Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center

Wonderful experience! Great for families, young kids, and seniors! There's toddler time, films, exhibits, and a fabulous gift store. Best of all, it's FREE!

Nice educational center that’s free to public. It primary focuses on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It’s a great place for kids and adults that are interested in the marine sanctuary located across the street. Make sure to stop by and visit while you’re in Santa Cruz. They also have a nice little gift shop on the ground floor.

Kid friendly and I like how the volunteers spent their time in explaining us and they are doing a great job in engaging kids through various activities. It's very good to visit and you get to know a lot of stuff. We had free entry today. We parked our car on the opposite lot which had metered parking that accepts quarters.

We love free stuff!!! Free admission to check out the visitors' center. lot's of information on marine life in the area. Right on the boardwalk! Kid friendly, staff were the kindest. Since they live off donations, it would be helpful to support them!

Fabulous place to visit! Exploration center is for all ages not just for kids and it's free. So much to learn and discover about the Monterey Bay Coast and Marine life. Staff and volunteers are very knowledgeable and helpful. I'd highly recommend going there for 1- 2hrs, watch movies go through the exhibits and learn interesting facts.

This place is free and the gift shop has much more affordable things than the main aquarium did. No animals, but still a fun learning center, they have an underwater robot and a few interactive sections. The guy at the front seemed knowledgeable about the aquarium and gave me info about the place.

Thought there would be more to see based on ticket prices. My 3 year old was free, but two adults and one 14 year old ran me $169 just to get in. Gift shop was great, unfortunately, so I ended up spending another $260 on some souvenirs

This is a great science center located on the edge of the beach down from the boardwalk. Plenty of hands on activities for youngsters to try as well as a small theater. It's free, but be a good human and bring a donation It's easily worth a few bucks

For an overview of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and its sea life this was a great introduction for both adults and children. It was located just across the street from the Santa Cruz Wharf with nearby street parking or private lot parking. The center was a two stories with the gift shop and restrooms on the first floor and all exhibits on the second floor. It was free to enter. Staff were very welcoming when we first arrived and engaged with us as soon as we entered the second floor. Very helpful and informative information about the sanctuary (didn't realize just how large it was), sea life and the center. Various movies ran continually throughout the day and repeated itself every hour. The hands on ROV was a hit with visitors out all of the interactive exhibits. Worth a stop.

Love this spot! It is small but very educational and fun. You can plan on spending 30 minutes to 60 minutes here learning about the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. I really enjoyed the shows they have that are running on a loop. The volunteers who work here are awesome, so friendly and happy to share their knowledge.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of the world's most special places for nature viewing, and draws a lot of tourism, boosting the local economy in a big way. Go to any of the numerous beaches or cliffs and experience the joys of the natural world up close. Most people are friendly here, which makes it a very restorative place to be.

If you want to learn more about the marine life around the bay, then make a pit stop at this incredible place. It has friendly, knowledgeable staff, educational and interactive exhibits for kids and adults, and best of all, it's free. Please make sure to donate, though, to support this awesome establishment.

Maybe it's just me, but if we hadn't parked down the street from this place, I doubt I ever would've known it even existed, let alone walked inside. Despite being right across the street from the Santa Cruz wharf and a couple of blocks down from the Boardwalk, it seems easy for this to get overlooked. In fact, we hardly even noticed it the first time we passed by it while circling around for parking. However, as we walked by and took a peak in, we couldn't help but check it out! Even though it's categorized as a museum, MBNMS Sanctuary Exploration Center is really more of an education/learning center. Inside, the place is pretty modest in size. There's a small gift shop you pass by when you first enter and a welcome desk where a worker will initially greet you and explain what you'll see as you walkthrough. That's right - no ticket window, as this place is entirely free to explore! Upstairs, there are a handful of interactive and multimedia exhibits intended to teach visitors about the environment in and around the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the efforts that are made to preserve and protect it. While it's likely not a major destination to see in and of itself, the exploration center is certainly worth stopping into as you're heading to/from the Boardwalk or the wharf. It doesn't take much time, it's great for some A/C if the weather is hot, and, most importantly, you just might learn a few things about the wonder that is the Monterey Bay!

