Shoreline Drive and Aquarium Way,
Long Beach Visitors:
(562) 590-3100
Designated as a Coastal
Ecosystems Learning Center (CELC)
Long Beach,
Calif--The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach,
California, is one of the largest
Aquariums & Zoos
in the United States with more than 12,000 ocean animals and nearly 50
exhibits requiring more than a million gallons of Pacific
seawater. It is the only aquarium
in the world to focus on the Pacific Ocean. Visitors can enjoy more
than 500 species, in 19 major habitats and 30 exhibits which take them
on a journey throughout the Pacific Ocean's three regions: Southern California/Baja,
the Tropical Pacific and Northern Pacific.
Ranked as one of the top Family
Vacation attractions in Los Angeles and Orange County, Aquarium of the
Pacific is the perfect place to take children for educational entertainment.
With its sweeping, curving, wave-like architecture, the
Aquarium of the Pacific is designed to emulate the ocean. The Aquarium also
features a scenic indoor/outdoor restaurant, Café Scuba, boasting
a spectacular view of picturesque Shoreline Village and Rainbow Harbor,
and a 4,000-square-foot gift shop. Called Pacific Collections, it showcases
hundreds of marine gifts, toys, games and souvenirs.
Additions to the Aquarium since its opening include a
wetlands exhibit; rotating exhibit gallery that currently features Jellies:
Phantoms of the Deep—an exhibition dedicated to sea jellies, mysterious
animals with no heart, brain or eyes; Lorikeet Forest, a 5,200 sq. ft.
walkthrough aviary where visitors will embark on an interactive adventure
with colorful and friendly birds from “down under” that they can feed and
hold; the ultimate interactive exhibit—Shark Lagoon, featuring more than
150 sharks you can touch…and some you can’t!; daily presentations, including
sea otter, sea lion, underwater diver and special shark feeding presentations
that allow guests to witness the awesome power of these apex predators;
the Bamboo Bistro Café; Shark Shack gift store; daily Behind-the-Scenes
Tours; Animal Encounter Program, which allows you to learn about the care
and feeding of our animals, highlight includes feeding and interacting
with a seal or sea lion; annual holiday events; cultural festivals;
scientific guest lectures; hundreds of school as well as public education
programs tailored for various age groups from two years old Aqua Tot Programs
to 18 and over Adult Programs; and much more!
Each exhibit and its inhabitants receive processed seawater
through a filter to keep the habitat environment clean. Depending on the
tank exhibit and species that inhabits it, the entire tank filtering process
takes place every 30 to 90 minutes. To ensure the exhibits are filled with
the most pollution-free saltwater, approximately once a month, new seawater
is replaced in each living exhibit tank. The water initially used in the
Aquarium exhibits was supplied by Catalina Water Company. Water is currently
being barged in from waters two to four miles outside of Long Beach.
Three football fields could fit into the Aquarium's expansive,
156,735 square-feet,
featuring 19 major exhibit habitats, holding from 5,000
to 350,000 gallons of water, plus 30 smaller 32 focus exhibits. More than
12,000 ocean animals, representing over 550 species, await your visit.
Complementing the permanent installations, a 5,200-square-foot gallery
hosts special and touring exhibits. Innovative "please touch" areas for
children, including participatory Discovery Labs and Rays Touchpool, the
Honda Theater, two wet/dry classrooms, a teachers resource center and the
Aquarium on Wheels outreach vehicle augment the Aquariums serious commitment
to Pacific discovery for everyone.
Complementing
the permanent installations, a 5,200-square-foot gallery hosts special and
touring exhibits. Innovative "please touch" areas for children, including
the participatory Kid's Cove, an auditorium, two wet/dry classrooms and a
teachers resource center augment the Aquariums serious commitment to Pacific
discovery for all ages.
GRAND OPENING: June 20, 1998.
OPENING
INVESTMENT: $117 million
The architecture is a joint venture of Hellmuth,
Obata & Kassanbaum (HOK) and Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis (EHDD) of San
Francisco. EHDD designed the critically acclaimed
Monterey Bay Aquarium and has collaborated on the plans for numerous
marine exhibitions worldwide.
Billed as the largest waterfront development in California
history, the Pike Project features the Aquarium of the Pacific as a
centerpiece of the project. The Queen Mary is an Aquabus ride across the
harbor.
For more information or to pre-purchase Aquarium tickets
online...visit the official Web site aquariumofpacific.org or call
562/590-3100.
Where to eat? There are many great restaurants
surrounding the Aquarium with a few favorites that include
PF Chang's, Bubba Gumps and
Parker's Lighthouse.
Where to park? Parking in a
garage next to the
building offers many parking spaces, fee charged.
