I don’t frequently get to check out aquariums, but I have been lucky to get to Long Beach’s famous Aquarium of The Pacific afew times now & it is so much fun! The bulk of the sea creatures are indoors, while they have a wonderful section that is outdoors & kids, young & old, will have a blast at! Outside, you get the chanch to dip your hands in water to pet a jellyfish or stingray zooming past you, or…wait for it…even baby sharks!!! You also can see seals, otters & for a limited time, PENGUINS! Unfortunetly, they are behind glass. I was hoping we would be able to get even more up & close & personal but then again, what other chanch in SoCal will I have to see these adorable guys?!;-)
Afew helpful tidbits….it does not take more than afew hours to see all that the aquarium has to offer, & if you keep a check on their web-site, they often have great promotions; we got in at half price after 5pm on a Summer Sunday;-) Last summer they opened most of it up for free on Fridays, too. They have afew food stands as well as The Scuba Cafe & their gift shop does not disappoint…just maybe your wallet, fyi!;-) On the day we went, we parked at the parking structure & it was cash only, beware! If you’re familar with Long Beach, you might even consider parking your car in a neighborhood up the street off Ocean Blvd (BUT CHECK POSTED SIGNS ABOUT DOING SO!!) & hopping on their PassPort bus system; by checking out their web-site, you could even navigate how to ride within downtown for free (& save a dollar).
When you’re done, its such a great area in Downtown LB to explore; loads of restaurants & bars await as you take a stroll past Shoreline Village (Complete with a carosel & arcade if you have kiddos), boats, a lighthouse & the entire ambience Long Beach has to offer. Heres my day in pictures, & make sure to check out this link by clicking the button below to get more ideas for fun spots to go to in California from fellow blogger friends, enjoy! xo
(Have you ever seen a duck with a blue beak?!)
(March of the penguins!)
(Gotta admit…Mr. Puffin really captured my heart!)
(Aren’t the jellyfish magical?!)
(*All photography copyrighted & taken by Along Comes Mary & Holly Ridout. Please contact me BEFORE using in your own media. Thank you!)
Along Comes Mary.... 
I love this! I knew about the free Friday evenings last year. We visited my sister and were supposed to go, but with kids our plans changed. Hopefully we can make it this summer . Thank you for all the tips! the cash only parking structure that is very important. Thank you again! 😉
No problem! Definitely check out what Sundays they’re doing the $15 admission after 5; they might have an on-going discount for children if you show your AAA card, too;-)
Hey Mary – your link isn’t working, you want it to point HERE: https://alongcomesmary.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/a-day-at-the-aquarium-of-the-pacific/
Instead of just to your site. Not sure how you fix it, but am sure there is a way.
Once I tracked it/you down. loved the pics. The Aquarium is a GREAT place to visit, even if you don’t have kids.
Hi Beverly! Good to hear from you & thanks for this heads up; when I tested it a trillion times before publishing, it seemed to work??:/ I will look into this.
& yes! The times I have been to the LB aquarium, its been with out of town friends, none of us have kids yet we LOVE it;-)
I have to get there to check out the Penguins =)
YES!
You know how much I love the aquarium!!! Us JEM girls must go together soon. I used to volunteer there when the Aquarium first opened back in 1998!! Brings back so many fun memories. hehehe 😉
Ask J about her time with the aquarium;) LOL!
LOL Oh boy.. I can only imgaine!! 😉 hehe
LOL Oh boy.. I can only imagine!! 😉 hehe
i am going to go diving at the aquarium of the pasiffic
p.s. i am a girl and i am 9 years old!
Have fun!:-)