How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium

November 24, 2024

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All information in this post is accurate as of the publishing date, however it is always best to check timetables, pricing, or opening hours before visiting a destination or venue.

While in California, visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium was high on our list. However, as we were travelling on a budget, this was one of the pricier things we spent money on. Tickets aren’t cheap (we’ll go into that more below), so we decided to really make the most of our time not only at the aquarium, but also in Monterey. So if you’re wanting to savour all the time you’ve got in this great city, give this post a read!

The Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the most incredible aquarium we have ever been to. With 80,000 animals in over 200 exhibits, they’re extremely focussed on conservation and education. There are researchers, scientists, policy experts and a whole seafood watch team working together to help the ocean. This makes the high price feel a bit better, as you know your money is going to a good cause.

Tickets for adults are $65 USD and you can buy them online or at the aquarium. Do take note that during popular periods it can sell out. Buying tickets online in advance is the best way to guarantee entry. Getting there is easy, it’s only a 30 minute walk from the centre of the city and through Cannery Row. There’s also the A or B buses that run frequently from the city and only take 10 minutes each way.

A photo of part of a fish tank with lots of brilliant coloured fish swimming around that are pink and yellow and lots of clown fish too at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. Behind them is a huge orange anemone and on the left is a green rock "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The aquarium has lots of beautiful animals

A window showing the kelp forest at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. Around the edge of the window is some yellow/green kelp and in the blue water are some fish and more kelp. Down the bottom outside of the tank is a yellow plaque explaining what some of the fish inside the tank are "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — We could sit and watch the kelp swaying in the water current forever

The Animals

You wouldn’t be going to an aquarium if you didn’t want to see some animals, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is incredible for this, both inside and out. One of the highlights is the wild sea otters that live in the ocean just outside. They lie in the kelp and are super common so if you keep an eye out, you’ll probably see some!

If you don’t get to see them, don’t worry! There are five female sea otters in the aquarium that aren’t able to be released back to the wild. They now act as surrogate mothers to sea otter pups who come in for rehabilitation. The pups are raised in the aquarium by the resident otters, and then eventually released. You can see them all day in the aquarium and watch them float around their enclosure.

Another highlight is the 8.5 meter kelp forest that is constantly moving thanks to pumps pushing 2000 gallons of water through every minute. Here you can see lots of amazing animals as well as a live show where divers feed fish.

Another incredible exhibit is the open sea exhibit, which has a huge 27 meter window in front of seating where you can just relax and watch the fish swimming around. This exhibit has a huge array of animals including sharks, turtles and a school of 15,000 sardines which are incredible to watch.

There’s also an amazing jellyfish exhibit, a fascinating deep sea exhibit, puffins, penguins, an octopus and a sand aviary. There is truly so much to see and if you do finish exploring all the exhibits, you can always go and sit in front of the calming kelp forest or open sea windows.

A sea otter at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. She's lying on her back with her eyes shut and her paw on the glass. Under her is some kelp and behind her are some rocks "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — Just LOOK at this sea otter, so cute!

A window at the jelly exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. The window is blue from the water and there are heaps of brilliant orange jellyfish swimming around in it "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The jellyfish exhibit is so pretty

The Shows and Talks

The shows and talks is really where we made the most of our money. It did take some strategy, though! There are numerous animal feedings you can watch like the sea otters, the seabirds and the penguins. And of course the open sea and kelp forest feedings. These are super fun but do get very busy, especially the sea otter one, so make sure to get there early. The open sea and kelp forest feedings were our favourites and are held in bigger areas so there’s more space for everyone and some seating too.

Also in the aquarium, near the sea otter enclosure, is a big auditorium where the shows are held. There are a wide variety of shows held here throughout the day including one about a rescued sea otter named Luna which is very cute. There’s also shows about bioluminescence, one about mysteries of the deep, and one called the journey to Baja. They’re all super interesting and only run for 15 minutes each. The auditorium is also pretty large so it’s unlikely you won’t get seats, but they do close the doors on time so don’t be late.

A bunch of people sitting on the floor taking photos of the kelp forest which takes up 4 huge windows in the photo at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. In the water is a diver who's surrounded by fish as she's feeding them, and there's a woman outside the tank talking to the audience "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — A diver in the tank at the kelp forest talk

A dark room with people sitting on the ground and taking photos of the open sea window at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. The window is a dark blue colour from the water and there are fish, sharks and a huge school of sardines swimming around "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The incredible school of 15,000 sardines in the open sea exhibit

Making the Most of Your Money

To make the most of your time and money, it’s best to use the physical map they give you to plan out your day. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is open from 10am to 5pm and we used the entire day to see everything. The building is split up into four sections: two sides with an upper and a lower level each. In between the two sides is the sea otter enclosure, the auditorium and the shop. There’s also a great café with amazing views over the ocean where you can keep an eye out for wild sea otters.

Some of the feedings happen multiple times a day, but some only once. It’s important to plan out in the morning what you want to see so you don’t miss out. However there are multiple showings of the same shows in the auditorium so working around those is much easier. We planned to see feedings and shows that were close to each other in time and also distance so we could see as much as possible. By 5pm we really felt like we had gotten our moneys worth and had a great experience!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium really is an amazing place and is absolutely worth it if you like aquariums so definitely check it out if you can!

A view of the ocean from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. The photo is just the swirling blue water with white bits, brown rocks and a bit of a stone building on the left of the photo. The sky is also grey and overcast "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The view of the ocean near the aquarium

A little sandy beach exhibit in the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, USA. The sand is in the middle of the photo with two birds with long red legs and long black thin beaks and two water bowls on the sand. On the right is some water, on the left are some green plants and behind the exhibit is a glass window with the ocean outside and some other trees and buildings "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The sand aviary in the aquarium

Monterey City

If you’re visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you may as well have a look around Monterey while you’re there! Monterey is a beautiful little city on the stunning California coast. It does have a regional airport but the easiest way to access it by public transport is by train. Most trains and buses that run up the coast will stop at the nearby town of Salinas. From here you can take an easy bus to Monterey that takes about an hour.

The town itself has a cute little town centre with some lovely shops and restaurants, but there are two areas in particular worth visiting. The first is the Old Fisherman’s Wharf which is on the bay. There are some wonderful seafood restaurants here as well as stores selling lots of salt water taffy. The best thing is that seals and sea otters hang out around the wharf so it really is worth a visit.

The second place to visit is Cannery Row, which is right near the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This great area used to be full of sardine canaries, the last of which shut in 1973. It’s now full of some wonderful souvenir and speciality stores as well as great places to eat. Definitely worth a visit, even if you’re not going to the aquarium.

Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, California, USA. The wharf has lots of coloured buildings in yellow and blue and above it is a blue sky with clouds. In front of it is blue water, with a little sandy beach, rocks, and grass in the foreground "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The beautiful fisherman’s wharf

A photo down Cannery Row in Monterey, California, USA. The street has yellow and red buildings on the right, with a walkway going over the road that says "Monterey Canning Co." on it in white painted letters. On the left is another building with the American flag on top. There are cars parked on both sides of the street and some trees on the side of the road too "How To Make The Most Of Your Time At The Monterey Bay Aquarium" — The cool Cannery Row in Monterey

Final Thoughts

Monterey truly is a wonderful place to visit, even more so when heading to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There are SO many wonderful animals to see, shows to watch and talks to listen to. It’s so easy to really make the most of your time and money. It’s a wonderful experience and if you do visit, let us know what your favourite parts were!

Check out our vlog to see our experience in Monterey:

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