Monterey Bay Aquarium Tickets

Go eye-to-eye with sea creatures and get in touch with ocean life at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Tickets provide you access to the entire facility, including lectures, feeding shows and discovery stations.

One of the Aquarium's stunning visuals.

Founded in 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is an acclaimed Bay Area attraction that welcomes 1.8 million visitors annually. The Aquarium is home to more than 35,000 animals and plants representing over 550 species of invertebrates, reptiles, birds, and plants found in California's central coast and other marine habitats around the world.

Inside and out, the aquarium offers educational galleries and exhibits. In total, 34 major galleries and nearly 200 exhibits in all. Some of the most impressive are:

• The Outer Bay (1 million gallons)
• The Kelp Forest (335,000 gallons)
• Monterey Bay Habitats (326,000 gallons)
• Sea Otters Along the Rocky Coast (55,000 gallons)

Located at 886 Cannery Row, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is built on a former sardine cannery of the historic Cannery Row. The entire site measures 3.3 acres, with 322,000 square feet devoted to the aquarium itself. Benefiting from a high circulation of ocean waters, the Aquarium is literally a "living extension of Monterey Bay."

On a map, you'll find it two and a half hours south of San Francisco and 15 minutes from Carmel and Pebble Beach.

Monterey Bay Aquarium tickets may be purchased online, by phone or on-site. There is no additional charge for tickets printed at home or picked up at will call, so it's a good idea to plan ahead and avoid waiting in line.

As of 2009, general admission prices are:

Tickets provide you admission to lectures, daily activities, and exhibits and galleries, including:

• Giant Octopus: Featuring the largest species of octopus in the world. Nearby exhibits include sheep crabs and deep-reef predators.
• Kelp Forest: One of the tallest aquarium exhibits in the world (28 ft). It is the first ever to grow live California Giant Kelp.
• Life on the Bay: Find ocean-view decks and the Marine Mammal Gallery.
• Mission to the Deep: Deep-sea exploration in high-definition video.
• Monterey Bay Habitats: Observe sharks, sturgeon, common murres, and flatfish in this 90-foot exhibit.
• Outer Bay: The Aquarium’s largest exhibit featuring sharks, moon jellies, bluefin tuna, rays, and sunfish.
• Rocky Shore: The secret lives of those living on Monterey Bay’s edge.
• Sandy Shore and Aviary: The coastal life in Elkhorn Slough.
• Secret Lives of Seahorses: See more than 15 different species of seahorse; one of the largest collections in the nation.
• Sea Otters: Rescued from the wild, these otters now have a permanent home.
• Splash Zone & Penguins: Especially fun for the kids, this discovery zone features kelp, a coral reef and rocky shore.
• Wild About Otters: All about otters -- southern sea otters from California and freshwater otters from Africa and Asia.

Save on Monterey Bay Aquarium tickets by becoming a member. Membership benefits include free admission year-round, plus a standing invitation to exhibit previews and members-only events. If you plan on making a trip out to Monterey more than once a year, the savings are well worth it. What's more, you further support the Aquarium, a non-profit organization.

While year-round tickets to the Aquarium are the major benefit, you also get:

• Exclusive member entrance and express entry
• Discounts: 10% off bookstore merchandise; 20% Aquarium Adventures
• Subscription to the member magazine Shorelines
• Exclusive email news announcements
• Exclusive member events, such as Member Nights

Finally, you can also save on tickets to the Aquarium through group sales, military discounts, and hotel packages:

• Save $2 on general admission tickets for groups of 12 or more.
• Purchase discount tickets directly from area military bases.
• Or book a hotel package nearby, which will include two admission tickets (a $60 value). Choose from 19 hotels and inns, none of which are more than six miles away.

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