Best Aquariums in California

California has 3 aquariums we would happily take our own kids to. Aquarium of the Pacific is the one most families start with. Drift past glowing jellies and head out on a whale-watching boat to meet the Pacific up close in Long Beach. Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the other name that comes up again and again. Walk a fictional California mountainside and meet the marine life of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at this hands-on La Jolla aquarium. Monterey Bay Aquarium rounds out the pick of the bunch. Stand inside a towering Kelp Forest and watch playful sea otters off Monterey Bay.

None of these venues publishes a fixed family ticket price on this page, so check the official site for current admission before you set out.

The aquariums on this page are spread across Monterey (1), Long Beach (1) and La Jolla (1), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.