Fun small museum to learn about the Bay and conservation. On street parking while their lot is being worked on

This is a small, cute learning center. They have interactive exhibits that are great for learning more about the are. It is very clean and best of all it is free. It's walking distance from the boardwalk. Stop by with your family for a short visit. Young kids will enjoy it. There's is also a gift shop on the first floor.

Amazing little free museum for perfect for kids and families, and also adults looking to learn more about our bay. Cool interactive exhibits including robots, 3D Google Earth map and hands on activities. Will definitely be back. Great curated gift shop with good local gifts and toys.

What a fantastic and fun way to get a bit of an intro to Monterey Bay. This small exhibit gallery is FREE, open to the public most days of the week, and located adjacent to the Wharf and the Boardwalk, two of the biggest tourist attractions in the city. While not a major attraction itself, the Exploration Center is a great place to stop off for a short while to cool off and learn a bit about the region. This place has several hands-on displays, informative dioramas, and short movie presentations all about the bay, ocean ecology, and the important scientific research being carried on in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and the surrounding communities. You can either explore the exhibits yourself, or listen to one of their friendly staff giving a rundown on the various topics. Head on out to their observation deck for great views and photo opportunities. There is also a small gift shop downstairs, as well as plenty of information on other attractions around the region to visit. Parking is pretty much nonexistent for this building, so you are much better off walking or biking over if you are out enjoying the seaside anyway. So all in all, this makes for a wonderful pit stop on these hot summer days, and is fun for individuals, kids, and families alike. Not a must-see, but I say it gets a pretty good recommendation all around.

This review is just for a small portion of the sanctuary: the area just north of downtown Capitola along East Cliff Drive. The Sanctuary itself stretches for several miles. I walked a small section with terrific views of cliffs, sandy beaches and the big blue. The area was clean with wide paved walking paths, benches, picnic benches and a small number of interpretive signs. A great place for a run, dog-walk, surfing or just relaxing. This was the most chill place I visited while in the area.

This is the santa cruz outreach branch of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary, right next to the wharf and boardwalk. Parking? Ha, ha. This is more or less at ground zero for one of the most heavily visited spots in the state, soooo..........you must ask yourself-Do I feel lucky? Well do you? If the answer is yes you can try for the metered street parking (go early), the incredibly expensive wharf parking or the even more absolutely mindbogglingly expensive boardwalk lot down the road a bit. As an alternative go for one of the downtown lots and either take a bus, the tourist trolley, or just walk it on in. All of which are about a mile away, and much more affordable. Anyway, while this is affiliated with the same folks behind the monterey bay aquarium, this is but a pale shadow compared to that awesomeness. It's still kinda fun, but this isn't a must do that will take you all day. It's got two levels the first floor consisting of the entrance, a gift shop and some other not quite but almost boring things. The second floor is where most of the interesting stuff is. There is a ocean/wharf facing balcony which is perfect for selfies, hands on sciencey stuff, the controls for a underwater remote control robot thingy in it's own smaller mock kelp forest aquarium, a tiny imax ish theater and some other exhibits that rotate in and out. Adults should totally see the movie as it's utterly charming, teens should try to sink/get stuck the underwater robot (much harder then you'd think to do. Can tie up an irritable 14 year for a gratifyingly long time) and kids will love all the hands on science. This whole place can be covered in less then 30 minutes unless you see the movie, in which case you are looking at just under an hour. All in all it's something that's free, edutaining, air conditioned and overall a small getaway from the at times overstimulating boardwalk/main beach environment. Not a must see, but totally worth a few minutes of your time for sure.

