Local Guides World
Interactive tide pools & exhibitions for all things under the sea in an oceanside building.
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Reviews — 8
learned allot about that amazing turtle Apparently they fixed her broken shell. They have been caring for her for many years. Turtle was the best part for me. The tide pools were in repair so we did not get to see that part. Kids would especially love this!
Great density, great hands on exhibits for kids, great summary of local shark behavioral research and many fish. However, no info on birds or shore botany, little on invertebrates, none on seaweed, and an inexplicably huge volume on seahorses and sea dragons. Would have loved to see film of different places nearby underwater, maybe some more microscopy and geology.
we had previously purchased our tickets online which was a good idea because there was a line to buy tickets we noticed when we arrived. we visited on a somewhat sprinkling and rainy day so there wasn't too much action going on in the outside tanks and displays and most people were walking through the displays and exhibits inside. fyi, this aquarium is extremely small but drink worth the visit as you can easily kill an hour or two looking around. we were able to touch and see some small animals when outside but because of the weather they had to pack up shortly after. i enjoyed the shark tank and we were lucky to have made it on time for when they feed them so that was interesting to watch.
The Birch Aquarium at Scripps is a public aquarium located in La Jolla, California. It is operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
The aquarium has over 3,000 animals from the Pacific Ocean, including sharks, rays, sea turtles, fish, and invertebrates. The exhibits are divided into different areas, such as the Hall of Fishes, the Seadragons & Seahorses, the Tide Pool Plaza, and the Giant Kelp Forest.
Here are some of the things that we liked about the Birch Aquarium:
- The exhibits are well-designed and informative.
- The animals are healthy and well-cared for.
- The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.
- There are a variety of educational programs and events.
- The aquarium is located in a beautiful setting.
There is a parking lot next to the aquarium, but it can fill up quickly. Overall, we had a great time at the Birch Aquarium. It is a must-visit for anyone interested in marine life. Plan your visit for a weekday or during the off-season to avoid the crowds.
Allow at least 2-3 hours to explore the aquarium.Wear comfortable shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking.
The aquarium has over 3,000 animals from the Pacific Ocean, including sharks, rays, sea turtles, fish, and invertebrates. The exhibits are divided into different areas, such as the Hall of Fishes, the Seadragons & Seahorses, the Tide Pool Plaza, and the Giant Kelp Forest.
Here are some of the things that we liked about the Birch Aquarium:
- The exhibits are well-designed and informative.
- The animals are healthy and well-cared for.
- The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.
- There are a variety of educational programs and events.
- The aquarium is located in a beautiful setting.
There is a parking lot next to the aquarium, but it can fill up quickly. Overall, we had a great time at the Birch Aquarium. It is a must-visit for anyone interested in marine life. Plan your visit for a weekday or during the off-season to avoid the crowds.
Allow at least 2-3 hours to explore the aquarium.Wear comfortable shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking.
Reviewing after my second time here. It's a small aquarium, but there are a lot of exhibits and displays. I recommend going at opening to avoid the larger crowds. I would plan to spend about 2 hours to explore the aquarium. There's daily penguin feeding at 10:00 and then fish feeding and diver interaction in the large tank at 10:30. There's staff all around the aquarium to answer questions. The touching exhibits are always fun. I have a membership, which I think is worth it since I plan to come several more times, especially when I can get first look at special events.
Birch Aquarium is a fun experience overall. There are a great assortment of marine wildlife here, and all of them look like they are extremely well taken care of in overall gorgeous exhibits and enclosures. The large kelp forest enclosures, the shark feeding tank, and the relatively new little blue penguin exhibit our major highlights. Sidenote, the gift shop is phenomenal and has an amazing variety of great gifts, with most of them being fairly reasonable in price. The employees were all wonderful as well.
On that note of price however, I cannot stress enough that the aquarium charge is far too much for what is offered here. Even with the great variety of wildlife here, this aquarium is fairly small and if it weren’t for the discount coupon I had, I would only have been willing to pay about half of what is currently being charged for admission right now. It didn’t help matters either that there were several prominent animals that were currently off display, with no notices as to what their status was or where they had been relocated to; not being able to see the sea turtle was a bummer, to say the least. There is also a reservation system in place, which seems to have mixed results in efficiency. The aquarium is frequently way below capacity and still requires reservations to be placed for several hours later. This could be adjusted to be more effective while still maintaining optimal crowd levels.
Overall, this is a fun aquarium with some great exhibit and things to see, and his child friendly as well. However, unless you end up getting some kind of discount or Groupon, the cost is not worth what you get.
On that note of price however, I cannot stress enough that the aquarium charge is far too much for what is offered here. Even with the great variety of wildlife here, this aquarium is fairly small and if it weren’t for the discount coupon I had, I would only have been willing to pay about half of what is currently being charged for admission right now. It didn’t help matters either that there were several prominent animals that were currently off display, with no notices as to what their status was or where they had been relocated to; not being able to see the sea turtle was a bummer, to say the least. There is also a reservation system in place, which seems to have mixed results in efficiency. The aquarium is frequently way below capacity and still requires reservations to be placed for several hours later. This could be adjusted to be more effective while still maintaining optimal crowd levels.
Overall, this is a fun aquarium with some great exhibit and things to see, and his child friendly as well. However, unless you end up getting some kind of discount or Groupon, the cost is not worth what you get.
Buy your tickets online, we found a promo code for an extra $12 off. Kids under 3 are free. Seniors get a discount too.
We spent 90 minutes here. The outside play area has picnic tables. A great place for the kids to unwind, and eat a snack after touring the exhibits.
We spent 90 minutes here. The outside play area has picnic tables. A great place for the kids to unwind, and eat a snack after touring the exhibits.
