At the far west end of the famous Cannery Row in California is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and experienced on this planet, the destination offers a vast assemblage of living wonder and enchantment.
In the home of what once was a thriving cannery where millions of sardines were processed and packaged into cans, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is now a home and safe haven to hundreds of ocean wildlife species.
The sprawling facility immerses you into various natural habitats on a massive scale, looking up and into into brightly lit life scenes of limitless amounts of schooling fish, sharks, coral reefs and even beach dunes.
A Walk Into Their World
Next to three story high glass walls you come face to face with everything from miniature crabs to sharks. Joyfully playing sea otters can be seen from both below and above the water line, wild birds watch you back from their safe beach dunes in the aviary. Brightly lit exhibits show off the animated wonder of jellyfish from the microscopic to larger than you.
It’s way more than I can describe honestly other than to repeat that this is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. Watching some of the animals freely living in their grandeur literally brought me to tears – but I also cry at Disney movies.
In addition to the many living animal habitats and displays there are comprehensive section outlining the history of Cannery Row, it’s impact to the wildlife in the area during its heyday and how the local environment has recovered since the industry moved on to other locations. The bio-scientist I never knew I had inside was inspired.
The Real Experience
It’s a busy place though. My husband and I chose to visit at peak season on a Saturday in July. This means that the lines to get in at the opening bell were very long, cueing around the building and down the street. It took about an hour shuffling forward through the pole and rail maze outdoors before we even got to the door.
Thousands of people filter through each day, so if crowds freak you out, be warned. Luckily the facility is designed to accommodate the massive throngs and still allows you space to enjoy and view all it has to offer. If you’re the spendy tourist there are multiple gift shops and food court opportunities.
Tickets are $65 for adults, $50 for seniors over 70 years old. Tickets must be purchased on the website in advance, not sold at the door as they do sometimes sell out. There are optional add-on guided tours for specific wings and interests at extra cost, but we just did the self guided tour. Signage and and interactive displays throughout kept us informed and engaged just fine for several hours.
Getting there and parking can require strategy as Monterey in general is a pretty small and highly visited town. We stayed at a small hotel downtown and were able to walk to a stop for the free Monterey Trolley which travels on a continuous loop along all of the town’s hot spots.
Where: 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940
Website: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org
Smoker of fine tires, eater of natural foods, connoisseur of aromatic leathers, pusher of limits.