We here in the Bay Area live our lives perched in the front yard of a veritable Blue Heaven, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The presence of this gem right out our windows is a big reason why this area is among the most beautiful and fascinating places to live on the entire planet, and that's why I selected it for my 1,300th review. From Rocky Point 7 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, to Cambria down in San Luis Obispo County 276 shoreline miles to the south, MBNMS protects and nourishes 26 species of marine mammals ranging from blue whales to otters, along with 34 kinds of seabirds, 345 types of fish, over 400 kinds of sea algae, and who knows how many plants, bugs, slugs, and other critters and veggies. This host of biodiversity is protected, studied, and fostered by the National Marine Sanctuary system, a sort of marine counterpart to our National Park system. NOAA, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, manages this system within the US Department of Commerce. These folks are charged with protecting this treasure on our behalf. Their website offers a host of fascinating information and tools for everyone from the most casual wannabe whale watcher to anyone researching marine biology. Their mission includes research, resource management, and public education--things I am proud to have my government doing with my tax dollars. The sanctuary itself comprises about 30 miles of open water from the shore to the depths of the ocean all along the 265 mile coast. Within that chunk of blue is a canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, a big contributing factor to the area's marine diversity. Down in the briney depths there are 1,276 shipwrecks and the sanctuary also catalogs and protects 718 prehistoric sites. MBNS has four offices, including one in Santa Cruz and one in Half Moon Bay, as well as Monterey and San Simeon. Every time you see a seal, glimpse an otter, enjoy the flight or dive of a seabird, admire the tidal pools at a local beach, or take yourself whale watching, please tip your hat to this fine federal organization and thank goodness we live in a country that is willing, at times, to spend our treasure on something more profound than bullets and beer.

New exhibition center right in the heart of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk area. It is located right opposite the entrance to the wharf/pier. Great location and wonderful center for exhibiting the highlights of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. Two levels in building. The entrance on the first floor, and the exhibits up on the 2nd floor. Lots of hands-on and interactive displays. All sorts of exhibits and facts about the Monterey Bay and the work the Monterey Bay Research Institute along with NOAA do in protecting it. The center features engaging interactive and multi-media exhibits to help visitors explore the sanctuary's remarkable marine environment, as well as their personal role in protecting this special underwater treasure. Goals To educate visitors about the sanctuary's unique and fascinating coastal and marine environment To foster a more personal connection with the sanctuary and the ocean's relevance in people's daily lives To encourage stewardship of the sanctuary and a better understanding of how to responsibly enjoy and protect the Great 15 minute continuous play film that is wonderful to watch as it reviews the area's history and shows many of its inhabitants. Admission price? Free! Yup, best deal ever in Santa Cruz. Great for school age children and adults alike. Highly recommended!

Like the great location, architecture, friendly docents, art, and amazing displays. Had no idea leatherback turtles and jelly fish got that big. Also learned (or re-learned) that the underwater Canyon in between Santa Cruz and Monterey is as deep as the Grand Canyon. Movie was well done and motivated me to try some tide pool exploring. Sorry to say there is still lots to learn about plants and animals living within 25 miles of the coastline. Thankfully, this place does a great job explaining latest discoveries and lingering questions.

Free and educational, with helpful volunteers and staff. It's worth a quick stop if you're in the area, but probably not a destination in and of itself. No live animals. Interactive displays and models teaching you about the bay, conservation, and marine life. Cute gift shop downstairs, nice view from upstairs.

This is an adorable little learning center. We walked by here on Friday and they were having a First Friday event with a band, some art, and you could purchase cookies or drinks. The admission for the event was free (and it's free on days without events.) My sister and I donated all the cash in our wallets and walked around this cute center. Downstairs they have a cute little gift shop. I didn't explore that much because I wanted to see the exhibits. They have some really cool stuff here! The highlight for my kids was the little submersion robot that they could control which had a camera on it. They could drive it around the tank and look at all the aspects of the tank. My youngest LOVED the exhibit where you could see how water runs through the town. They had lots of interactive screens where you can learn around the marine life, high and low tide, and much more. They have an upstairs patio area where you could see the beach and a lovely view of the city. My sister really enjoyed the area where you could look at shells, sea dollars, coral, and the like. We didn't get to see the video because my kids were being kind of rowdy but other people seemed to enjoy it a lot. The staff was SO nice, walking around showing people how things worked. Overall, drop on it for 30-60 minutes of education. It's free but they accept donations, so bring some cash so these people can keep doing the awesome work they are doing!

