Monterey Bay Aquarium

The premier attraction in Monterey is the adjacent Monterey Bay Aquarium. The centerpieces of the Aquarium are the huge glass tanks that showcase the underwater world of the local offshore marine habitat from the diverse tidepools to the multitude of life in the Monterey Bay: one tank is populated by huge sharks and colorful schools of fish while another contains a mature kelp forest teeming with fish. The Outer Bay exhibit, a vast tank of water representative of the outer ocean, brings a new dimension to the Aquarium and leaves the visitor with a memorable impression of just how little is known about that massive body of water. The Outer Bay exhibit also includes a dramatic walk-through wave crash tunnel. Children especially love the Splash Zone with its interactive-touch pools, crawl-through coral and kelp-forest exhibits, and wonderful exhibits of their favorite creatures: penguins and sea dragons! In a new permanent exhibit, Open Sea (opens summer of 2011), the aquarium hopes to provide a home for a juvenile great white shark. Since 2004, they have successfully kept five great white sharks alive in captivity before releasing them back to their natural home - the open ocean.

The aquarium also offers visitors adventures to enhance their visit: behind the scenes tours; supervised scuba for children 8 to 13 in the Great Tide Pool exhibit; sailing excursions on the 65-foot research sailboat, and the opportunity (summer months) to actually camp out next to your favorite exhibit. Pre-registration is highly recommended for all programs.