RtS: Aquarium of the Pacific

[BarTopDancer]

Rank the Swank - Museums and Sights


Overall Swank Rank

Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA
07/30/06
http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/index.html


The Lowdown
Looking for something new to do, BlueErica and I decided to check out the Aquarium of the Pacific.

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The Gig
Sharkies and sea life

The Scene
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a fairly new aquarium in Southern California. They have a small shark display with nurse sharks (they just look mean), a jelly display with different types of jellyfish and tanks of your typical aquarium faire.

The aquarium usually has a long ticket and entrance line, but buying a membership will allow you to circumvent the line. A membership also includes a free ticket ($20 value). Both member and guest can enter via the member entrance to avoid the line.

Upon entering the aquarium you can take a guide book. It was not clearly explained that the guide book is a self-guided tour. Each area of the tour has a machine to emboss your guide book with an animal displayed or discussed in the area. Doing this at each section provides a neat free souvenir.

Disclaimer: I have been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

I was not super impressed with the Aquarium of the Pacific. I felt the displays were cramped and limited. I also felt that the aquarium was poorly laid out; however this may have been due to the fact we did not realize the guide book was actually a self guided tour.

All in all, it was worth the $20 admission, and I would consider a membership ($50) only to help support the wildlife. It was nice to visit but I'm not sure if I would return just for kicks.