Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA

Address:	2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Phone:	+1 858-534-3474
Site:	aquarium.ucsd.edu
Rating:	4.4
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Robyn Laing

I love visiting aquariums, but in this case I was incredibly disappointed... I see that most of the other reviews are very good, so perhaps Im just spoiled by the Seattle aquarium (and got incredibly lucky with the other out of state aquariums that I visited)??? But for a regular entry fee of $17 (or even the student fee of $12) an attraction should have AT LEAST two hours worth of entertainment for anyone. However, if youre not with small children there is not much to do and see here (and even with children, there isnt a whole lot more). A good portion of the aquarium is just games/activities for little kids and the science facts on the walls are also very basic common knowledge (global warming, what is CO2, etc.). I finished with everything in about 40 minutes, and I was REALLY taking my time. Several of few attractions are very interesting (especially the sea horses and shark embryos), but there are just so few of them that it was really not worth it in my opinion (a 30 minute taxi ride each way for this). I think a few of the tanks repeat the same species as well (or they are at least very closely related species). There are essentially 2 small wings and a back, outside area. One wing has several aquariums with interesting critters, but again, its so short... The other wing is mostly childrens games and the science facts, with a couple of other aquariums. The back area has a kind of murky shark tank and a very, very sad touch tide pool (not much in there and not very colorful). And thats it. I even asked the guy at the front desk if I was missing something. But yeah, no sea birds, no sea mammals, no unique displays that arent found at other aquariums. I dont get it. Theres no source of food that is a not a junk food stand either. I feel a little bad for rating this place so harshly because I know theyre doing what they can, but I wish I knew this before I wasted my time and money on this.

Shane Chambers

Wasnt real impressed with the place. Some old woman told me I couldnt take my Starbucks with a spill proof lid inside, was afraid I would Spill it in the Artificial Tide pool and kill a few sea cucumbers and maybe an urchin. How ridiculous, but petty tyrants exist. The Star Bucks Patrol is on the prowel! Roughly one-half of the exhibits (an entire WING) were about the Effects of Global Warming. Haha. They still believe in Al Gores Hocky Stick -- fabricated evidence. They probably got some big grant so long as they published the propaganda. HELLO, I think Fukashima Sea Radiation thats killing everything out there is a much bigger concern. Theres some island in CA last weekend that had thousands of dead sea lions on it. Fisherman are coming back with nothing. While on San Diego Beaches, I didnt see a single fish in the water. And this Aquarium is worried about global warming!!! They had a bunch of hand crank exhibits that did nothing but generate some power to pump some water and light a lightbulb here and there. Just looked like the default dumping ground of science fair projects. There were a few nice aquariums inside that I liked, but I was hard to get around inside because of people leaving their strollers in the middle of the walkway while they walked up to the exhibits.

Mark Casey

I took my wife and two young boys (ages 4 and 2 in August 2013) here and had a nice time. The aquarium turned out to be smaller than I expected it to be based on memories of the place a few years ago. Perhaps I have conflated it in my memory with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is MUCH larger. My sons raced though most of the indoor exhibits: i.e. past the kelp, octopus, jellyfish, eel, seahorses, etc, but slowed down for the outdoor and interactive exhibits. They loved the tide pools, and I was very impressed with how helpful and friendly the volunteers were who staffed them. Touching sea stars and sea slugs was a lot of fun for all of us. The boys also loved the two water tables where you use plastic walls to control the flow of water down a slope. They also enjoyed the exhibit where you could make a fountain go by turning a crank, riding a bike, etc. Then there was the shark feeding. I completely loved it, but for some reason my two boys didnt show a lot of interest in it. I would have put money on them going crazy with excitement for it, but no dice. The worst part of the aquarium, in my opinion, was the global warming exhibit, which I thought was thinly argued (to the extent it was argued at all), and more propaganda than anything else.

A Private User

I literally JUST got back from an afternoon at the Birch Aquarium and was so impressed that I wanted to write a review. The aquarium is a steal at 12 bucks per adult , and the displays are informative,clean, and colorful. The Birch may be small...but its tall on facts and educational material at each tank ranging from the names of fish in displays, to their quirky habits it the wild. The hall of fishes is wonderfully designed, starting you in the Pacific NW waters and following the coast down to the Southern Pacific, with specific displays devoted to the cove areas around La Jolla , and also the piers, and waters of San Diego bay. The kelp forest tank is amazing... and is also a" local display" as the waters all off of La Jolla shores is kelp forest habitat! The outdoor tidepool exhibit is really fun and filled with anenomies , sea cucumbers, urchins, starfish and small fish and crabs for the kids to touch and feel. Will definitely go back, and would recommend it as a fun easy afternoon for just about anyone .

Donna Amis Davis

Maybe we shouldnt have chosen a scorching heat-wave Saturday afternoon, during Kids Free October, which also happened to be UCSD Free Week, to visit the Birch Aquarium, but despite the crowds and having to wait for a parking space to free, we did have a great time. Our 3- and 4-year-old grandkids in tow, we headed right out to the tide pool exploration area. They werent ready to touch a starfish yet, but they are still talking about them. I loved seeing the local species up close - the garibaldi - San Diegos giant native goldfish, the Pacific sea horses, the leopard sharks. I never knew there were seahorses living in San Diego Bay. The kids enjoyed all the tanks, too, but loved the educational play area with a water course they could dam up, and float little rubber boats on.

James F

We skipped out on visiting SeaWorld because of the ethical issues, cost, and because most of the attractions were inaccessible to our young kids (4 and 2). Instead, we went to the Birch aquarium at Scripps, and were very impressed and pleasantly surprised! It is small, with several aquarium exhibits, a shark-tank, and some interactive tidal pools where you can touch sea creatures. Many of the exhibits are related to renewable energy sources, and the problems of global warming and ocean acidification, which we appreciated. Lots of "hands-on" exhibits for kids and adults alike. Great gift shop and cafe. Friendly staff. Pre-adolescents will like it best, but even teenagers could find at least an hour of interesting things to do (if they are into science).