This place was a lovely surprise. Our family enjoyed seeing what they had in the aquarium. Not a whole lot of collection but we enjoyed looking at the fishes, nudibranch, wave aquarium, low tide pool, anemone, and other creatures. There was no fee required and you just give a donation of your choice. Children would enjoy this place!

I LOVED this aquarium, and so did my kids. It’s also free with a recommended donation, and parking is $1/hour. It’s a tremendous value. The staff are super engaged and seem genuinely happy to be there. It made me really happy actually, that positivity was infectious. The exhibits are great. It’s not huge, this isn’t the Monterey Bay aquarium (I was there last month), but it was somehow just as fun. My kids were completely stoked by the exhibits and animals on display. The exhibits are well designed and very informative too. You even get to see their lab where the grow and raise animals for exhibit. Overall I can’t say enough good things. 2-3 hours is probably a good amount of time to spend, but if you read everything you could stay even longer.

Indescribable beauty! A must see for adults and children. Glory to be to our Heavenly Father, the Greatest Artist/Creator known to man. Wonderful place to roam solo, as a duet, or group. Don't forget to bring your hat and hold on tight.

I'll make this quick and simple as we all have no time for an autobiographical review 🤘 What to expect: Parking is not a problem but paying at the pay station is confusing at first. So here's the instructions: First, make to remember the 3 digit number/code of your parking space. Second, punch in your code and confirm (green button). Third, insert your payment. Fourth, select how many hours you're staying for. I recommend getting there by 3pm if you're planning to just spend a couple of hours ✅ By 3pm, there'll be less people and you can really enjoy the museum ✅ Museum is free. It runs on donations. ✅ Pls do. Anything helps. ✅ I guarantee, you'll have fun in there 😎 enjoy! See pictures! P.s. There's a restroom by the beach! ✅

What a great little aquarium. Entrance is free, they would like a donation to help keep the aquarium running. I enjoyed the sea creatures and information displays. My 15 year old also enjoyed it. We saw jellyfish and sea horses, when we went to Sea World last mos they didn't have either. The gift shop has cool gifts and mice cold drinks.

Just FYI, you need to show your Vax card to enter. Update: Finally got to come back and this time had our Vax cards ready. Entrance was free. Parking is $1 per hour. Have to say I was impressed with this aquarium for being free. Although it was small we got to see your basic ocean animals. Fishes, jelly fish, lobsters, crabs, sea horses, sharks, and crustaceans. Restrooms and gift shop available. Note gift shop only available to those who entered aquarium.

Free admission. Donations are encouraged, but not required. No need to walk up to the front desk. Just walk on through if you don't plan on donating. Nice little place by the beach. Parking is $1.00

Nice little aquarium! Took my grand babies here and they loved it! Wasn’t super crowded, and the employees were pleasant, from the entrance all the way to the end at the gift shop! Had a great experience all around! Will definitely be back when we are visiting L.A again. ( The entrance is free, but a $7 donation is mentioned which I gladly paid for each adult in my party! Well worth more! And parking is $1 hr).

A great low key place for families with young kids. There was a good mix of stuff to hold the kids interest and lots of interesting facts for the adults. The staff is so nice and very helpful so be sure to ask any questions you might have.

It is a great, low key inexpensive alternative to the Long Beach Aquarium! We explored the rooms and the tide pool touch area and learned much about the LA area ocean ecosystems. You will not be wowed as much as you will learn. With Five boys this can save money on a day out and still enjoy walking around and learning!

Great place, educational and awesome behind the scenes tour. Shout out to SAMANTHA she took us with her while feeding the different sea creatures. My kid is very interested in shark so she took us at the shark pond where they have 15-20 little sharks and tons of eggs. It was so amazing 👏🏼 Girls love it ❤

Small free aquarium with a variety of small to medium fish and sea creatures. Great value given that it's free, though donations are encouraged. The fish and such are fun to look out but don't expect an in depth scientific explanation of their behaviors. It's right by a nice beach and park as well!

Lots for kids to do here! There's the Tidepool Habitat, where you can touch sea anemones, the auditorium where you watch movies (we saw "Night at the Aquarium"), and the hands-on exhibits, where you can check out what otter fur and shark's skin feel like. When you're done with the museum, take a stroll on Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park, which is adjacent. Parking is $1/hour, and the museum is free, but thrives on donations. There is also a charming gift shop adjacent, which has aquatic-themed books, crafts, and toys.

