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California: Monterey Bay Aquarium
by Gwen Morrison

Located on the coast of California, in Monterey, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a favorite attraction any time of the year. If you’re planning a trip to the area, you won’t want to miss the more than 550 different species of plants and animals on exhibit. With more than 100 galleries to explore the 365,000 fishes, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, birds and plants found in the Bay, it’s no wonder that families are putting Monterey Bay Aquarium at the top of their “must-see” list while in California.

The Aquarium made its debut in October 1984, leading the way for a new age of aquariums in North America. Today with more than 1.8 million visitors to the aquarium every year, it has been named one of the Top 10 family travel destinations in the United States.

Kelp Forest Exhibit
Among the aquariums unique exhibits are the Kelp Forest Feeding Shows. A diver talks to an audience through a two-way radio mask, while hand-feeding the fish. This is done twice a day. The Kelp Forest exhibit is so natural-looking that visitors to this aquarium feel as though they are looking through a window into the bay. The exhibit is open to the sky, allowing the light to stream down aiding in the growth of the plant life. More than 2,000 gallons of seawater per minute is pumped through jets, creating a current to replicate the natural environment.

Sea Otters Exhibit
The first sea otters to the Monterey Bay Aquarium arrived in 1984, as stranded pups. All the otters in the exhibits have arrived at the aquarium having been washed up on local beaches. After fattening up some of the pups, many, over the years, were returned to the wild.

Jellies: Living Art
Combining living jellies with fine art work, visitors are able to see first-hand how the marine environment inspires artists. This award-winning exhibit includes jellies that have never been displayed in the United States before, including graceful flower hat and blue jellies. Highlights include living blue jellies, a wall of pulsing lava lamps. There’s even a walk-through moon jelly swarm.

The Outer Bay
Holding more than a million gallons of seawater, The Outer Bay houses fast-swimming schools of yellowfin tuna, sea turtles and ocean sunfish. Also home to predators like the soupfin sharks and California barracuda, the aquarium is a fascinating area of dangerous, but amazing, creatures. The most dangerous of which is the oceanic whitetip – the only one on exhibit in any aquarium.

The Splash Zone
There’s a lot to see and do at the Monterey Aquarium. The family will enjoy the interactive Splash Zone. Here kids can crawl through corral tunnels, climb inside a giant clam chair, watch the blackfooted penguins and explore all sorts of fun activities. This is a hands-on (for the most part) zone for kids!

Whatever season you are planning a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it will be the right time of the year. There’s always something exciting to see and do.

The aquarium is located on historic Cannery Row in Monterey. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; and in summer and major holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Christmas Day).

Information is available online at www.mbayaq.org or by calling (831) 648-4888. Advance tickets are available online; by phone from the aquarium at 1-800-756-3737; and all Northern California Tickets.com outlets or by phone at (408) 998-2277.

Want to read more about the Monterey Bay Aquarium? Click here

Gwen Morrison is a widely published freelance writer and publishes her own travel website called InetVacations.com. You can see more of her writing at www.gwenmorrison.com

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