Living Coast Discovery Center is such a hidden gem in Chula Vista! It's tucked away on the bay near…read morethe new Sweetwater Park and Gaylord hotel. There's plenty of parking, and then you take a short shuttle to the entrance. You're greeted by a sea turtle outside, and inside there's a smaller area with local fish, reptiles, and other animals. My favorite part with kids is how interactive everything is. You can pet and touch the friendly rays and sharks, and the indoor touch pools let kids touch starfish and sea anemones. It's really fun, hands-on, and educational. All the volunteers are very helpful educational, good with kids. Outside, you can walk around and see local birds, hawks, and eagles while enjoying beautiful views of the bay. Bring lunch or snacks and you can easily make a whole morning out of it. Another huge plus is the discounted admission for WIC or CalFresh families, and they offer discounted memberships for up to four people. If you live nearby, the membership is definitely worth it for popping in for an hour or two with the kids.

My friend who needs a wheelchair to get around arrived and their shuttle could not accommodate…read moreher!! Nowhere on the website does it say that they do not accommodate nor does it say that we should call before coming to make sure she would be able to enjoy the center. It's so disappointing that at this day in age, Living Coast did not think about individuals like my friend. Thanks you for your reply. Perhaps the information you relayed on my post can be added to the website? Also, what is your on-site address? My friend was dropped off by MTS access and following the adress provided on your website.

During our stay in La Jolla, we decided to check out this cool aquarium on a Sunday…read more.. Well, maybe a bad choice of a day...but the place was packed with school kids! Still, we were able to enjoy a decent selection of sea life. Guess my favorite was seeing the Penguins...and my biggest disappointment was the Octopus (who stayed hidden the whole time!). Other interesting sights included the Tiger Fish (or was it the Leopard Fish??), Stingrays and the small Sea Horses. There was also this nice area outside (patio), where it offered incredible views of La Jolla...as well as this cute Shark Selfie Station, and some seating areas to rest. Overall, it was a really nice aquarium...fit for people of all ages (though it was VERY kid-heavy that day we were there!).

I like Birch Aquarium and always enjoy exploring the exhibits, especially sitting and watching the…read morehuge main tank, it's so relaxing. They've made some nice renovations recently, and we love the outdoor touch pools, penguins, and beautiful ocean views. My biggest complaint is the price. You can easily see everything in about 2 hours MAX, so full price admission feels pretty steep. We go more often because through CalFresh/WIC you get discounted tickets, and they also have great veteran discounts. Parking can be tough, and there aren't many handicap spots close to the entrance. If you're visiting from out of town, it's definitely worth pairing with a day exploring La Jolla, but I wouldn't plan on the aquarium being a full-day activity.

Missy did an amazing job moving our 100-gallon discus tank to our new house. It's a glass tank and…read morevery heavy, but she and her helper got it loaded and unloaded without our help. Her process was impeccable and all our precious fish are happy and healthy. She went above and beyond, even bleaching the lid of our tank. I can't recommend her highly enough.

SAVED MY TANK! My poor fish and corals were suffering from…read morethe last guy that serviced my tank- but I won't get into that since they are no longer in business. Missy is so knowledgeable and so patient with all my questions. She was able to bring my tank back to life after a lot of hard work. shes made me excited about it again like when I first got. 1000 stars! Hire her!

Great service! He communicates well on scheduling & is always on time & does a great job!read more

Great aquarium. Lots of interesting sea life. Great way to spend 2 hours. I would highly recommend.read more

My kids love discovery and science museums--we've visited them in three countries now, and five US…read morestates. This was their first time traveling to Ensenada, so we decided to book a tour of this museum just outside the cruise port. We were picked up by bus and transported to the museum, and were given a walking tour of the full museum. What once was built for office space for the port just before the pandemic hit and then abandoned when the industry took a hit, was repurposed as a community natural history museum. While Caracol Museo de Ciencias is still growing, what they have done with the space so far is wonderful. Right now, they are focusing on quality over quantity...this museum is small and mighty, and is worthy of anyone interested in learning more about the natural history of Baja California. The exhibits are bilingual in Spanish and English, and masterfully incorporate technology and real samples, along with plenty for the senses and young at heart. There are small live creatures, interactive displays, sand pits to dig for fossils, animatronic dinosaurs, a planetarium show, and a gift shop. There is also a cute and stinky resident ferret. The guide was brilliant--her enthusiasm for the museum and the subjects she spoke about was infectious, and I appreciated how she kept us all engaged and kept us moving at a decent pace. I know there are several areas of the museum that are still growing, and I look forward to returning in a few years to see how much it has grown. Definitely worth a visit!

We came here after getting off our cruise ship. It was a great place to spend a couple of hours…read morewith my grandsons. Some of the exhibits were interactive, and my grandsons had fun "digging for bones" and finding the tectonic plates. They also have a small little planetarium show that took us on a journey through the planets. All of the attendants were so friendly and shared their knowledge about the museum. This was a fun way to spend time off the cruise ship with my grandsons.

