Visitors are free to explore on a self-guided aquarium tour. Most highlights are in the Susanne Lawrenz-Miller Exhibit Hall, where displays are designed around Southern California’s marine habitats. An interactive touch pool with starfish, urchins, and other tidal species is a favorite with kids. Adjacent buildings house an aquatic nursery, where marine biologists welcome visitors into their lab, and an Exploration Center with tactile displays, crawl-through tanks, and multisensory exhibits aimed at the younger set.
The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of San Pedro, right on Cabrillo Beach. Paid parking is available at the beach.
The aquarium is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you’re planning to explore the tide pools at Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park after a visit, try to go during low tide to see the most marine life. Check daily tide tables on the aquarium website.
Each year between late March and early May (the exact date is determined by tidal and lunar cycles), the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium hosts the annual Grunion Fishtival. Visitors are invited to stay late and head to Cabrillo Beach with marine biologists to watch a natural grunion run—when scores of the silvery fish come ashore at high tide to lay eggs on the beach.
