I am still surprised at how much there is to do here and it's free entry but I would recommend…read moredonating anything you can because there's sooo much more to do than the places I've been that charge a fee. 1. Touch tank sessions 2. Puppet or movie shows 3. Kids activity area (hand puppets, books, puzzles) 4. Tours (varies by season) 5. Feeding sessions (jellyfish) 6. Learning center (ecology and recycling too) 7. Hatching shows (seasonal) 8. Live and preserved animals 9. Life size statues of animals 10. Plenty of staff and volunteers 11. Clean restrooms and water fountains 12. Live Shark eggs labeled in different times And with the new renovations, it has improved in quality, but I do miss the toy whale figures that showed size difference and the dolphin head showing echolocation. Very sad they're gone but happy to have everything else still!

Can't believe it took me 3 decades to finally come here but here we are. Cabrillo Aquarium, a free…read moreaquarium with plenty to see. They have a main exhibit hall with all sorts of marine life from the biggest moon jelly you'll ever see to little predator snails to cute baby sharks. Then, you can see the discovery center which has all sorts of bones, interactive pieces, and what not. But surprisingly, our favorite exhibit was the nursery where it's a research lab where they brew up algae, breed seahorses, and all sorts of nature preservation projects. Definitely worth a walkthrough. Did I mention it's free to come here? But you can also donate and by all means, should donate, cause this is a precious institution that should remain for future generations to come. Anyway, this was a great spot for young and old folks alike. Parking is paid, maybe like $3/hr up to a max of $9?

Super disappointed on the lack of customer service flexibility, it leaves such bad/sad taste in my…read moremouth. I was just at the aquarium and when I checked in we realized my membership was expired I was there with my daughter and I had 1 more parking pass, I thought my membership expired on the last day of the month since my parking pass expires next month. I'm not the type to ever ask for an exception, so I asked for a curtesy, there was no exception made. There was only a few hours left before the aquarium closes, and I didn't want to disappoint my daughter after we already drove down here and parked I asked if they could make the exception, they said no but that I could buy a ticket for today at the membership price (which wouldn't make sense because the aquarium closes soon). And with this economy it's just not feasible to buy a whole new ticket esp if my membership just recently expired. And we can't renew because we can't make it down here as often as we would like due to logistics. Sad there's no curtesy, my daughter was really excited to go and we supported the aquarium by initially buying the membership to see but now to see the lack of flexibility when asking for a curtesy of a few hours is really disappointing my daughter was really sad and cried. Sad that the aquarium can't provide a curtesy when the membership expire that same month it doesn't cost anything to let a child be there who already paid through a membership for a few hours esp if they are already there in person. Most people who visit the aquarium are kids, they are your main customer m

​I was torn between visiting the zoo or the aquarium, and I am so glad we chose the aquarium!…read more​Staff: Incredible! Everyone was so genuinely nice, welcoming, and clearly passionate about what they do. ​Exhibits: Impressive and beautifully maintained. The habitats are spotless and naturalistic, housing a fantastic diversity of marine life--including several species I had never seen in person before. ​Parking: Super easy and accessible at just $8 for the entire day, which is a fantastic deal. Ticket prices are very good considering the cost to keep such a huge conservative effort running. ​Highly recommended! There is plenty to see and do for all ages.

The interpretive center itself (as in the museum) was closed when I came here with my parents a few…read moreyears ago, but my mom did manage to find an unlocked public ladies' room, so she, at least, experienced an interior part of the building. And I'm sure the building is neat and informative and lovely, but if it's light out, why are you wasting your time indoors when you could be experiencing the absolute wonder that is Point Vicente? Assuming your lens isn't smudged and you're in focus and there's still light left in the day, it's impossible to take anything but an absolutely gorgeous photo here. In addition to the center and the billion-dollar views, there are grassy areas, dirt trails, some attractive protective fencing, and picnic tables. There are some gorgeous trees and cacti as well. When we were here, three or four volunteers were doing a whale census. They were recording every whale and dolphin that passed by, and when possible, they were recording the species and any identifying markings. No whales passed while we were here, but the friendliest of the volunteers told us that pod of migrating bottlenose dolphins had passed just before we arrived. He also let me use his binoculars so I could observe the ocean.

