Aquarium of the Bay

An amazing experience. The aquarium is on the smaller side so it makes for a quick visit; but what an exquisite place it is. My kids, and the others children around, especially enjoyed the underwater tunnel. They have an assortment of species that keeps the tour moving. I would suggest visiting early because it is located on Pier 39 and attracts many tourists visiting the area.

Lots of fun. Brought my nieces and nephews ages range 3-11 they had a great time. We hung out about 2 hours they had a blast. Was able to touch a shark and stingray. Little pricey but was worth it. Of you have young ones make sure you bring a stroller there wasn't any to rent. Plenty of seating if Elders are with.

I've been taking my daughter here since she was 4 years old; she's 15 now and still loves it!

There are many species of aquatic animals available to view. Jellyfish, anchovies, Moray eels, skate, and sharks, just to name a few. There's also a tiny Giant Pacific octopus, if you can find it.

The tide pool has always been a favorite, however, it took a loss when the starfish population decreased due to Starfish Wasting Syndrome. There are still bat rays, leopard shark, sea cucumber, stars and anemone to have a hands-on (actually, one finger) experience.

There's also a large River Otter display room where you can watch a couple of playful otters swim and play their day away.

The staff are friendly and those who have been there since before the pandemic are very knowledgeable. The gift shops have plenty of items to choose from. The ladies bathroom is clean; I don't know about the men's bathroom.

My only quarrel is that they changed the direction of flow to counter-clockwise. It was confusing when we were in the underwater tunnel and everyone was going the opposite direction than we were. There was less staff to guide visitors through for the best experience possible. This was never a problem in the past.

Overall, we had a pleasureable experience. We will go back in the future and I do recommend Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39 to everyone young, old and in between.

I almost forgot to mention that all students and the nine surrounding Bay Area counties receive a locals discount!

This is a very cute little aquarium. The underwater tunnel you can see everything as you walk down this tunnel the fish are above you next to you and they feel like they're surrounding you. So it's really cool but also extremely scary if you are afraid of sharks like I am. The little tide pool is so cute and so much fun to be able to touch the little animals that are in there. Definitely recommend this for the entire family.