Love this place. It's a staple in my hometown. Lots to do and see. Great for the family.

A bit dated but a very wonderful aquarium and gem in the city. Donations are accepted but not required, parking here for the aquarium or the beach is $1.00 an hour up to a maximum of $9.00 for the day. The outside parking lot has Metro bike rentals as well, you can find various Lime scooters scattered throughout. Aside from that, the aquarium itself has an exploration area, a nursery, an outdoor touch area with touch times spaced a good 30 minutes apart to allow adequate time and not overflow and oversaturate the outside area. Wonderful and detailed exhibits throughout. All in all my children had a wonderful time and I really enjoyed coming here. The hands on exploration area is the best, magnifying glasses, exhibits, books and puzzles and all sorts of activities to keep you all busy throughout the day. I would very likely be returning.

LOVED it here! Definitely would come back. My three year old had a blast! We came for endangered species day and was able to go inside a whale!

Really cool and nice aquarium! I like how its free but you can choose to add donations. The aquarium is more educational than visual fun.

A no-frills educational aquarium with a good assortment of shore and aquatic specimens. A favorite with everyone is the touch tank which opens periodically, with a docent explaining what is in the tank and who is available to answer any questions people have. There is also a an educational lab in a separate building, occasional lectures and movies are shown, and there are student volunteers available in the aquarium to demonstrate specific life processes for some of the sea creatures. The gift shop offers a wide range of gifts and mementos, some geared towards the many school children who visit, some geared toward tourists who want a simple reminder of their visit, and others for people who are genuinely artistic and appreciate fine things. There are even some beautiful educational charts and other items that would be quite useful to a teacher. The buyer does an excellent job of providing something for everyone. If you come on your own, and not as part of a tour group, you will have to pay for parking which is $1 per hour. Two hours will be sufficient to visit the aquarium, possibly even 1 hour if you are short on time. If you have the time and feel like taking a walk, the aquarium is right next to Cabrillo Beach, and next to the Cabrillo Marina, and fairly close to the entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor at San Pedro. A very nice walk is to take the Cabrillo Pier out to the end from where you can see the entrance to the harbor straight ahead, the marina on the left, breakwater on the right, and Cabrillo Beach on the right as well. It gives excellent views of cargo ships coming in and out of the harbor, a lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor, working oil platforms in the distance, and pleasure boaters of all kinds. An occasional whale has been spotted in the harbor, lots of pelicans fly around and sea gulls pigeons and other birds are often seen.

Free to enter. Please donate if you can. It's very educational. They have fun presentations that get kids and adults involved. Kids and kids at heart can touch certain animals...

It's small but nice, make sure u have ur covid card or u won't get in

Small aquarium with lots of cool things to do and look at. Great tanks filled with local fish and sea life species. I take my two year old grandson all the time and he loves it. They also have great special events and learning opportunities for all ages.

Beautiful aquarium and very hands on! Make sure to donate and also visit the cute gift shop

This place is a hidden gem. Entry is free ( recommended donations accepted) , staff is super friendly, they have do many different areas, a place where you can even touch the anemones and starfish etc. , i was pleasantly surprised. And great location too, right by the beach and playground. You can make a day out of it.

Small but amazing of exhibit of sea live and cool people you can touch them in area they designed.

Such a great educational aquarium. You can visit for free or donate $7 for adults (as of Jan. 2, 2020) It's small but full of information about marine life and the aquatic environment. They have an activity center, touch exhibit as well as an aquatic life nursery you can visit.

Great place to explore marine life...free entrance but be kind to give some donations to keep the place going..thank u to all the staff...

Free but donations are highly recommended, staff are very friendly and polite! Everything is organized and clean. There is also a tide pool on the beach, but be careful not to slip or fall.

Family membership for $75. Good deal. $25 gift card for Happier Camper Cafe included if you use Camper discount at checkout online. See photo. Parking costs $1/hour. It’s ok if only the parking meters would be functional. 3 out of 4 parking meters were out of order when I visited in January 2021. I left a voicemail at the service number provided. Its been 3 days without a response.

