seymour marine discovery center

While this is a far cry from the Monterey Bay Acquarium, this marine center is a great family adventure including allowing kids to pet sharks, star fish, etc., and some wonderful docents who assist in understanding the tanks etc.

Best view of the ocean and occasionally of whales going by. The largest full blue whale skeleton is outside where kids can view and touch. Small aquarium but very informative for families.

Way off the beaten path...Seymour has aquariums and interactive displays that most people are looking for in a coastal marine center. It's too bad that they didn't combine the Seymour Center and the National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center.They have a 'backstage tour' to see the dolphins. They have a couple of displays to show you how aquariums keep jelly fish - feeding and display tricks. huge whale skeletons outside, with life sized bronzes of elephant seals. if you don't want to drive to Monterey, pay the higher price, and deal with the crowds...this is a good alternative. lots of UC students to help and answer your questions.

Get there early to get into one of the tours that leave every hour. We finally got into a tour after some people cancelled. It is the only way you are able to see the dolphin is on the tour. Some of the volunteers are great and share information. Other volunteers such as the younger teenagers were just on their cell phones and not answering questions. Overall great place to visit for the price and knowledge/experience.

The Seymour Center is an ocean themed "secret" hidden in Santa Cruz. This is a great family outing especially for kids! It is very reasonable to get in, hands-on experiences via the touch pool and interactive educational exhibits. The docent led tour visits the dolphins who live there, the largest Blue Whale skeleton in the world, and beautiful scenery outside. They have a great gift shop too! If you're in the area and have kids OR love the ocean, it's a must see!

Families will enjoy the "hands-on" atmosphere of the Center. The docent led walk is well-worth the forty-five minutes and lots of information is shared during the walk. The views from the back of the Center are beautiful and information on how fragile the bay is was worth the time to visit.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center- 100 Shaffer Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (831)459-3800, seymourcenter.ucsc.edu Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM July and August open on Mondays also. Adults $8, Seniors (65 and older) $6, Students (with ID) $6, Child (3-16 years old) $6, 2 and under Free. Plus they offer FREE DAYS but not during April, May, June, July or August.Q-Tips Say: GREAT Discovery Center for little and big kids. Very Hands on for kids – they offer all types of programs for all ages and levels of education and families. The little ones get a “treasure hunt” map to mark the creatures they find. If they can’t find one, there are young marine students who are eager to explain and assist. If they don’t know the answer, they happily go ask a “season veteran” for the answer. They offer tours for inside and outside the Discovery Center.Mrs. Q says: Great place to take the kids. Get the “treasure hunt map” and let them have fun learning about marine life, eco system and science.Mrs. Q asks? Did you know that they mark certain marine life for tracking purposes with “hair dye”. Who would have thought! Go and enjoy, we did.Alice 34203 and 60660 -

OMG, love this place. First, its a working lab.. so you interact with docents, students and scientists. It's NOT "the Aquarium" which is wonderful in its own way and I love too, but if bigger= better to you, skip this, you'll think its beneath you.But, if you can see what's real in the world and appreciate it, you will enjoy the several wonderful exhibits, a tour of the working facilities where you can learn about the studies currently under way, and fabulous setting in acres of high meadow overlooking the sea with everything from falcons and hawks to pelicans and larks. You can walk the area, check out the whale skeletons, take the tour, see the exhibits all great! But sometimes I go just to check out the gift shop. IT's my go to place for my own t-shirts, also a GREAT place for all kinds of gifts for kids and adults, and wonderful for coastal games, jewelry, candles, glass and ceramic sculptures AND tree ornaments of all kinds... I now have a tree that is totally sea based with sea horses, lighthouses, whales etc, some ornaments I even got on sale after Christmas but most I didn't want to risk losing.. and it looks really spectacular. Also got some great smelling soaps, sea life shapes like starfish, leaves skin great.. everyone I've given them to loves them. Have fun! Some great things come in small, out of the way places! Plus Ingalls street isn't far away for get bakery and sausage etc stuff and the monarchs at Natural Bridges are wonderful, or the museum if they aren't in town yet.

11-yr-old granddaughter and 7 year-old-grandson enjoyed the whale skeletons, petting the shark, seeing the anemones and the "jellies." We had a wonderful tour guide, Lisa, who was so knowledgable that she could answer questions from all age groups appropriately.

I did a three mile hike to get to the Seymour Center, and it wasn't quite worth the effort. The exhibits consisted of about a dozen large aquariums featuring Monterrey Bay sea life, and a similar number of interactive ecological learning displays - all nice, but quite modest. It was a fine "stopping point" for 30-45 minutes before hiking back to Santa Cruz, but I'm glad I did not bring my kids there. It would not have held their interest for long.

This is a nice little aquarium on the other side of Monterey Bay from Monterey and its world-famous aquarium. Not a "must-see" destination, but a great place to visit if you're in Santa Cruz. There are several touch tanks and, because it's not mobbed with people, visitors can actually access the touch tanks. They have other tanks with Monterey Bay denizens and exhibits on the ecology of the Bay itself.Don't miss the outside of the aquarium, which has a spectacular view of Monterey Bay (one of the best in town!) and several whale skeletons, including one of a blue whale. While the aquarium charges a (small) admission fee, the outside is free, as is the parking - definitely a great place to wander for half an hour enjoying the scenery. Keep an eye out for whales and other marine life just offshore; we often see whale spouts (and even breaches!) in season, and frequently spot dolphins and otters as well.

Like a mini Montery Bay Aquarium. Great for little kids with a touch pool and dolphins or seals that they may be rehabilitating. Small fee to get in. Bring a coat. It gets windy and cold on this side of town, more so than other areas of Santa Cruz.

Right from when you arrive this place grabs you attention.There's a whale skeleton outside which was from a whale that washed up on a beach up the coast from the center. Inside there is lots to read about including the local marine population and how they are affected by climate change and what is being done to help.There are fish to see and touch which were a big hit with the children in the party.Well worth a visit.

We had a chance to visit with our 2 year old nephew and it was perfect. Not a big acquarium, but nice displays with two touch tanks. Really good tour with breath-taking views of the coast - just watch any little ones carefully as you walk along the cliff! We saw whales breeching in the ocean and got to view the dolphins in the research lab and ask questions about the work done there. Highly suggest you stop by this gem!

What a fabulous and informative tour!! Loved the huge WHALE skeletons, the touch tanks, and the behind the scenes information about all the wonderful work done here to save marine animals. Lots of great interactive displays, and a wonderful guided tour! Scenic views and lots to learn here!