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.

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.

I've been 3 times here hoping it would get better but unfortunately I've been disappointed every…read moretime. Firstly, you have to take a shuttle over. If you have a stroller you have to take it apart and try to fit it in the front seat. No area to load equipment for kids. Which is wild. I have 3 kids and a wagon now and couldn't bring them. Next - The place is small. You can see everything in less than an hour. The exhibits lack attention. They are dirty and boring with little to no information on each animal. Every time I've gone lots of bird exhibits were under maintenance. I'm really unimpressed overall with this facility.

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.

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!

Have a platinum pass so I go when I can to Sea World San Diego California. I Always have a fun…read moretime lots of animals and rides and stuff to do. Atmosphere is amazing . Yes I recommend them and will be back. Got to see a show and hang out with family for one of my Neices Birthday.

Extremely disappointed with our experience at SeaWorld San Diego. We were only at the park for…read moreabout THREE HOURS, and during that short amount of time just to watch Baby Shark Halloween Show, our wagon was stolen from the designated stroller parking area at the Mission Bay Theater while we were watching a children's show. What makes this even more upsetting is that this happened in an area specifically filled with families and young children. You're bringing your child to a theme park to have a fun family day, and meanwhile someone had the audacity to intentionally take another family's wagon and belongings knowing very well it did not belong to them. It's honestly pathetic. Since sharing what happened, I've had multiple people message me telling me they've also had strollers or wagons stolen at SeaWorld, which makes this even more concerning. Even someone messaged me she was with her three children by herself with a newborn watching the dolphin show, and someone stole her stroller and nothing was done to help her. What has made the situation even more frustrating is the lack of follow-up afterward. I reported the wagon missing directly to security and gave them my phone number. I would expect to be contacted whether the wagon was found or not, even if it was simply an update letting me know that nothing had been turned in. When I later called trying to get a direct number for Lost & Found so I could follow up myself, I was told there really wasn't a number for me to call and check. I was directed to an online Lost & Found form, and I was even told that if I wanted to see whether my wagon had been returned, I could physically come back to SeaWorld and check for myself. What is the point of taking my phone number when I report stolen property if there is no follow-up afterward? A guest shouldn't have to repeatedly check an online form or drive back to the park just to find out whether their property was recovered. For a major family theme park where parents are expected to leave strollers and wagons in designated areas while attending shows and attractions, there needs to be a better system in place. Better monitoring, better security around stroller parking areas, and a better process for communicating with families when something like this happens. And if someone is caught intentionally stealing another family's stroller, wagon, or belongings, I believe SeaWorld should permanently ban that person AND anyone in their party who knowingly participated or helped them do it. There should be real consequences for stealing from families at a children's theme park. We were there for THREE HOURS. I never imagined I'd have to worry about someone stealing our daughter's wagon during a family day at SeaWorld. It completely put a damper on what was supposed to be a special day with 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

First, the venue was incredible. The New Children's Museum is roughly 50,000 square feet spread…read moreacross three levels, with huge open galleries, interactive installations, studios, and some seriously impressive architecture. Even with a massive crowd and vendors everywhere, it never felt overwhelmingly packed. You could grab a drink, wander through an exhibit, find something to eat, take photos, meet other Yelpers, and somehow keep discovering entirely new sections of the event. Yelp's Art After Dark at The New Children's Museum was easily one of the coolest Yelp events I've attended. Taking over an entire museum for a 21+ night of food, drinks, art, music, and local businesses was already a great idea, the execution made it even better. And there was A LOT to try. Bitchin' Sauce, Boochcraft, Chuy's Taco Shop, Rock N' Roost, Balsamico Italian Kitchen, Gaby's Munchies, Jackalope, Origins Tea, Coqueto Café, Antojitos Express Bar, Emerald Spear Tequila, Pali Wine Co., Melograno, 19th Hole Spirits, Old Hillside Bourbon Company and plenty more showed up with food, desserts, coffee, tea, cocktails, wine, and spirits. Going in hungry was definitely the correct tactical decision. What made the night especially fun was that it wasn't just another tasting event. Between the artwork, interactive experiences, entertainment, photo opportunities, and museum itself, there was constantly something happening or somewhere new to explore. Even better, the night supported The New Children's Museum, with suggested donations helping provide programs and opportunities that make the museum more accessible to San Diego families. Yelp San Diego absolutely crushed this one!

This place is full of new age, occult, demonic imagery. I don't see how most of the museum is for…read morechildren. There was a head hanging in a birds cage in the circus/ piñata exhibit. There are iPads randomly placed inside the displays that show a floating half human half owl with medusa arms. Lots of one eye/ hand-eye symbols everywhere. The top floor had favelas that were painted white and black with writings on the wall I could not understand because they were written in almost like hieroglyphics. I can't see how all the words and art relate to children. Throughout the exhibits, there are lots of tunnels and dark spaces that you can't see your children in and many opportunities to separate you and your child. I felt like I paid to have my child separated from me half of the time. The piñata and favela exhibit are the worst ones. It took my son and husband 10 minutes to exit because the walkways are tight and narrow and cramped with all the kids. I would not consider the favelas toddler friendly whatsoever and I'd say this is a safety hazard. An older man was standing in front of the piñata exhibit evil laughing to scare the kids. No one intervened while this man did this for maybe 10-15 minutes scaring kids. It literally reminded me of horror nights/ haunted trails. Despite these things, my family made the best of it and enjoyed the block exhibit, art room, the cafe, and a few sensory activities, but honestly I don't know how this is classified as a children's museum and with no AC in most of the museum, I don't think the experiences justify the price.

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. :(

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!