I love this aquarium! Forget the Aquarium of the Pacific. Although it may not be as big as the Pacific one or with as many exhibits, I think this one is just as fun and a heck of a good deal. The admission is by donation (which you should definitely do): $5 for adult, $1 per kiddo. My daughter loves coming here and I'm not spending an arm and a leg to let her experience marine life.

This aquarium hasn’t changed one bit since I was a kid. But all of the sea creatures are still fun to look at. While the seahorse are the most adorable little creatures to watch, frolic in the tall grass….. the jelly are mesmerizing and hypnotic. Can watch for hours. It’s like they’re all doing a beautifully graceful and well synchronized water ballet. The touch tank is fun, although after watching Finding Dori, I feel bad about touching sea life that desperately cling to the walls and floors of the tank. I feel like they’re thinking that if they get as close to the wall and make themselves as flat as can be, all the while not moving, they won’t be seen…. Doesn’t work out too well for them, lol. They have two wave tanks that are a lot of fun. One is in a timer and lets the viewer see what happens under water after a wave crashes in the shore, while another one is manually done. You crank a wheel and are able to create waves, making the sand come up in little wisps, crating the slightest possibility of viewing the few fish that lurk beneath the sand. If you happen to have tired feet or need to cool down for a minute, try catching a quick little ‘movie’ in the aquariums new auditorium. They show little educational clips and have docents answer any questions one night about the clip or the aquarium in general. They have recently opened up a nursery just outside of the auditorium entrance. Wether it’s to get itty bitty baby fish and other sea creatures big enough to go into their own tanks, or to support the breeding program of one of the many species that are on the brink of extinction, it’s a very cool place to visit. Makes the reality of how not only is our oceans a sacred thing, but also the life our ocean provides, in and out of it. All in all, it’s a very cool place to visit, even if it’s just once. But while you’re there, take a look at what other programs and events the aquarium and the beach itself has to offer. You’d be surprised how much fun you’ll actually have

Lovely little aquarium to take the kids or a date. The location is nice and quite and located right by the beach so a quick trip can turn into a whole day outing if planned accordingly. The aquarium is free but I recommend donating as it supports the staff, the location and the animals. They have a good variety of animals and their habitats seem to be recreations of their environment which is a huge plus in my book.

I really enjoy this little aquarium. It offers various activities for children and adults. It is free but they do ask for a $5 donation for adults and $1 for children but if you don't have cash with you they will not prohibit you from entering. Parking is super cheap $1 for each hr you spend there $9 max. This is a great place for learning and for children to have fun learning.

I really like this small but awesome aquarium! It's fun for the kids and they learn a lot from the nursery to the touch pool. Totally recommend for a nice, non-overwhelming day.

The workers are so sweet. They let you know things you’re curious about even if you don’t ask. I came here about 6-8 years ago and there weren’t really any changes. I really recommend coming here for a cheap weekend with family, it’s hot but the ocean breeze makes it worth it.

The entrance fee is a suggested donation, $7 for adults, and $3 per child. Overall, it is a cool place to visit and have lots of things to see. Shark feeding and tide pool for touch and feel.

I do love this place. Anything that has to do with ocean life fascinates me. This aquarium is relatively small, but it's a good size in the city. I really like the tunnels and the mini exhibits. Usually go through a few times and just observe as much as possible. If they still have it available, the pier 39 parking structure has a coupon on the back of the parking ticket which is cool!

I love how it is free but they do take donations you will spend about 2 hours here.

Really nice visit for my 8 and 3.5 year old girls. Enough to do and enjoy for 2 hours and no crowds to fight. Not super fancy like a $40 admission aquarium but had interesting stuff I've never seen. Volunteers there were very nice too.

This is a nice aquarium that allows for “hands on activities”. It is smaller than some of the other aquariums and is “kid friendly”. Unfortunately it is temporarily closed due to Corona Virus.

Some of the Exhibits were pretty neat and the gift shop staff was friendly. However, having an employee walking around each exhibit to answer questions or direct guests wouldn't have hurt. Also, informational plaques or something like it on both sides the walls would have been helpful. If you walked in the dark side of the tank, you have zero clue what you were seeing.

