Today, we’re taking a break from our typical high-energy theme park content for something a bit more tranquil: the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. Located about 30 minutes away from Disneyland (if traffic is light), the aquarium is fully open again and the exhibits are spectacular.
Visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific had some major operational changes last year. For instance, the aquarium implemented a reservation system and could only allow guests to see the outdoor exhibits. While the aquarium has fully reopened, with exhibits both indoors and out ready to be seen, there are a few changes that will be sticking around for some time.
First and foremost, advance reservations are required for anyone interested in visiting the aquarium. Reservations can be made while purchasing a ticket online. Similarly, if you have alternate admission media (such as an annual pass or prepaid tickets, complimentary tickets, or a discount coupon to redeem on-site), you can make a free reservation through the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website. Reservations are made for timed entry, with openings at every 15 minutes. However, space is limited for each time slot and reservations earlier in the day tend to fill up quickly. If you’re looking for an early time, your best bet is to book a couple of weeks in advance.
Another thing you should be aware of is that the aquarium is continuing to take public health matters seriously. All visitors aged 2+ must wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings are expected to be worn at all times, both indoors and outdoors while at the aquarium. Masks may be temporarily removed while eating or drinking. It’s an interesting departure from what similar businesses are doing, but it also gets quite crowded near many of the exhibits. Additionally, there is plenty of signage located around the aquarium to follow safety guidelines. And you’ll find televisions that play video reminders of the safety guidelines around the aquarium as well. You couldn’t miss the reminders even if you tried.
We appreciate the aquarium taking things seriously, but we ran into several problems with the enforcement of their policies (but we’ll get into that later).
Parking for the aquarium is a breeze. With two large parking structures nearby there’s virtually always a spot for you. The main exceptions are during holidays and at peak times during the weekend. But circle around a couple times and you’re bound to find a spot. The structures charge by the hour, but if you have your parking pass validated at the aquarium, it’s a flat fee for the day. That’s a useful tip if you’re planning on making a day of your trip to visit other local attractions.
Another change around the aquarium is there are several programs on pause. Because the aquarium is stringent on capacity, social distancing, and other safety precautions, there are several programs on hiatus. This includes mascot meet and greets, shows and demonstrations, and behind the scenes tours. We hope that these practices are resumed soon because they add a lot of extra magic and information to the aquarium visit. Until then, we’ll be happy with what we can get!
One other thing to note is that the aquarium is service dog-friendly, per ADA and state laws. The only restricted area for service animals is the Lorikeet Forest. But just be aware that if you use a service animal, you may find that folks are a bit more likely to pet them without an invite. Something about being around animals (like in a zoo or an aquarium) makes people inclined to do that to service dogs for some reason.
Exhibits at the Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a world-class aquarium, filled to the brim with two stories-worth of exhibits featuring fish from all around the world. You can find fascinating coral reefs, jellyfish, California native fish, plus a whole selection of outdoor exhibits. I’ve got lots of photos to share with you, so hopefully, it feels like you’re there with me.
Great Hall and Pacific Visions
Upon entering the aquarium, you’re greeted in the Great Hall by a life-size likeness of a Blue Whale and her calf. Suspended weightlessly midair, the pair give you a glimpse of how small you are compared to our great oceans. Undersea life really does have a magic of its own. The aquarium does a spectacular job of curating exhibits that spark curiosity and fascination with aquatic life.
Right when you enter the Grand Hall, there’s a nice preview of the Northern Pacific Gallery. This little alcove is a wonderful place to take a break from the crowds and enjoy the scenery. Each exhibit includes photos and descriptions of some of the fish in that habitat.
At the end of the Great Hall, you can find a giant two-story aquarium with some of the largest occupants in the space. It’s impressive and I could stay there for hours on end.
Although The Pacific Pals Show isn’t currently running, there’s a poster located near the theater with QR codes that will take you to a link with a version of the show to watch. You’ll also find the characters of the show in the health and safety guidelines video that plays in the Great Hall.
