It's donation based & so reasonable. $5 for adults & $1 for kids. You can pay for parking or park near by in the streets.
So many beautiful creatures! Only down side is it is super small, but of you have small children, it's great. They have touch tanks as well as coloring activities. I also think they should have employees (or maybe volunteers) positioned throughout, just in case you had questions, but other than that, it's a lot of fun!
Fun, kids liked it even though we weren't guided through the aquarium.
Just wish they would at least guide the field trips and give fun facts while we were in the aquarium. We definately enjoyed the outside activities but would have loved it if we had a guide throughout the aquarium, especially seeing we weren't the only school on a field trip that day. I think all the schools would have been much more organized and less crowding, but overall it was a fun experience for the kids and for me.
This place is so friendly, sweet, and perfect! What it lacks in fancy, it makes up for in hands-on knowledge and interesting real things! The staff are great! Cute gift shop. It's donation, so if you're struggling you can take the family and not worry. We've been members for three years now - we love it! The architecture is by Frank Gehry, as well. Make a day out of it and hang out at Cabrillo Beach and light a fire in the pits!
This is a great hidden gem. I love coming here. There aren't many new exhibits, but it brings back a feeling as if I were on a field trip from my youth. There staff are very friendly and helpful and they do several science experiments here as well, which is cool to see. There is generally plenty of parking and there is a beach with a kids play set and swings, which is definitely nice for the kiddos. I would highly recommend!
The exhibits are interesting. Nice place to spend at least part of your day. Great friendly helpful staff. I myself prefer this aquarium than the gimmicky Aquarium of the Pacific down in L.B.
BEST SCHOOL FIELD TRIP!!! I was a parent helper today with my son's class and I was so impressed by the set up they have and the friendliness and efficiency of the staff was incredible. I used to come here as a child and it's been built up and improved upon. Definitely coming back with the family to make a day of it!
Small but good aquarium! They have a lot of interesting smaller sea life, a large tide pool touch tank, and a nursery. It's not too crowded on the weekends and they have a lot of helpful volunteers and community groups organizing events here. It's right on the beach too.
For some it may not be much to look at in comparison to the Aquarium of the Pacific, but it has a cozy and homey feeling that is just comforting. There's a lot to learn and the staff is extremely helpful and involved. It seems like they thoroughly enjoy contributing to the education and understanding of the oceans, its inhabitants, and its conservation. I enjoy coming and taking a walk down the tranquil beach. They have lots of events over the weekend, usually free of charge.