Oh what a splendid visit we had!…read more Free parking, gorgeous views of the ocean, lovely clean trails, nice seating areas, and restrooms are some of the highlights of this location. It even offers a small museum you can visit within the compound. I went during a Saturday early afternoon and it was hard to find parking. They have three different car lots. The overflow parking spaces are in the unpaved area closest to the entrance/exit. There were some unleashed big dogs and many having picnics under the trees. Something to keep in mind if visiting with a timid dog like mine.

An amazing free aquarium located at the end of the pier in Manhattan Beach. It's free, but of…read morecourse donations are welcomed. It's not a big place, but they've got plenty to see in the small little two-floor building they have overlooking the beach at the end of the pier. We saw sharks, different types of fish, many starfish, and jellyfish. They also have a pretty decent-sized touch tank. We easily spent a good 45 minutes just looking at all sea life and learning about the sea creatures that roam the beach. Kids loved every minute of it, and I had a blast watching them enjoy themselves. It's not the Long Beach Aquarium by any means but is amazing for what it is and the small size that it is. Worth checking out anytime you're here visiting the beach.

At the end of the pier you'll encounter this quaint aquarium…read more You can touch some sea stars and I'm not sure what else was in the touching tank with a volunteer manning it. Just be cautious if you're wearing any sunscreen. I'm not sure if it does any harm but I erred on the side of caution. They have an upstairs but can get tight with not a lot of room if many come at a time. They do have a way to bring up wheelchairs and strollers but you will need the assistance of staff. My favorite tank was the one with the eels in it. I can't remember the fish names but there's a big funky-looking fish in it. I think it was a parrotfish. It's free to enter but please leave a donation if you can.

We drove two hours in Friday primetime traffic just to do this sunset tour with Glass Bottom Boat…read moreand it was so worth it. Our group was 4 adults, 4 kids, and our dog and everyone had a blast. I had done one of those regular glass bottom boats before and it was honestly boring. This one is way different. The boat has two levels. You start on the top deck cruising King Harbor where you get to see sea lions, and then go downstairs into this cozy underwater room with huge windows on both sides. You can sit right next to the glass and watch fish swim by like you're in a tiny underwater aquarium Captain Erik was amazing. He was hilarious, super interactive, and thoughtful. He noticed when one of my friends didn't have a jacket and made sure she wasn't too cold, let the kids try on the captain's hat, and somehow made everyone on board, including a few strangers, feel included. The sunset was beautiful, the ride was smooth and easy for kids and dogs, and it was way better than we expected. If you're in the South Bay and think you know what a glass bottom tour is, this one will surprise you. I get TERRIBLE seasickness and I did not feel sick for a second! Totally worth the traffic and we'll definitely be coming back.

We found that the view from the top of the boat was much better than the view through the glass…read morebottom, lol. Everyone is split into two groups, and each group takes turns going down to the glass-bottom area to look at the fish for about 10-15 minutes. The ride was about 45 minutes. A couple of tips: use the restroom before the tour since there isn't one on the boat, and don't forget to bring a hat or cap, water, and plenty of sunscreen. Overall, it was a fun boat ride! Our captain was friendly, and we got to learn some local history while seeing Redondo Beach from the water. It was a scenic, relaxing, and memorable way to spend time out on the ocean.

This was a great first time experience. There is SO much marine life to explore at this place. Tony…read morewelcomed us in and gave a a quick 101 session on the corals and what would be a starter. I'll be coming back to finish my tour and possibly start my collection.

Came here spent 620$ for some fish and coral and drip acclimated my fish for an hour and the next…read moreday they died they contacted the company and they basically said they'll give me 10% off my next fish and wouldn't honor the one day dead fish won't come back they won't even send a 35$ clown back

I live in Long Beach California. World War 2 battle ship in my backyard…read more I highly recommend this Naval Battle ship tour. You can spend literally hours on the ship. Plenty of knowledgeable to soak up. God Bless the US Navy!! I recommend.

