Visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific

The Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, California, is open every day of the year (except for Christmas) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's the fourth largest aquarium in the U.S. with 11,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits. There are also educational exhibits that use multimedia to educate visitors of all ages about various environmental and ocean science topics.

The Aquarium also sponsors special events such as photography nights, dive immersions, urban ocean cruises, and adult sleepovers.

The 11,000 ocean animals at the Aquarium of the Pacific represent nearly 500 species of marine life that call the Pacific Ocean home. The exhibits include 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits. The special exhibits gallery houses changing exhibits, but there are also a number of permanent exhibits. The permanent exhibits include Shark Lagoon, Lorikeet Forest, Arctic & Antarctic: Our Polar Regions in Peril, Ocean Science Center, BP Sea Otter Habitat, Molina Animal Care Center, Our Watersheds: Pathway to the Pacific, Southern California/Baja Gallery, Northern Pacific Gallery, Tropical Pacific Gallery, Gulf of California, Shorebird Sanctuary, Whales: Voices in the Sea, and Turtle Vision 4D.

The Aquarium of the Pacific offers a variety of deals and discounts to help visitors save on admission.

• Children under three and Aquarium members are always free.
• Discount tickets are sold at Ralph's and Albertson's supermarkets.
• VisitLongBeach.com occasionally has printable coupons for Aquarium admission.
• The Aquarium will sometimes publish news about discounts on its Facebook page.
• Groups of 10 or more can purchase discount tickets in advance.