__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________
The Ultimate LA Family Guide
Copyright © 2006-2012 The Teachtopia Network
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and Ports O’ Call Village in San Pedro
The aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro. Parking in the lot is free for the first 20 minutes and then $1 per hour after that. The hours for the aquarium are Tuesday-Friday from 12 pm-5 pm and Saturday-Sunday from 10 am-5 pm. Admission is by donation only. The suggested donation is $5 per adult and $1 per child and you deposit the money on your own into the mouth of a pelican statue. My kids really liked putting the money in the drop.
The aquarium opened in 1935 and is operated by the LA County Parks and Recreation department. The current buildings are from 1981 but the nearby bathhouse structures are where the exhibits used to be housed when my husband used to visit it as a kid.
After donating to the aquarium we looked around and figured out that there are five main places to go. The tidepools and native plant garden areas, the main exhibit area, the touch tank, the exploration room and the aquatic nursery.
We started by walking into the exploration room which had several staff members there to talk to the kids about what they were seeing. The first thing we noticed in this room was a large walk in tank that the kid could get in the middle of. We enjoyed looking through the fish-filled tank and having them wave to us while taking pictures They loved being surrounded by flatfish, octopuses and sting rays. There is also another walk through type area which simulates what it is like to walk through mud with squishy walls and all of the organisms found in mud. On the far right side of the room was a discovery area with a table set up with sea animals in formaldehyde and magnifying glasses to study them. Madison and Logan loved spending time with the staff member looking at all of the specimens. Right nearby there was a long counter with several microscopes. They could look at various parts of a snake through the microscope including snake skin. In this middle of this area was a open air tank with sea urchins and other sea life to watch and learn about. Another favorite part of this room was a screen with a microscope and we could see all that was happening in a tiny drop of sea water. Believe it or not you could see small organisms literally eat one another.
After the exploration room, we headed through the main exhibit hall because the touch tank was about to open. The touch tank is open for 20 minutes every hour on the hour and then closes until the next time slot. This is a fairly large tank with lots of sea life to look at and feel. One area if off limits to kids and has sharks and other fish. Madison and Logan loved feeling the sea anemones, star fish and sea urchins and we stayed out there for a long time. Back inside we explored all of the tanks which house the largest collection of Southern California sea life in the world. They have a 160 different species of sea life right from our local area. There was a lot for the kids to do in here and some of the tanks simulated the waves and weather experienced in the ocean. They loved searching for the fish that are extremely camouflaged in their environment and matching all of the pictures of the fish to the actual fish in the tanks. It was great to see them get really engaged in the process of learning about sea life and how we need to protect it. In contrast to other aquariums, this one is smaller but more manageable and not nearly as crowded.
We headed over to the aquatic nursery because we had been told that there were baby spiny lobsters there, but unfortunately their tanks were all being cleaned at that time. We spent a while examining the baby seahorses and learned they can have up to 3000 babies at one time which fascinated Madison and Logan. I wanted to head out on the trail to see the native plant garden and the tidepools but the kids were very hungry and there is no cafe at the aquarium.
We want to come back to check out the tidepools, hang out at a beautiful beach there and to watch the boats being launched from a public boat launching area there. We also plan on coming back to see the annual Grunion Runs where grunions spawn on the beach.
We then headed over to the nearby Ports Of Call shopping and fishmarket area at 1100 Nagoya Way. There are a whole bunch of restaurants and we ate at what is referred to as their marketplace with a huge waterfront eating area. We picked out our lunch and then a table to take in the incredible view of boats, ocean and sea life. The kids loved it and we enjoyed the open air feel and the view a lot. People were buying huge crabs to eat and sharing it with their table of friends. We all ordered various fried fish and chip combos and it was a decent meal. One of the restaurants was called Crusty Crab and my kids like that name for obvious reasons. The restaurant area was just one part of this waterfront center. There were also places to shop for clothing and souvenirs and even a park with 5 carnival rides. Madison and Logan went on a small ferris wheel for two dollars a piece. If you are interested in going out on a boat, or renting your own powerboat there are several operators to choose from for tours of different lengths and prices. You can even go up in a small helicopter to take a tour starting at about 40 dollars for a 5 to 6 minute ride.