Became a member this year and attended their Halloween event the aquarium itself is not that big but still plenty to see and do around as well. Members get free parking and get special invites to their events ..my kids had a blast at the sea scare event and there were music, games, treats. I would highly recommend for a day trip. Oh and it's right next to the beach so you can lounge about afterwards too.

Such a great place to visit with the grandkids. Educational and fun. No use of cell phones! Support this place if you can.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is a great interactive “classroom” where people of all ages can learn about marine life and conservation. I am a student at East Los Angeles College, and I had to come to the aquarium for a class assignment. In my experience, aquariums have always been more of an entertainment center than an educational experience. However, this aquarium manages to keep balance between learning and enjoying yourself. While the facility is small, it is very easy to finish and read all of the information in about two hours. First, the aquariums themselves are very well maintained and make it easy for visitors to see which animals are inside. The information boards or signs are also very easy to read and present the information in a non- over the top way, but in a way where everyday people can understand the concepts. Additionally, I really appreciated how open the facility was about exposing the inner workings of the tanks or laboratories and how they manage the breeding of jellies in the nursery. The employees who work at the facility are very nice and seem to love where they work. Finally, entrance into the facility is completely free, besides the one dollar payment per hour you have to pay for parking, which is a penny in today’s economy. Donations are recommended but not required. This facility is a great facility for families, students, or anyone who is interested in marine life to spend a few hours learning but also to have fun while doing so! I would highly recommend!

Can't beat free. Donations always welcome. Parking was $1 an hour. Playground nearby. Gift shop had alot of nice things.

Great place. Just the right size .. spent about 1.5 hours walking around and got to see everything.

A small and intimate aquarium that genuinely shows you the science behind the ocean and its animals. Kids loved it. Yes, it is free. They do recommend a donation but don't feel obligated to give. We do donate when we can, of course. Schools, particularly Elementary School kids, would benefit from this place tremendously in a field trip.

We love this aquarium and are members. Admission is donation based and donations go back into the facility. Staff is friendly and informative. It's not as high tech as the aquarium across the way, but it's not as busy and is a great way to see and even touch sea life with your kids.

Really amazing place for how small it is. They have some stuff I've never seen anywhere else! I love how research orientated it is. And donation based!

It surprises me how few of my neighbors are familiar with this place. I truly love this aquarium, with its focus on local species, community/youth engagement, and education. My kids become mesmerized inside and are occupied looking at things for hours. Compared to the Long Beach aquarium, much more low key and manageable for the littler kids. We really love their guided tide pool walks and interactive sessions in the courtyard. Become a member today! It’s truly a community gem.

Wow! What a hidden gem. Planned some mommy and me time while the kids were on Spring Break and was totally blown away! It was so much to do and learn we have to add another day to cover everything. The staff was friendly and extremely knowledgeable which made the experience so much better! The aquarium was one on the best parts of Spring Break! We will definitely be back soon!

This was my first time visiting. It was such a great experience and my sons had a great time seeing all the animals and they got to touch starfish. I'll definitely go back!

The aquarium itself is quite small, but I highly recommend joining them for their grunion run program. It included a very education short video, Q&A section for the kids, we got to hatch our own grunions, and it ended at the beach were we got to see tons of grunions.

The staff here are super friendly and happy. Lots of stuff to do for such a small aquarium. Was such a perfect family activity, will certainly go back!

I love this place. The aquarium is bigger than I thought it would be. This place operates on donations. Suggested for adults entrance is only $5. Make sure to donate a little more. Help the research and upkeep of this gem by the ocean.

The kids loved it! There's an opportunity to touch some marine life (no sharks though) and you'll learn about a variety of species of fish. Did I mention that it's free! But please donate so they can continue with their work.

Check out their website/social media platforms.

really cool place. not the largest aquarium, but is very interactive. they have a touch pool, and a cool lab that you can actually go in and look at things as they happen.

Amazing

Love this cute, small, friendly place!

Very beautiful place lots of birds though

Great little aquarium. Close access

Great fun for kids and the adults

Love love love ! Cant wait for the new side to be finished !❤ i cant wait to see the new things you guys find ! Love the fact you guys have events and the bathrooms are so pretty and clean ❤

Was very nice,babies had fun, water was nice clear. Bathroom available and few playground equipment.

