Guide to San Diego’s Birch Aquarium
The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla is part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This is great attraction for those that want to explore sea life but do not want to spend the time or money to visit a large amusement park like SeaWorld.
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Overview
The Birch Aquarium has actually been around in some form since 1905. In the 1980s we visited the aquarium when it was in a small building on the campus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The current facility opened in 1992 on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the campus of the Scripps Oceanography.
The focus of Birch Aquarium is on education. Unlike SeaWorld, there are no big rides. However, there are many educational activities, animal feedings and events. Our children have loved coming here since they were infants.
For a full visit plan on about 2 hours.
WEBSITE: https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/
Cost and Logistics
The Aquarium is open from 9 am to 5 PM every day except Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. There is ample free parking in the Birch Aquarium lot.
For food, the Birch Aquarium offers picnic tables and the Splash! Café. The Splash! Café features sandwiches and salads with outdoor seating.
Entry to the Birch Aquarium is $19.50 for adults 18 and over. Youth 3 to 17 are $15. Seniors are $16.50.
There are, of course, many discount offers. You can often find coupons to the Birch Aquarium online. The Go San Diego Pass offers several options that we use whenever visiting the aquarium or other attractions,
If you are in San Diego for 3 or more days you may want to consider a Go San Diego Pass which includes the San Diego Air and Space Musuem. The Go San Diego Pass allows visitors access to up to 40 attractions for either 1,2,3,5 or 7 days. This is not a cheap option and we generally recommend it for 3 days or more where it is $209 adults/$189 children age 3 to 12.
A 7-day pass is a very good value at $299/$269. The 3-day or more passes include admission to the very big attractions like SeaWorld and Legoland. If you do get a Go San Diego Pass it is very possible to do the San Diego Zoo and several Balboa Park museums in a single day.
The Go San Diego option we recommend to visitors just in town for a day or two is the build your own pass. With the build your own pass you add 2 or more attractions to the pass and save 20% off the gate price for each attraction. This also gives you 30 days to visit each attraction. We almost always use this option when visiting a local attraction.
Go San Diego: Your Personalized Pass to San Diego
If you are a resident or frequent visitor to San Diego, you might consider a membership option. Annual membership to the Birch Aquarium is $55 for an individual, $75 for two adults, $94 for a family of 2 adults and up to 4 children under 18. This also includes guests passes (2 for individual and 4 for family and dual membership).
For a full list of attractions updated on a regular basis see our guide to the Go San Diego Pass.
Exhibits
The exhibits actually start in the parking lot with a the Star II 2-person research submarine and a large whale statue. The entrance hall is dominated by life-size displays of sharks and other large creatures of the sea.
The Birch Aquarium can be divided into 4 major areas. As you enter the main Galleria, to your right is the Hall of Fishes. On the left are more educational displays that change on a regular basis. In the back is the outdoor Tide Pool Plaza. On the far-left side of the building is another outdoor area filled with kids’ activities and a shark and ray display (Shark Shores).
Almost every time we visit, we start at the Hall of Fishes, go to Tide Pool Plaza, visit the left-side special exhibits and end up letting the kids play in the Shark Shores area.
Hall of Fishes
The Hall of Fishes is where most of the fish can be found. It starts at the right of the entrance by a large tank of sardines. The hall loops around and comes back out on the other side of the sardine tank.
The Hall is designed to follow the California Current. This current brings cold water from the North Pacific down Canada, Washington, Oregon and California, before hitting the warmer waters of Baja Mexico. It is the opposite flow of the U.S. East Coast where warm water is coming up from the Caribbean.
At the center of the Hall of Fishes is the Giant Kelp Forest. This is a 2-story 70,000-gallon tank filled with Leopard Sharks, a Giant Sea Bass, Moray eels and more.
There is a regular Kelp Tank Dive Show where divers feed the creatures in the tank.
The Hall of Fishes also features a large rescued Loggerhead Sea Turtle and an Aquarium Nursery where fish hatch.
Tide Pool Plaza
As you exit the Hall of Fishes, Preuss Tide Pool Plaza will be on your immediate right. This plaza provides views of La Jolla, the Pacific Ocean and Scripps Pier.
The tide pools provide a good example of what you will see when you visit the many San Diego tide pools during the winter when tides are low. There is some touching allowed and there are guides to answer questions. There are also regular feedings at the tide pools.
Special Exhibits
From the entrance, the left-side of Birch Aquarium is given over to special exhibits that have changed over the years.
One of the coolest exhibits we have seen is the relatively new (2018) Oddities: Hidden Heroes of the Scripps Collection.
Oddities is superhero themed and focused on the special “superhero” style powers sea creatures can have. These include protective armor, super vision, invisibility, jaws, venom, electricity and more.
Expedition at Sea is an educational exhibit focused on the Scripps Oceanography research fleet of ships. The exhibit was launched in conjunction with the R/V Sally Ride ship. Sally Ride was an astronaut and professor at UCSD. Visitors can take a virtual tour of the Sally Ride and kids can dress up as scientists.
The newest exhibit at Birch Aquarium is Seadragons and Seahorse. This exhibit features a 5,375 gallon tank designed to breed seahorse. The Birch Aquarium is a leader in seadragon/seahorse husbandry and it the diversity of these cool creatures is amazing.
Shark Shores
When our kids were young we always saved Shark Shores for last because they could play here for hours. There is a playground and a cool water table that our kids loved. They also have regular activities for children on this patio.
The Shark Shores comes from the display of leopard sharks. Leopard sharks are abundant off the coast of La Jolla Shores in late summer and early fall. These creatures are perfectly safe to humans and snorkeling with the sharks is a key San Diego attraction.
Events and Activities
The Birch Aquarium is noted for their educational programs. You can check online for a regular schedule of feedings, shows and other events.
There are many programs offered on a seasonal basis. Our children have attended summer camps. The aquarium also offers guided trips to the nearby Dike Rock Tide Pool, snorkeling with leopard sharks, whale watching and more. Once again, you can check online for information about these programs.
The Scripps Pier is closed to the general public, but through the aquarium there are special tours for children age 9 and up. There are also general behind-the scenes tours of the aquarium.
As mentioned a visit to Birch Aquarium is estimated to take about 2 hours. There are all kinds of activities in the area if you want to make a full day visit to La Jolla.
La Jolla Shores, at the foot of the aquarium is one of San Diego’s best family beaches. Downtown La Jolla, including snorkeling at La Jolla Cove is a short drive. Directly to the north is the wonderful Torrey Pines area with some great hiking trails. The campus of UCSD also has a great hike through the Stuart Collection of outdoor art exhibits.
