Things to do nearMonterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 on the site of the old Hovden Cannery, one of the last operating sardine canneries on Cannery Row before the industry collapsed in the mid-twentieth century. The building's industrial bones are still visible in the architecture, giving the space a layered sense of place that connects the region's fishing history to its modern conservation identity.

The aquarium draws directly from Monterey Bay, pumping in fresh seawater to sustain living exhibits that include a towering kelp forest, one of the tallest indoor marine displays in the world. The Open Sea gallery immerses visitors in a massive tank where yellowfin tuna, green sea turtles, and schools of sardines move in fluid formation. Shallower touch pools let younger visitors handle sea stars and bat rays under the guidance of volunteer naturalists.

The aquarium has long been a leader in ocean conservation research, with programs focused on sea otter rescue and rehabilitation, sustainable seafood awareness, and plastic pollution reduction. Its Seafood Watch program has influenced restaurant and grocery purchasing decisions across the country.

Outside the main building, the coastal trail along the bay offers views of the same waters you just explored indoors, and the surrounding Cannery Row neighborhood provides options for fresh local seafood at nearby restaurants. The Monterey Bay Aquarium earns its reputation not through spectacle alone but through the genuine depth of its scientific mission and the intimacy of its connection to one of the most biodiverse marine sanctuaries on the Pacific Coast.