Overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific is the largest aquarium in Southern California, serving guests from both LA and Orange Counties. With roughly 12,000 animals across 100 exhibits, the aquarium is best known for its sea otter tanks, penguins, sea urchin touch tanks, beautiful jellyfish, stingrays, puffins, tropical fish, crabs, and lorikeets. Frog exhibits, a shark lagoon, and an animal rescue tank are publicized but not quite as exciting in person as one might imagine from the organization’s photos; the overall aquarium can easily be fully seen in around two hours.
Admission – even for members – can be somewhat challenging based on mandatory advance reservations of time slots to enter the front doors. Especially well curated gift shops offer everything from unusual stuffed animals to fun t-shirts, ice cube trays, jewelry, and other keepsakes that are actually memorable.
