Heal the Bay Aquarium
Heal the Bay Aquarium
4
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
About
Heal the Bay Aquarium is a marine education facility, which inspires understanding and conservation of Southern California coastal waters, watersheds and marine life through education, interaction and discovery. Located beach level, just below the Carousel at the Santa Monica Pier, the Aquarium is open to the general public daily. Over its 18 years of operation, the Aquarium has welcomed more than one million visitors during public hours, and in-house education programs have reached close to 200,000 students. Heal the Bay is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to making the coastal waters and watersheds of Greater Los Angeles safe, healthy and clean. To fulfill our mission, we use science, education, community action, and advocacy.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Santa Monica is a coastal town that maintains a balance as a tourist destination and as an area with a thriving local culture. On the beach, bikers, roller-bladers, runners and walkers move along the famed bike path enjoying the beautiful Los Angeles weather. The solar-powered Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica pier spins high above the water, while park revelers scream with delight riding the roller coaster. Inland from the beach, Third Street Promenade bustles with shoppers and street performers, where every block seems to have a musical or acrobatic act drawing crowds giving Santa Monica both the feeling of a laid-back beach town and a major commercial hub.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
274 reviews
Excellent
75
Very good
103
Average
70
Poor
16
Terrible
10
CWD360
Manchester, UK68 contributions
Mar 2020
It’s only a small attraction and you will only spend 25 - 30 mins in it. It only costs 7us and is run by local volunteers, they are really enthusiastic and have a lot to tell. It isn’t going to take your day up and would be really good for children.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charmain D
Charlotte, NC2,592 contributions
Dec 2019
This is a small aquarium located under the pier at the front end of the beach area. There are a lot of star fish and small aquariums for children to learn all about the star fish. We were there during the exhibit on how starfish eat. The price to get in is $7 and they have a number of activities for children.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F-F
Los Angeles, CA1,185 contributions
Nov 2019
This is a cute and small aquarium near the Santa Monica Pier. It cannot be compared to other big ones and the small entrance fee reflects so too, but it needs some help and some cleaning too.
Written November 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amber S
Ringwood, Australia13 contributions
Sep 2017 • Family
If you have young kids - this may be a fun, $5 and 30min diversion. But for adults...we spent almost 30 mins walking up and down the pier trying to find this place, finally were given correct directions by a local, and found this tiny, one room building literally tucked under the Santa Monica Pier. This was included on our travel pass, so we thought, why not? I understand this is a volunteer run operation to try & educate people about the ecosystem in the Bay and how to protect it. In that respect, I applaud it. We had some nice conversations with the volunteers there. But this should NOT be advertised as an "Aquarium", it's a one room affair with a few tanks & that's it. The entry fee of $5 goes towards conservation efforts, so they're not trying to rip you off. I think this is more a case of advertising not matching expectations.
Written January 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emirati Vacationer
London, UK227 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
Cute little aquarium. Cheap entry ticket price. The water tanks need a bit of cleaning but nevertheless this is a nice quick place to kill an hour.
Written August 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AngelXena
Warrington, UK38 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
A great place to quickly bring the kids if you want to have a bit of fun for 30 minutes or so! The aqarium itself is quite small and doesn't have a lot of space.
If you're looking for something with sharks or dolphins then you'll be best going to another aquarium, however, it's a great little attraction next to the pier and the staff are very knowledgable and very very nice! They do also have touch pools which is really fun for kids and a great learning environment!
Would recommend checking this out if you're spending a day at the pier but I wouldn't travel distance to visit! :)
If you're looking for something with sharks or dolphins then you'll be best going to another aquarium, however, it's a great little attraction next to the pier and the staff are very knowledgable and very very nice! They do also have touch pools which is really fun for kids and a great learning environment!
Would recommend checking this out if you're spending a day at the pier but I wouldn't travel distance to visit! :)
Written July 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stacey H
Montreal, Canada27 contributions
Mar 2015 • Family
We were lucky to go when they were feeding the sharks and the girls were able to feed them a fish! This was a trip highlight!!! They feed the sharks once a week so call ahead to find out when. The biologist there was so nice. When she saw how interested the girls were she even took out some stuff that wasn't on display and let them touch it. She explained so many things to them in simple language.
This place is small and run by volunteers but my 7 and 12 year old girls thought it was great!
This place is small and run by volunteers but my 7 and 12 year old girls thought it was great!
Written March 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
needtogetaway7
RI42 contributions
Oct 2012 • Couples
On an afternoon when you are looking for something different, this is at the right spot and at a reasonable price. The attendants are very friendly and the stuff you learn will stay with you for a lifetime. Bring the kids!
Written November 8, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mgtt51
Hampton Bays, NY38 contributions
Dec 2019
Not very large, but interesting displays , staff was very helpful and informative. More geared towards children.
Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joa P
Athens, Greece30 contributions
Sep 2019
Cute little addiction on the pier for a non stop walk through to kill some time ... good variety for a small place but the fish and the tanks and all around need immediate attention / cleaning ... the small fee USD 5 , very good but not enough for the maintenance of the place apparently ... Enjoy !
Written November 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debbie V
Manhattan Beach, CA53 contributions
Does anyone know if the building is heated?’ I was invited to a pop up event there in the evening and I’m wondering if it is going to be cold in there. Because the temps have been in the 50’s and it’s on the beach level so it could be cold. Thanks in advance.
Hello, may I ask what entrance price would be?
sarah v
Watford, UK23 contributions
5 dollars each
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Frequently Asked Questions about Heal the Bay Aquarium
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