Over at the Pacific Visions Wing, the aquarium’s latest expansion, you’ll find a video presentation that talks about the various ways to reduce pollution and food waste, while also creating clean, sustainable energy. This short video is educational and features beautiful images of marine life.
After the presentation, you exit into the theater lobby area where you will find interactive displays and demonstrations. What tends to draw kids’ attention is the display where kids can create sea animals and watch them swim around on a large projection screen.
Indoor Exhibits
The indoor part of the aquarium is divided into several areas. Each one features a different region of the Pacific Ocean, and much of the exhibits feature marine life that you’d find diving along the California coast. The exhibits feature aquatic life in all sorts of sizes, from the smallest plankton and jellies to fish weighing hundreds of pounds and sea lions.
The newest exhibit, Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities, is located in the Tropical Pacific Gallery. You can find all sorts of fascinating corals in an array of colors. It’s an informative gallery that explains the function of coral reefs and the dangers they face.
In almost every exhibit, you’ll find a selection of starfish. It’s always entertaining to see them make their way across the glass. This perspective gives you a cool view of their different colors and shapes and watching their tube feet in action. They’re not fast movers, but sooner than you know it they’ve made it to an entirely new spot.
The Tropical Pacific Gallery will have the most brilliantly colored fish. You’ll find familiar fish like clown fish and blue tangs (frequently referred to as Nemo and Dory by younger aquarium-goers).
The Tropical Pacific Gallery has exhibits including a Coral Lagoon. Teeming with smaller fish and coral, this is a good place to sit and enjoy the view.
You will find that the exhibits will be busy one moment and completely quiet the next. I found it better to stay back and let the crowds pass. Although the aquarium still requires social distancing, they do little to actually enforce it.
As you go deeper into the Tropical Pacific Gallery, you will find the frogs exhibit. In this area, there are several beautiful habitats with close to two dozen species of frogs. Some are beautifully colored and others are difficult to spot, which can make for a fun game to figure out where they’re hiding.
Many of the exhibits are quite large, and I really enjoy watching them being cleaned! Occasionally you’ll see the divers feeding the animals and cleaning the tanks. Usually, the divers are volunteers that are passionate about marine life.
One of my favorite exhibits at the aquarium is the Sea Otters in the Northern Pacific Gallery. Before everything was shut down last year, there were multiple demonstrations throughout the day with keepers feeding and training the otters. Right now, there are still no demonstrations and it’s my hope that it will return soon. It’s pure joy to watch the animals interact with the keepers. They are so smart and their intellectual stimulation is on display during those demonstrations.
The otters are almost always active. They swim back and forth, playing with balls and floating rings. When they get tired, you can find them resting on mounds of ice put out by staff members.
Just before you enter the Sea Otters exhibit, you see the Coastal Corner Touch Lab, with sea anemones, sea urchins, and starfish. Unfortunately, this part of the exhibit is closed at this time, but hopefully it will reopen soon.
Another fascinating animal you’ll find in the Northern Pacific Gallery is the Giant Pacific Octopus. This curious fella is named Groot!. Although he is often hiding, on the day I visited he was very active.
Another beautiful exhibit in the Northern Pacific Gallery is the Jellyfish. Different tanks show the various growth stages of their life cycle. And there are all sorts of species. We could watch them drifting in their tanks for hours.
Umbrella Jellies swim in all directions, by the hundreds in this amazing exhibit.
In the Southern Pacific/Baja Gallery you will find the underwater tunnel. There is a wide variety of fish, as well as sharks, rays, and even a sea turtle. There always seems to be activity happening here.
On your way to the outdoor part of the aquarium, there is a large tunnel that runs through the sea lion habitat. The sea lions are almost always active and it is so much fun watching them swim around the habitat.
Outdoor Exhibits
We’ve covered the indoor exhibits, but the fun continues outside! Just beyond the doors of the aquarium you can find an assortment of touch pools that contain rays and sharks. Yes, sharks you can touch! In the touch pools, you can see bamboo sharks, epaulette sharks, fiddler rays, and cownose rays. There is also an educator close by to talk about the animals and answer questions. The educators are primarily volunteers and range widely in age. I’ve seen kids as young as 14 who are very knowledgeable and eager to talk.
