After expressing that I thought the aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences, my friend suggested we drive the 2 hours down to Monterey to check out the aquarium there. Located in Monterey, MBA is a very famous aquarium known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay. It was also apparently the first aquarium to exhibit a living kelp forest when it first opened.

It’s supposed to be one of the best aquariums in the US, which I firmly agree with after visiting. It’s not the best aquarium I’ve ever been to – that distinction goes the Osaka Kaiyukan. But it is, by far, the best in the US that I’ve been to.

We arrived around 1:00pm, too late to try to grab a spot to see the Sea Otter feeding. So we opted to walk around the aquarium first and then come back around 3:00pm to grab a spot. Definitely get there early if you want to be up close and personal with the glass.

I loved the different exhibits. BF absolutely had a ball with the jellyfish and tentacle exhibits. He loves jellyfish and octopus, so this was a treat for him.

The Aquarium is located right on the water, so you get some really nice views from the outside viewing area. You can even spy some animals that come close to the Aquarium to lounge. Can you see the seal out there?

Tip: Buy your tickets online on your phone before arriving. We scanned the tickets on our phones and didn’t wait to get in at all. The line to buy tickets was quite long.