(Translated by Google) Excellent place to be in family (Original) Excelente lugar para estar en familia

I really don't know anything about this place. it's been closed due to Coronavirus but the area seems inviting

(Translated by Google) Very good place (Original) Muy buen lugar

(Translated by Google) It is very nice for the whole family (Original) Es muy agradable para toda la familia

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful (Original) Muy hermoso

We LOVED this place!! The animals are beautiful, well kept and enjoyed. There are animal experiences you can pay extra for in which you get to hold/touch/interact with a bunch of different types of animals. The employees are nice and helpful. We will definitely be back!!

I've been wanting to take my toddler to this museum for a couple months because of all the great review. It lived up to all the hype and I couldn't imagine a better museum in the bay area. We loved the exhibits and the spaces were well balanced for younger and older kids. I would highly recommend this for a fun 2-3 hour visit!

Free. Donation is accepted $5. Small pleasant aquarium to go with kids for them to see some marine life. Play area for them to dress up on the other side next to the lab experiment.

They have a beautiful view, the beach is clean and they have many policeman.

Small but super cool aquarium located by a great quiet beach. Lots of things to see. Several.buildings cheap parking and a very familty friendly vibe. Take your kids for an hour or two and then hit the beach. It is by the port and truly a hidden gem in the city.

What a wonderful aquarium. Great layout, tanks clean, lots of Pacific Coast specimens, historical aspects of San Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, and surrounding towns. I was enthralled with the whale section w/ all its bio facts, info on West Coast migration, the tragedies of operating a whale industry off Portuguese Bend, how the Gray Whale has survived and much more. Design of different sections through Aquarium is done quite well as well as a hands on area for children Definitely something for everyone!!

Donation museum!! One of the best simple museums in LA County. Touch tank, new and older exhibit and info.. great for adults and kids/ family to enjoy. I have been visiting this museum for the last 20 years plus and it gets better each time. One of the spots I take new visitors too!!

Very small aquarium, but educational and peaceful. Some cool lab spaces and it is in a beautiful area.

I love bringing my boys ages 5 and 3 here. Small place, but it has a variety of sea life on exhibit. The touch tank is super fun and interactive. My boys get to enjoy learning about sea life while exploring, and being entertained. I love that we get to skip on big crowds...We don't miss going to the aquarium of the pacific at all. We'll hands down choose Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. The staff is always very friendly and attentive, they are also very knowledgeable about the different species that are housed at the aquarium. The best part is that entrance is based on donations, but are not required! Suggested donations are $5 for adults and $1 for children. Also, across from the aquarium there is a beach with a playground...so if you have kids you'll have a nice long fun day for them at none to very little expense. Definitely recommend this place!

What a cool place! We went a couple of times, and it was very easy to navigate and fairly calm. The kids absolutely loved it. They have a nice little gift shop right outside the entrance with coffee and collectibles. Plenty of parking, right across from the water. We had a lovely time here.

Loved this little aquarium! I have never had such an interesting and educational experience at an aquarium- I say this as a 22-year-old adult. It may be small and it's not very showy, but it's a great place for kids (as was evidenced by the plethora of them there on field trips with their schools) or adults looking to spend a relaxed couple of hours enjoying the beauty of our oceans' creatures.

Great place to visit there is no set price for entry just a optional donation.

(Translated by Google) Beautiful besides the aquarium is the beach (Original) Hermoso además del acuario está la playa

Wonderful place for spend with the family love this place

It's small and quaint

Love visiting this place for my kids.

(Translated by Google) I had a lot of Fun (Original) Me diverti mucho

First time fishing that Marina and had a good fishing session. Very good place to park at and safe

My wife and I took our three month old son last weekend. We didn't expect much from our son since he is so young,but we did see interest in our sons eyes. His favorite exhibit was the ceiling lights:) the staff was amazing as well. I'm glad I have the chance to pass on the experience of the academy of science to my son and more generations to come.

Beautiful Aquarium To Visit With The Kids!

Wonderful exhibits

Great for kids and Adults

BEAUTIFUL beach and the aquarium is FREE!!!!

Odd hours, but such a cool place.

Love the remodeling

Up

This aquarium runs solely on donations. There's shark feedings, touch pools and, if you're up for a walk, the tide pools are marvelous!!!

Bestuful