At the touch pools, you will see more reminders on the ground as to proper social distancing. In the photo below, it’s as subtle as footprints on the ground around the pools.
Below the touch pools, you’ll find the Shark Lagoon. Here you’ll see sharks that are larger and quite a bit toothier. While these sharks (and a few rays) are not generally aggressive, the amount of room they require to swim requires that they be separated from humans. They are a beautiful sight, even though they are intimidating to look at. From Zebra Sharks to the Black Tip Reef Shark, you’ll see a variety of sharks.
Similar to the indoor habitats you’ll find signage with information on the animal species and their traits.
After viewing the touch pools and Shark Lagoon area, you can take a break at the Lorikeet Forest. These brightly-colored birds and incredibly friendly live in a specially designed aviary where you can spend time with these gorgeous birds.
There are no lack of photo opportunities here. What you can’t pick the birds up, they’re more than happy to fly to you if you have food (available for purchase nearby). It’s a unique chance to get up close to these stunning birds.
We were there with my granddaughter and after a little apprehension, she seemed to be intrigued with the playful birds.
Oftentimes, you can see several birds on one person. The aquarium has a sign that notes when these guys are most hungry and active.
Upstairs, there’s even more to be found. You can see the Penguin habitat and the Sea Lion outdoor viewing area. The penguins are very active and are often found swimming— especially during enrichment activities. On occasion, keepers will have the penguins walking around the aquarium to greet guests.
The seating area at the sea lion habitat is a great place to get out of the sun and watch these guys play from above. If you notice the glass on the right of the photo below, this is where the keepers put the sea lions into transport carts to move them to the on-site animal hospital. There is a full veterinary team on staff to ensure animal health.
Speaking of animal health, below is a photo of one of the medical offices. On occasion, you can watch staff working with animals.
At the animal hospital there’s a special holding tank for larger animals such as sharks and rays.
As you exit the hospital area, there is an opportunity to see the eerie Horseshoe Crab. Know for their blue blood, they are dwindling in numbers. The blood is used in research (most recently in COVID research), and medications.
As you exit the outdoor area back into the Great Hall, there is a touch tank with moon jellies. These guys can’t sting you, and you can feed them as well. These animals are amazing and have a really weird feel to them.
Beyond the Aquarium of the Pacific
I could easily spend a whole day at the Aquarium of the Pacific. With so many beautiful animals, it’s hard to ever want to leave. Luckily, there are several other outings nearby that keep the adventure going.
Just a short walk from the aquarium is the harbor where you can set off on a cruise and go whale watching.
There is a snack shop at the Shore Line Aquatic Park. This park has some really nice views, especially of the Queen Mary and cruise ships at the docks.
Speaking of the Queen Mary, she has seen much better days. While she is a marvel to view from the outside, “The Queen Mary Hotel is temporarily closed…until further notice” according to the official website. This marvelous ship has been closed due to repairs that are needed. The news isn’t all bad though. On June 4th, the city of Long Beach released a statement that the city has taken back operational control of this historic landmark.
“For the first time in decades, Long Beach has full control of the Queen Mary. We will be fully engaged in the preservation of this historic landmark and are incredibly grateful for this opportunity,” said Mayor Robert Garcia.
Currently, repairs are estimated to cost about 5 million dollars. The Queen Mary will remain closed during the critical repairs. The City believes that the repairs can be made safer and quicker while the icon is closed to the public.
I hope you have enjoyed this trip with me. I know it’s a lot to soak in, but the Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Harbor is a really great place to visit. Even with the shows, mascot appearances, and behind the scenes tours being suspended at the aquarium, I didn’t really feel like I missed anything. Thank you so much for sticking with me on this adventure. I hope you get a chance to visit soon. Be sure to check the aquarium’s website before visiting, as state guidelines have changed and facility operations may change as well. Remember, reservations are required to enter the aquarium and they can go fast, especially on weekends.
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