Monterey Bay Aquarium

Pros: Ambience of an old cannery with great local environmental focus
Cons: WAAAYYYYY too Expen$ive!

It's big, it's beautiful, it's fun, it's horribly expensive. That's my one sentence view of the Monterey Bay Aquarium --- one of the most popular (and yeah, that means "crowded") attractions on the north-central California coast. The folks who built ...

Pros: Jellies, Outer Bay, and Aviary are outstanding exhibits. Everything else is pretty cool, too.
Cons: Crowds and entrance fees!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of Northern California's top tourist destinations, without a doubt. My family is fortunate to live only an hour away and have been there many times over the years. A few weeks ago we ventured there again as we were eager ...

Pros: This amazing place is not only educational, it's peaceful.
Cons: For me I live too far away.

Monterey Bay is located on the coast of northern California on the very end of historic Cannery Row off of highway 1 south. This gorgeous bay supports an abundance of marine communities. Kelp forests, coastal wetlands, sandy sea bottoms and deep...

Pros: Everything about it, except...
Cons: ...not enough penguin varieties, and their exhibit is too small

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was opened in 1984, the result of a 7-year effort inspired by marine scientists at Stanford University. A gift of David Packard, of Hewlett-Packard fame, it was intended as a view of the ocean flora and fauna specific to...

Pros: A family friendly, handicap accessible aquatic treasure that is a fun-filled learning environment.
Cons: Monterey, CA is clear across the country from our home near Washington, DC.

Before our recent trip to Monterey, CA, Mrs. G and I each composed a listing of “must visit” attractions. Not surprisingly, The Monterey Bay Aquarium was #1 on both of our lists.

There were probably a hundred people in line when we...

Pros: tons of exhibits, lots to see and learn, amazing and beautiful
Cons: crowds, parking

You'd think that with how much I adore sea life and the fact that I live here, I'd pretty much live at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, right? Well... no. When it was first build my family got a yearly pass-for the first 6 or so years. That was in 1984....

Pros: Exhibits, beautiful environment, near Cannery Row
Cons: Cost, parking, crowded

During our last visit to Northern California, my husband and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Location, Hours, Contact Information Monterey Bay Aquarium 886 Cannery Row Monterey, California 93940 Regular Hours 10AM - 6PM Daily ...

Pros: A wonderful hands on experience for children, vast variety of ocean life.
Cons: Can be a tad cool in Monterey Bay, bring a jacket

The catagory of Aquariums has been added, this review has been moved from Monterey & Big Sur.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is built on Monterey's Historic Cannery Row. The Monterey Bay Aquarium actually recreates the bay's habitats, the...

Pros: not commercialized, large deck outside for relaxing, great displays and exhibits
Cons: when it's busy, it's harder to navigate and move through the exhibits as quickly

I went to Monterey Bay for the first time a few weeks ago, on a business trip. Since I had some free time, I decided to stop by their aquarium, which I had heard so many compliments about. With no map to guide me in my rental car, I decided to just ...

Pros: Seeing marine life in their habitat; beautiful schools of fish
Cons: Can be crowded

Please heed this advice: Make plans to arrive early and visit during the week to avoid being stuck in a crowd!

They arrived early in flashy cars. They were mostly teenagers from the surrounding areas. They dropped off a few friends to stand...

Pros: beautiful and educational
Cons: no parking price is steep

I have touched on the subject of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in previous reviews about this area. I thought, however, that I would expand on this wonderful place a little. I currently live in Monterey, Ca. Sadly, I will soon be leaving. I have always loved...

Pros: wonderful local sealife exhibits
Cons: sometimes crowded

One of Monterey's most famous sites is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This aquarium houses a large, well kept collection of sea life. The Aquarium has fish and otters, jellyfish and octopi, sharks and starfish, sand pipers and clams.

The most...

Pros: Best Aquarium in the area.
Cons: Parking is not great.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the best Aquarium in Northern California. Maybe even the best Aquarium in California. At least the best I have ever been to. The location of the aquarium is great, right on the water next to many places to eat. Some of the ...

Pros: Stunning and unique tanks, excellent kids' sections, very accessible and informative
Cons: For some reason, they chose not to locate it in walking distance from my home.

Last summer, my mother had come to visit and we were looking for a good day trip location, not far from our home in Silicon Valley, and not too hard to take our son to (he was 18 months old at the time). "I've never been to the Monterey Bay...

Pros: Impressive array of marine exhibits, cute sea otters. Educational programs
Cons: Crowds can be overwhelming. Try to go on weekdays.

I feel fortunate to live only an hour away from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a must see destination whenever a friend or relative visits us in Santa Cruz, and although I've been there at least ten times, I'm always ready to go again.

The...