We went on a quick day trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium last weekend with my husband Kacey's family. This was a place where both Kacey and I grew up visiting. It was a nostalgic moment to be able to take my one year old Jace to check out the sea animals.
Though April is not quite tourist season, this place was packed with strollers parked every corner we turned.
The aquarium is a nonprofit organization mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean. We got to experience playful sea otters eating, and sat in front of one of the world's largest windows to sharks, tuna, and sardines being fed.
Jace was most excited about the jellyfish. This is by far my favorite exhibit too. He kept hitting the glass window hoping he could touch the majestic creatures. He was quite frustrated after the 5th or 6th attempt, and screamed trying to get the jellyfish's attention.
The aquarium has other extensive exhibits, including a plastic art installation, a touch-and-learn area, kelp forest, and an interactive kids' area.
The plastic art exhibit was a great reminder of how our daily uses of plastic can make a negative impact to the ocean. Because we're connected to the North Pacific Gyre, trash circulates around the world. Plastic breaks down into small pieces which animals mistake them for food and ends up killing them. This is a great reminder that we can make the world a safer place by choosing to consume wisely. Things like bringing your own bag to the grocery store can mean less plastic bags in the ocean.
The aquarium's cafe serves delicious restaurant-quality food with a relaxing ocean view. We opted for Pinkberry frozen yogurt and drinks at the InterContinental Hotel down the street.
Tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium can be purchased ahead. They do offer student, military, corporate, credit union and AAA discounts. We called AAA to book ahead and they emailed me my tickets right away. This allowed us to skip the long entrance line and went straight into the aquarium.
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