We come to this area so often, I can't believe this is our first visit!…read more This place is magical My littles loved visiting here so much They did not want to leave They loved feeding the animals (tortoises, chickens, and pigs); So much outside space to explore; They loved seeing the hawks and falcon; Can't forget they got to touch the snake and lizard ...Best Day Ever Logistic Notes: Free Parking and Admission Indoor bathrooms and hand sanitizer at all animal areas; Lots of park benches to have snacks and lunch; Inside play areas and gift shop

Soo cool! Such a surprise. You think it's a small community center, but it's packed with…read moreactivities, light snacks, coffee, a stage, play rooms, books, toys, and best of all - animals! There's a pig that gets walked by a staff member intermittently, turtles you can get up and personal with, chickens, owls, hawks, falcons, snakes, starfish, etc. This is a great venue to take your kids. They have activities such as story time, and they also have an area where you can learn about the natives. There's areas to hike around the beautiful lagoon. You can be a member or take a look for the day for about $15 which is very reasonable. I believe it's worth it. They really maximized the space. It's a wonderful place!

Ah! The SD Zoo was on my bucket list!…read more Parking close by the entrance! We bought our tickets on line. Amazing animals unlike anywhere I have been. Lots of shaded places with chairs to sit. It was mid summer and crowded, but still no one in your way of enjoying the views. Many snack shops to grab a quick bite and a drink. Truly amazing zoo.

Great place to see animals. Parking is paid via an app and you can get an annual membership with…read moredifferent tiers of benefits. It has a ton of different animals, and they were out and about. I really enjoyed seeing the jaguar, red panda, and the panda - but all the animals are cute. They do giraffe feedings but it ends at 1pm so try to go earlier if you really want to feed the giraffes. There is bench seating and the ride across the park was fun, although I wished that the park enforced the line, as there was a particularly rude woman who cut in front of us and brought her family with her with nary an apology or an ounce of shame. I hope she has the day she deserves. Other than that, the food was also pretty good (better than the food at the safari park). I liked the chicken tender spot and I also liked the chicken and waffle plate. The environment is good for families and young children.

Murphy was wonderful here! So helpful and educational about the marine life here. Also, she went…read moreout of her way to gift us pop badges which she had to personally hunt down. Second day in a row. First day she was educating children upstairs t n exhibit on Ocean life. Our personal favorite exhibit was the octopus. She was wow. So majestic. But many different sharks and a touch station. Highly recommend this place. An easy, fun educational, sir conditioned walk thru while you're enjoying Legoland

I love a great aquarium that has so much to offer in views for the little ones. Sea life is a great…read morespot to take the kids, you can definitely be done in under 3 hours. They have a scavenger hunt type of activity where the kiddos need to collect stamps from certain areas and at the end they are gifted with a sea life bracelet. It can get pretty busy inside. I did love coming years ago and they'd limit how many would enter, you felt like you had the whole place to yourself. Now, there's just too many inside and everyone is rushing to be the first one to view the sea life animals. Overall the kiddos and I enjoyed it, and there is an area to touch the star fish, etc which is highly popular and a washing station. They have a tank filled with sharks, you see them swim above you as you walk through this tunnel. Time well spent with the fam here.

There are 7 total ships, including the Star of India, and a submarine. You can purchase your ticket…read moreat any of the main booths/boat entrances, then show your receipt to visit the others on the same day. The flexibility of a self-guided tour was great. One ship was away on a sail in the afternoon this past Saturday, but there was more than enough to explore on the various vessels during our visit. Plenty to see and experience on each of the boats. We stepped onto the swift boat where staff educated us about its machine gun. And we walked through and checked out the different sections of the USS Dolphin submarine too. The HMS Surprise was a lovely ship with plenty of references to its use in films. The Star of India was like a museum all on its own, so many areas to explore and a ton of history to learn. The Californian was pretty basic, not very different from many other ships we've visited in the past. Steam Ferry Berkeley was the largest, with displays showcasing scientific instruments, model boats, artwork, the riverboats in Vietnam, the engine room, a torpedo caught by a fisherman, and a special exhibit featuring the "histories of the black pacific". There's a gift shop on site as well. Altogether, the variety of ships at the Maritime Museum made for an interesting adventure, a bit touristy, but worth the cost if you're into history or simply like boats.

Ok so I will split this into two reviews:…read more 1: the ships and actual adventure 2: the reservation process and customer service 1: booked a trip for the Spanish replica ship adventure the San Salvador and really loved it. The ticket also got you access to the other ships to walk around which was cool. But the coolest part was that San Salvador was sailed like they would have sailed it waaay back when. We got to see real rigging masts sails steering all being done by a crew and it was a totally amazing experience and such a perfect day. Bonus: we saw dolphins and it was a perfect day. Drawback: the gentlemen speaking throughout didn't talk into his mic often so missed a lot but oh well - who's really going for history?! such a good time!!. 2. I had a good with my tickets and called and tried to talk to folks in person and could never get someone. The tickets were cancelled but not refunded which was a bummer and staff in the kiosk even said they phone lines were messed up. A bummer. :(