The NOAA Sanctuary Exploration Center is a great addition to an area already packed with things for people to do. The best thing about it, the price. It is totally free for everyone, and this makes it a must stop place for anyone visiting the area. You should think of it as a visitors center to a national park. You will get a great orientation to the Monterey Bay, and it will help to broaden your experience if you are visiting anywhere from Santa Cruz to Big Sur. Highlights include a submersible that you can pilot, several interactive displays, and a 15 minute video that shows on a loop in the back. There are no live exhibits, so don't try and compare it to a certain Aquarium that is down the coast. All of the volunteers are super nice and helpful. Its great to finally see what has been under construction for the last few years. You should definitely stop in and spend a little time, you should be able to see everything in 30 - 45 minutes.

Located at the north end of the boardwalk across from the entrance to the pier, this is a perfect start or end to a visit to Santa Cruz's boardwalk. It's free, clean and just the right size for a 10-30 minute stop that's fun for children and adults alike. The center lives up to the name by encouraging exploration I walked away having been inspired by the beauty of our marine heritage and the difference a sanctuary can make in it's preservation.

I've visit Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk countless times and this was the first time I've ever set foot in this exploration center. My friend and I had some time left on the meter so we thought we could drop by and see what this place is all about. It's located very close to the Boardwalk and pier, so it's just a quick walk across the street. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by the receptionist in the front. She was very nice and friendly and introduced the center to us. She went on to tell us that it's a donation based admission (aka free), which was really cool for a center like this. There is also a gift shop to the left when you enter. It is small, but it had a lot of related items for sale, such as shirts, mugs, books, and etc. The exhibitions were all on the second floor. It's actually really small to be honest. We were kind of surprised, but we did understand why it was free admission. But it was very interesting since we got to see the many different organisms that lived in the bay close by. There were also a few hands-on exhibit you could play with. Overall, it's a nice place for a little fact of the day kind of thing. It was interesting, but it wasn't all that interesting. It's small so my expectation kind of dropped when I realized. I was a little disappointed, but it's okay, it was free. But it's worth a visit. It's a quick place to stop by and learn some new facts about our bay and its inhabitants.

Very interactive, very helpful and bright (I'm assuming?) volunteers, very fun for the little ones! Even my 3yo had fun exploring the displays! Lots if chances for teaching and I learned a few things myself! Best part, it's free!

Accomplishes its goals. Personnel are helpful, friendly & knowledgeable. As the first reviewer said--lots of hands on. New, clean & educational, esp. for first time visitors to the area. Includes nice little gift shop.

We stopped here on a whim since we had just had breakfast nearby. Admission is free, it's not a very big place but there are hands on stuff for kids. We enjoyed our visit!

This place is really neat. Lots of great free exhibits and info about the area. Don't try to just go in and use the restroom only because they will make you walk through the exhibits anyways. It's geared toward children mostly. It's nicely designed inside, so a nice experience for everyone!

Free admission, parking by the meter in the parking lot. It takes quarters only, but you can also pay by downloading the park mobile app. First floor is the gift shop and restrooms. Second floor is full of interactive exhibits, including a "touch pool" but without the actual live specimens (which I actually like better because I feel like the kids touching real starfish, bother them and touch them too hard) they also have a movie playing in a little theater and a look out spot in the balcony. Overall, pretty cool place to visit and learn about sea life and the ocean.

This place is great - whether you just have ten minutes or a few hours. There are lots of interactive displays including a ROV - a mini submarine for exploring the deep - that you get to play with, as well as a great little video about the Monterey Bay and a Liquid Galaxy from Google. Fun for kids, parents, teachers and visitors, well worth checking out!

