Monterey Bay Aquarium
A kelp forest three stories tall, playful sea otters and the open ocean, in an old sardine cannery.
Photo: Rhinopias · CC BY-SA 4.0
Monterey Bay Aquarium guide: the Kelp Forest, the sea otters, the Open Sea gallery, the jellies, feeding times, Cannery Row, tickets and tips.
What to expect
Opened in 1984 in the old Hovden sardine cannery on Cannery Row, the street made famous by John Steinbeck’s novel, the aquarium sits right on the edge of Monterey Bay and pumps fresh seawater straight from it. It was built with the support of David and Lucile Packard and their daughter Julie, a marine biologist, who led it for decades.
The centerpiece is the Kelp Forest, a tank about 8.5 meters tall where giant kelp sways in the waves with leopard sharks, sardines and rockfish, one of the first exhibits in the world to grow live kelp. Next door, rescued sea otters play and eat at regular feedings, and the aquarium’s program has cared for stranded otter pups since the 1980s.
In the Open Sea gallery, a huge window looks into a tank of tuna, sharks, sea turtles and sometimes ocean sunfish, while the jelly galleries glow under soft lights. Outside, the decks look over the bay, where wild otters and seals are often seen.
Cannery Row, with its shops and restaurants in the old canneries, makes a pleasant walk before or after the visit.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: top things to do
- 1The Kelp Forest
- 2Sea otters at feeding time
- 3The Open Sea window
- 4Wild otters seen from the decks
Best time to visit
Weekday mornings outside summer and school holidays.
Insider tips
- Check the feeding schedule when you arrive and plan around the otters.
- Book tickets online, especially for weekends.
- Look for wild sea otters from the back decks with binoculars.
Fees, passes and parking
- Federal park passes such as America the Beautiful are not valid here.
- Book tickets online for your date; summer days, weekends and holidays can sell out.
Checked Oct 28, 2026. Official prices
Gas and fast charging nearby
41 gas stations within 20 km
- 0.4 km 76
- 0.4 km K&K QuickStop
- 1.7 km Shell
- 1.7 km Shell
- 2.2 km Shell
- 2.2 km Chevron
- 2.3 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 3.6 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 5.0 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 5.2 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
OpenStreetMap data, Oct 28, 2026.
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