Heal the Bay Aquarium - Aquarium in Santa Monica - 1600 Ocean Front Walk, USA

The Heal the Bay aquarium is an amazing little gem located in Santa Monica that plays a vital role in educating both kids and adults on the importance of preserving marine life and our eco-systems. Despite its small size, this aquarium packs a punch with its informative displays and hands-on exhibits that are both engaging and interactive. We organized our son’s 7th birthday there - as they can host kids birthday parties - and one of the things that stood out was the aquarium's focus on local marine life and the importance of preserving our local eco-systems. It was refreshing to see an aquarium that was so dedicated to educating visitors on ocean pollution and the actions we can take to protect our oceans. We organized a beach clean up with our guests and they all participated with passion and dedication. Overall, I found the Heal the Bay aquarium to be extremely informative and engaging atop of being an original place to organize a birthday party. It's clear that the staff and volunteers are passionate about marine life and conservation, and their enthusiasm is contagious. I highly recommend a visit to this cozy, little aquarium for anyone interested in learning more about marine life and our role in preserving it.

Nice, smaller aquarium with many hands-on displays where visitors can pet aquatic life such as sharks, sting rays, and sea stars. The aquarium is located under the Santa Monica pier—follow the ramp or stairs down to find it. Entrance is free for kids under 12 with an adult ticket, which makes it an entertaining and affordable family option. There is also a small lab, movie/craft room, and camp and volunteer activities offered at the museum. Everything is on one floor and easily walkable/reachable for small kids. Be sure to check the special events calendar on their website for activities such as shark feeding.

$10 per adult and kids free. Its not what we were expecting. Personally i was very disappointed because of limited species they had. The entire aquarium took me around 10 minutes to see however my daughter had a blast and that's what all matters.

Not the best aquarium but for the size it’s fun and cool. Lots of animals to learn about and staff is very knowledgeable and fun. Aside from the homeless people hanging around the entrance it’s a nice place. I came her in a filed trip with my sons school and the kids loved it.

Didn't really get any pics from here since we really just needed to rent a beach wheelchair. But then...BABY SHARKS🦈 The whole experience can be pretty quick-The aquarium itself is really small and there's a fee for adults. Absolutely worth it...did I mention baby sharks?? No idea they were so cute🦈 My favorite was seeing them swim INSIDE their weird little egg sacks. Seriously, so cool! They have some educational artwork and the staff were all ready to share their knowledge. And the wheelchairs are free (leave your ID) and are really easy to maneuver on the sand. It was so soooooo helpful for our daughter who was down there on crutches to take her senior grad pics. They're located in a tiny area right under the pier. Oh, and their gift shop is really cute, too. Definitely stop in for a visit when you're on the pier 👍

Some of the fish here seem a little bored. Some tanks were crowded, imo. But the workers were friendly. A nice way to spend an afternoon, and get out of the heat.

This place is absolutely amazing! Great place to take the kids, family, or to go on a date. The staff/volunteers were all extremely helpful and knowledgeable. I will be getting a membership soon to support them as a nonprofit because they are truly saving the sea life and educating the public.

Heal the Bay may be a bit small, but they provide a lot of information in limited space. If you want to see more species, this is probably not the place. However, they have starfish, turtle shells, dolphins, and anti-cigarette displays too. You can actually touch some of them. I personally think it is more ideal for younger kids. When I went yesterday, there was a special college group outside offering a free display of shark fin and jaws.