Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey

This was not a good family value and a long, drawn out day. Very crowed on weekends, expensive @ $32.95 per adult plus fees for the children, $20 for parking, and lots of traffic congestion for a 90 minute visit. Then we spent an extra hour in bumper to bumper traffic on the way home. Send them a reasonable donation, if you like their enviornmental programs, and I suggest watching the video at home.

Me and family of 3 recently relocated to Monterey from Redondo beach after taking a regional manager position within my company. We had read so many exciting things about the city and had only read about the BIG SUR Beaches along the Central Coast. After doing a little research we were dying to pay the city a visit. We were very nervous about the possibility of moving 6 hours away from our family and friends with absolutely no one up here we would know (except of course my fellow employees). However, we decided this opportunity was just too HUGE for me/us to pass up. This meant my wife would be able to stay home and spend more time with our 8 year old daughter after working as an Executive Admin Assistant for 7 years. We were very excited about the possibility of relocating to such a popular area but wanted to make sure we did our homework before making our official decision to accept the position. After the long drive we arrive in Monterey and immediately fell in love with Cannary Row, Old Monterey etc! Nothing I can type could describe the beauty out here in Monterey County! The people out here seemed to live life in a more relaxing type of mind set. Coming from Socal this was a breath of fresh air! The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a destination you cannot pass up when visiting Monterey!! We also made sure to take advantage of our time out here by visiting potential communities to call home. Monterey is the definitely the priciest of local cities. However, if you want to enjoy the best living experience, Monterey is where it's at! We found a perfect little, well taken care of community within the city's popular Casanova Oak Knoll Neighborhood in the beautiful city of Monterey, near Fremont Blvd and Casanova Ave. We fell so much in love with the area that we decided to put a hold and an apartment that same weekend..lol We returned back home with the biggest smile and good news to share with our family and friends that Monterey was in our near future. I gladly accepted the position and moved 2 weeks later. We have been here since February 2011 and I must say we love it!! We found a perfect place to call our "little piece of heaven" here in Monterey! We have some of the best neighbors and always joke around about how perfect our life has become since moving out here..lol.. We all know life is not perfect but this seems to be the closest we can get! I am really grateful for this opportunity to call Monterey our city! I never really had a chance to thank my Community Manager who played a big role in helping us find the perfect place to call our home with the best staff and neighbors anyone could ask for. We made many friends thanks to the monthly resident community events we have here..lol.. Settling in was easier than we thought! Monterey has some of the friendliest people! Thank you Monterey Townhouse Apartments and everyone else who have brought so much joy to our Family since moving here. We love you Monterey!! Sincerely, Happy MontereyFamily

I loved it. The only reason I'd take a star off is cuz it is a little hyped up about how 'great and grand' it is. I'd take another star off if I had to pay the price for it too, but I was a guest to a season pass holder so it was free. They were all hyped up about a temporary "great white shark" they have - it was juss a 4ft something in a giant tank you rarely got to see him swim around. The place was all hyped up about how it took days just to go through the whole aquarium (unless you have kids that need naps inbetween excitment). I'm used to zoos and tiny aquariums inland, so to see such different water life was amazing to me. These were things we read in books as kids and watched documentaries of, but never actually seen one in real life let alone got to touch it. It was unique to me. But then again that trip was the first time I've ever seen an ocean too. It is VERY kid friendly and all about animal rights there. The puffins were my favorite, they had a lot of personality. I touched a stingray, starfish, sea cucumber (my favorite to touch), urchin, crab, snails, etc. It has two levels and four sections and we got through it all in less than four hours, but thats not including all the kid friendly interactions they have along the way. We also got to see some feedings of the penguins and the fish in the kelp forest. It would be so much cooler if the aquarium actually went out into to the bay, but they just use the water from the bay for their tanks. Over all it was a great experience but I'd only pay to do that once.

Beautiful facility! Great for families with the interactive technological displays and beautiful display of fish. The only drawback was the price... For two adults and two kids (ages 6 and 4), admission was $100. Add on parking in the structure at $3.50 an hour and food, and we paid nearly $160 for the entire day...

i was quite disappointed with the aquarium for several reasons, a. due to a ad years ago i was expecting a tunnel out into the bay an thats why ive always wanted to go, the prices were high for very little to see altho that which was able was well put together, also as im in a wheelchair i could barely get close to view anything as there was a distinct lack of structure an i never found the seahorses either. the handicap doors to the touch pools rarely work an i couldnt get in to touch anything. not a value or worth the enormous price.

never seen an aquarium before but this was a nice one. but the admission price is a bit steep.

Our grandchildren have been to the aquarium and loved it, so my wife and I thought we'd try it during our trip to San Fran. It was well worth the 2 hour drive. What a beautiful facility. The exhibits are top-notch. Very inspirational! Would recommend for any age.

although its is pricey, it is very beautiful, at least for someone who has never been to an aquarium before.

i loooooooooved the aquariaum.there is not a reason why i did not like it.it is all true

It was a great experience with my kids and parents. You could bring your own food and eat at the Cafe inside the museum near the sea. It is amazing to see such a beautiful sea world.