Who doesn't love an old historic battleship? Or at least the old game Battleship?…read more This is an informative and entertaining diversion. We spent around two hours here on the self-guided tour. There is a ton of (paid) parking in the lot so no concerns there. You can do the self-guided tour or they offer several guided tours for an additional fee. My guess is those guided tours are very good. We spoke with several of the volunteers onsite and generally, they were extremely knowledgeable about the ship. If you have mobility issues, the Iowa is not for you. Period. You will be climbing numerous ladders going both up and down. There is a hot dog stand on the ship that looked pretty good. It is named after the Iowa's canine mascot, Vicky. Overall, touring the ship was very interesting. Seeing the unbelievably massive guns in person is mind blowing. You do not realize their size until you see them in person. My only knock on the ship is the signage could be a little better. Sometimes you peek into various areas or rooms and you have no idea what you are looking at. This is well worth a visit, particularly if you enjoy military history. The Iowa (and its class of Iowa battlsehips) was a very important ship at one time. FYI, I am generally a fan of Groupon and the Battleship Iowa deal shows up often. At the time of our visit, the Groupon price was exactly the same as the price offered at the battleship entrance itself. (I think buying online on the Iowa website might have saved us a few dollars overall, if we had done that.)

This place is amazing! Their quality of fish and care is awesome! I can tell they love what they…read moredo! I've bought multiple fish here and supplies!

Whether a burgeoning hobbyist or seasoned pro, you will find all the supplies for keeping a happy,…read morehealthy tank here. Age of Aquariums has both freshwater and saltwater (marine) plants, fish, corals, driftwood, and cleaning equipment. The space is large, clean, and you can tell that they take great care of their fish because they look active and not sickly. I came on an afternoon over the weekend and was excited to see so many people asking about how to care for aquatic plants, when to introduce tank mates, etc. When you enter the shop, to your left are tanks, decorative wood, and dry goods like supplements. Loosely speaking, it seems like freshwater specimens (including some hefty bettas, thank you for keeping them in nice big mason jars instead of plastic) are on the left side, while marine/saltwater are center and right. The plants you see when you enter are far healthier than what you'd find at big box stores - I myself picked up some red root floaters and an Anubias variety called white rose. I've been to many a shop growing up that were dim, damp, and generally not as well kept as Age of Aquariums. They really take their time to explain how to design a tank, care for plants, and what to look for in healthy fish. Really fun spot I would like to bring my dad to so he can upgrade his 10 gallon tank!

I've had a reef tank for many years now. I've had someone come in and clean and take care of it for…read moreme for ten years or so. She was great at growing algae. But not coral. My coral kept dying. I had a frog spawn coral that was dead with maybe two heads barley clinging on. Needless to say, I fired her and found Justice and South Bay Aquaculture. He not only was able to bring the frog spawn back to life, but it's grown to 10x it's size! Plus all the other coral that he added to my tank. He was able to kill the algae that this other person had grown. Justice really knows his stuff. No matter how bad your tank is right now (and mine was really bad! Just ask Justice) he can transform it into the tank you want!!

My tank looks tankly thanks to Justice McDaniel's and his magic hands of salty salt skilldom. What…read morewas once an acrylic prison to algae and failed dreams is now home to a colorful collaboration of LPS and SPS corals. These rock like denizens of the sea are now living delightfully in my home aquarium, all thanks to Justice McDaniel's coral company and aquarium services. If you need your crumbling oceanic dreamscape to be brought to it's full florescent glory and splendor, hit this place up. You will assuredly be glad you did, as will your corals and all their associates and cohorts in their aquarium home. Thanks Justice McDaniel's you salty old salt maid.

7seas is a bit of a mixed bag for me. On the positive side, they have a really great selection of…read morefish and dry goods. Tanks, lights, filters, hardscape, supplies, you name it. They also clearly know what they're doing. The staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions without giving you that blank stare you sometimes get at other aquarium shops. But the pricing is honestly kind of shocking. A lot of their equipment is outrageously overpriced compared to what you can find online or even at other local stores. For example, I saw a UNS double valve connector selling for about $60 when the same thing is easily available online for around $20. They also had the Kessil 35° reflector priced at $50, and I've never seen those go for more than $30 or $35 anywhere else. I get that local fish stores have overhead and can't always compete with online pricing, and I'm totally fine paying a little more to support a brick and mortar shop. But some of these markups feel excessive. If you need something immediately and don't mind paying a premium, it's a solid store with good selection and knowledgeable staff. Just be prepared for some pretty steep prices on certain items. Overall I'd say it's worth visiting, but definitely price check before buying equipment.

Knowledgeable people that actually care for the fish and will provide you the info that you need to…read moreproperly care for them. This store has a great selection on both fish and accessories. I'm out in Torrance but drive here for my fish tank needs.