Other places to take your kids in the immediate San Pedro area include boat cuises, the local Maritime Museum, and the Red Car Trolley that runs on a track in the area.
The aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro. Parking in the lot is free for the first 20 minutes and then $1 per hour after that. The hours for the aquarium are Tuesday-Friday from 12 pm-5 pm and Saturday-Sunday from 10 am-5 pm. Admission is by donation only. The suggested donation is $5 per adult and $1 per child and you deposit the money on your own into the mouth of a pelican statue. My kids really liked putting the money in the drop.
The aquarium opened in 1935 and is operated by the LA County Parks and Recreation department. The current buildings are from 1981 but the nearby bathhouse structures are where the exhibits used to be housed when my husband used to visit it as a kid.
After donating to the aquarium we looked around and figured out that there are five main places to go. The tidepools and native plant garden areas, the main exhibit area, the touch tank, the exploration room and the aquatic nursery.
We started by walking into the exploration room which had several staff members there to talk to the kids about what they were seeing. The first thing we noticed in this room was a large walk in tank that the kid could get in the middle of. We enjoyed looking through the fish-filled tank and having them wave to us while taking pictures They loved being surrounded by flatfish, octopuses and sting rays. There is also another walk through type area which simulates what it is like to walk through mud with squishy walls and all of the organisms found in mud. On the far right side of the room was a discovery area with a table set up with sea animals in formaldehyde and magnifying glasses to study them. Madison and Logan loved spending time with the staff member looking at all of the specimens. Right nearby there was a long counter with several microscopes. They could look at various parts of a snake through the microscope including snake skin. In this middle of this area was a open air tank with sea urchins and other sea life to watch and learn about. Another favorite part of this room was a screen with a microscope and we could see all that was happening in a tiny drop of sea water. Believe it or not you could see small organisms literally eat one another.
After the exploration room, we headed through the main exhibit hall because the touch tank was about to open. The touch tank is open for 20 minutes every hour on the hour and then closes until the next time slot. This is a fairly large tank with lots of sea life to look at and feel. One area if off limits to kids and has sharks and other fish. Madison and Logan loved feeling the sea anemones, star fish and sea urchins and we stayed out there for a long time. Back inside we explored all of the tanks which house the largest collection of Southern California sea life in the world. They have a 160 different species of sea life right from our local area. There was a lot for the kids to do in here and some of the tanks simulated the waves and weather experienced in the ocean. They loved searching for the fish that are extremely camouflaged in their environment and matching all of the pictures of the fish to the actual fish in the tanks. It was great to see them get really engaged in the process of learning about sea life and how we need to protect it. In contrast to other aquariums, this one is smaller but more manageable and not nearly as crowded.
We headed over to the aquatic nursery because we had been told that there were baby spiny lobsters there, but unfortunately their tanks were all being cleaned at that time. We spent a while examining the baby seahorses and learned they can have up to 3000 babies at one time which fascinated Madison and Logan. I wanted to head out on the trail to see the native plant garden and the tidepools but the kids were very hungry and there is no cafe at the aquarium.
We want to come back to check out the tidepools, hang out at a beautiful beach there and to watch the boats being launched from a public boat launching area there. We also plan on coming back to see the annual Grunion Runs where grunions spawn on the beach.
We then headed over to the nearby Ports Of Call shopping and fishmarket area at 1100 Nagoya Way. There are a whole bunch of restaurants and we ate at what is referred to as their marketplace with a huge waterfront eating area. We picked out our lunch and then a table to take in the incredible view of boats, ocean and sea life. The kids loved it and we enjoyed the open air feel and the view a lot. People were buying huge crabs to eat and sharing it with their table of friends. We all ordered various fried fish and chip combos and it was a decent meal. One of the restaurants was called Crusty Crab and my kids like that name for obvious reasons. The restaurant area was just one part of this waterfront center. There were also places to shop for clothing and souvenirs and even a park with 5 carnival rides. Madison and Logan went on a small ferris wheel for two dollars a piece. If you are interested in going out on a boat, or renting your own powerboat there are several operators to choose from for tours of different lengths and prices. You can even go up in a small helicopter to take a tour starting at about 40 dollars for a 5 to 6 minute ride.
Other places to take your kids in the immediate San Pedro area include boat cuises, the local Maritime Museum, and the Red Car Trolley that runs on a track in the area.