Planning and Travel Tips: Monterey Bay, CA and Monterey Bay Aquarium Part 1

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Monterey Bay, CA Planning and Travel Tips: A while back, I knew I would have a four-day weekend coming and prepared extra posts to enable us to make plans to see our family that doesn’t live close by. But a few of the older kids decided the weekend before to go to a cabin the timing didn’t work for us. The next weekend, we decided to meet halfway because my son and his wife would be going to Lake Tahoe to ski during the four-day weekend.

So three cars of people from different areas converged on Monterey Bay and the Aquarium. Today I thought I would share our day, and give you some places and tips to help you when you are planning your travel trip there. Planning trips for spring, summer, or any other season will help you enjoy your experience even more!

Whether you are nearby or coming from out of state I hope these planning tips help you enjoy your time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

• At the end of the post are several links to help you find more about the Monterey, CA area. Don’t miss part 2 of this post with places to see, what to bring. Find more helpful tips for your trip.

We are a big group when we get together. This time it would be: Kids 4 kids, 3 young adults, and 6 adults, (and that’s not everyone). Of course, we had our meeting time about 2 1/2 hours away for everyone. We ate breakfast at home, packed snacks, and planned to eat out at least once during the day.

• Tip: With any trip, bring extra money and make sure you have extra clothes nearby. My older daughter, Krissy, ended up buying some clothes when her toddler had an accident and they had forgotten to pack extra pants in his bag. Now, moms, you know there is always that one time when we forget something. We ended up staying later and eating an extra unplanned meal before our drive home.
• Tip: Bring layers! No matter what time of year it is. Winds, fog, and mist are often found when visiting the coast. The aquarium has both indoor and outdoor areas you’ll want to see them.

Archie’s American Diner

Sammie and I ended up stopping to grab her a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant Archie’s American Diner (travel /food review) where we parked before walking about a mile to meet up with the gang. 

I didn’t want to pay for all-day parking. To save money, we found parking further away and walked to the restaurants near the aquarium area.

She ordered a tuna sandwich, which she had made to order, along with a sod, which cost under $10 (at the time of this post). It was huge! She could only eat half and said it was good. I decided to wait until dinner since I had breakfast and snacks. It was a clean place and lined up fairly quickly as we got there just before lunch.

Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets is a fun, hamburger 50’s diner-style spot to eat! 

Then we headed to Cannery Row and met up with the gang who ate at Johnny Rockets, a super fun place. The waiters and waitresses break out into song and dancing. They had classic burgers, salads, shakes, and fries. I heard the Monterey one has been permanently closed since this was originally posted. 

While we waited for them to finish eating (since they had little kids). We went ahead to a few shops since it would be hard to get in and out of, with a trail of little ones. We went into Zucchini’s Tricks and Things magic shop after seeing the fortune teller at the doorway. How could we resist? A similar one of our favorite movies “Big” with Tom Hanks. We walked by and it started talking to us! In we went! Before leaving the store, I assumed the owner was showing magic tricks with everyone gathering around. It was pretty cool and had tons of things packed into a small store to see.

We also went into quite a few Cannery Row gift shops. Don’t miss the store with a giant totem pole outside of it. Sorry, I can’t remember the name, it’s about a block and a half down from the aquarium, but on the opposite side of the street. They had tons of seashells, gifts, shirts, and even creepy-looking dead baby sharks in bottles. Sammie was fascinated by them but, we didn’t buy one.

She shared a photo on her Instagram lol. I am for supporting the aquarium, but the aquarium gift shop is really expensive. Be forewarned. It carries lovely books, shells, postcards, t-shirts, sweatshirts, vests, and more. Of course, trinkets are less expensive. At least walk through it’s lovely of course if your budget allows, support them.

Upon entering, I noticed it was way busier than usual, even for a weekend. I later found out it was one of the free community days for anyone living in the local county. Great if you are local, on a budget, and can’t afford it.

Not so great when you are paying. Because you have to get through huge crowds to enjoy the aquarium. But, as the day went on people leave and you make your way through. People are generally good about taking turns viewing the large windows.

Tips For Visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium

• If you can’t afford to pay the entrance fee and live locally, find out when local community days are happening!
• Make sure it’s not a free community day if you are paying. Preferably, visit during the week versus the weekend! It will be less crowded.
• Summers probably will be crowded either way.
• Plan to spend the entire day open to close which is 5:00 pm to get your ticket’s worth.
• Check Aquarium times as they vary and holiday schedules
• It’s not cheap even for kids. Plan Your Visit.
• Group Tickets can be purchased for 12 or more in advance.
• (Triple-A) AAA discounts can be purchased in advance for single-ticket discounts.
• Don’t miss the Splash Zone if you’re an adult group; there are plenty of nice exhibits and interactive areas to see! (My favorite purple giant clams are near the play center.)

Get more photos and tips for visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. What is good to bring, places to visit nearby… Update: Part 2

Have you ever been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in CA.? Or is this on your bucket list of places to go?

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