This was a nice learning experience my family and i had. It's a small place with interactive stuff. They play a movie about the sanctuary for animals and people. I learned a few stuff and enjoyed seeing cute otters on a big screen. The people were nice and informative. I thank them for their service to nature and hope their work spreads worldwide to protect all animals and life in this precious earth.

The camera is cool but otherwise it is a very minimal museum. The staff are very friendly. It is worth dropping by but not worth two dollars.

Great place to stop and it was free! Lots of interactive stations. Fun for kids and adults. 15 minute movie was informational and entertaining.

Great little museum right by the wharf and Boardwalk. I want with my husband, 11-year-old, and 10-year-old on a cooler, cloudy day and easily spent a couple of hours. Just enough exhibits with explanation that it wasn't overwhelming. And many of the exhibits are interactive so kept everyone entertained. And it's free! Nice docents too.

Has a quick visit here on way to beach. Learned a few things I didn't know. Price was right (only a donation). Less interesting for kids than I'd like, but places like this are important.

What a joke this place is. Walked in on a curious whim. Half the space at the visitors center on Pacific Street is devoted to government offices. The exhibits upstairs are mostly maps, and graphs on large LED panels. The tank has a mini deep sea rover, but that was about it. I felt like I was going to Circuit City than a visitors center. lol. At least it was free and didn't cost anything. Gift shop was kind a rip off. Maps for $16, t shirts for $35. Nah. Then you can go up to the deck on the second floor and watch people crash in the poorly designed roundabout. Otherwise, what a bummer. Typical hype and letdown when you walk in.

I held a business retreat at this beautiful LEED Gold designed exploration center. It was great...the design of the energy efficient building was pretty cool but what really made it shine was the team running the place...super helpful...hats off to Nick who was great in setting up our meeting space. I can't wait to take my kids to the other parts of the building.

OK, why did people rate this place so highly? I have to add my honest opinion.... This center was super boring, featuring dated "pretend-cool" technology, and all I could think of while walking through it was "wow, I can't believe my tax dollars went into paying for this". Such a prime location (right on the beach front), such a nice brand new facility, and it's totally worthless. Sure, it's free admision, but we all paid for it indirectly, and the return is quite poor. Sorry...

I have enjoyed my multiple visits to the Sanctuary Exploration Center- it is a no-cost and leisurely visit to learn more or reconnect with our amazing Monterey Bay and Marine Sanctuary. It's a great place to bring out of town guests followed by a walk on the wharf.

This place is amazing for all ages. I learned a lot of wonderful facts about marine life and many other subjects. All staff is very helpful and very kind .

This place is AMAZING. It's free, they offer field trips, and you can spend as much or as little time as possible! I saw some comments say that this center is related to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but actually this is a government funded facility and not at all associated with the aquarium (hence, why it's free!). No live animals but honestly, that's better. Live animals in tanks get hurt and bothered so easily by people poking at them, plus, since these people really want to help protect organisms in the ocean, it's best that they keep the animals outside! We parked for free on Bay St. There's a bit of a walk, but you don't have to pay for parking and the view is great! I'd highly recommend starting your visit to Santa Cruz here. The volunteers also have a lot of information about other places to visit too, so definitely check it out!

Wonderful exhibits, interactive displays, inspiring movies and more! Docents are friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. Staff are actual marine scientists and researchers with different areas of expertise. Free to the public, but donations support educational programs for kids. Every time I visit, I learn something cool or new.

Came by here to find a restroom and possibly wander through. No restroom, and the entry isn't "free" as advertised. It's $10/adult suggested donation. I can't stand places that are sneaky about getting your money, so we walked away.

I only got to see the sea lions but it was still awesome. I could sit out here all day. Well, not all day. There is no equipment shade so I'd need an umbrella.

We took our two grandchildren ages 2 and 4. They loved it. High points are the robot camera exploring tide pool exhibit and a spectacular 20 minute video that kept both children's full attention throughout. They also enjoyed the rainmaker.