Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla

Loved it!. It's quite small but still packed with a ton of sea life and information. Staff were very kind and helpful. Spent a good two hours walking and looking around. They had very many interactive games and activities for kids. There were art tables, videos, games, dress up, water and sand tables. I could imagine if I would have brought my nieces and nephews they would have loved it and maybe spent much more time there. Although the activities were primarily for kids there was still a bunch for others. There is a ton of facts and knowledge about the sea life all over the walls. They even have some informative videos playing around in the background. Outside they had the pools with animals you could feel or hold. There's two of them and they switch back and forth throughout the day to give them a break so the life in them doesn't stress to much with all the excitement. The views of the beach and ocean outside are also amazing. We found it to be great for pictures or to just simply enjoy the view.

This was so much fun for my family. We have older kids and still spent 4-5 hours experiencing all of the exhibits. It was a wonderful up close experience. The facility is clean and child friendly. There is also a reasonably priced eatery right outside. I recommend the pesto flat bread. It was delicious! Oh, and I forgot to mention that admission is extremely reasonable! I would come here again.