Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Cute discovery center. Probably super fun for kids and may take longer to visit but my husband and I saw the center in about 40 minutes and we still enjoyed ourselves. Got to touch a shark! The staff was friendly and helpt. We did the 30 min tour which was interesting and fun to see the dolphins being studied currently. The view along the coastline behind the facility is also very nice.

🌟 Seymour Marine Discovery Center Where Science Meets the Sea! 🐙🧪 Tucked along the stunning Santa Cruz coastline, this center is a hidden gem for families, nature lovers, and anyone craving a deeper connection to the ocean. 🦈 Touch a Shark & Explore the Deep Yes, you can literally touch a friendly swell shark! 🦈 The interactive exhibits let you peek into the world of marine research, conservation, and the creatures that call Monterey Bay home. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Perfect for Little Explorers & Big Thinkers Whether you're 5 or 55, the center offers hands-on learning that’s both fun and meaningful. Kids love the tide pool touch tanks, while adults appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at marine science. 🌅 Scenic Views & Peaceful Vibes Step outside and you’re greeted by breathtaking ocean views 🌊 and quiet trails. It’s a peaceful escape from the crowds especially compared to larger aquariums. 🎟️ Affordable & Accessible General admission is just $12, and the center is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Parking is easy, and the vibe is relaxed not overwhelming. 🛍️ Cute Gift Shop & Conservation Spirit Grab a marine-themed souvenir or support ocean conservation with your purchase. Every corner of the center reflects a deep love for the sea 🌎💙. 💬 Final Thought: The Seymour Marine Discovery Center is a science-soaked sanctuary that invites you to learn, touch, and marvel. It’s not just a museum it’s a message in a bottle from the ocean itself. 🐚🔬🌊💙

The tour explains the marine and coastal environment and wildlife related science. Have a much greater appreciation of the work done by the scientists and volunteers here!

Absolutely wonderful experience. The kids got to touch tons of sea life and the docents are really well informed. Take the tour!

Our wedding at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center was an absolutely unforgettable experience, and we're still glowing from the memories! The venue itself is breathtaking, with that stunning ocean overlook providing the most magical backdrop for our ceremony and photos. The unique combination of natural beauty and the interactive exhibits and aquarium really made our celebration stand out. Our guests were absolutely charmed and engaged throughout the entire event – it was truly a 'fin-tastic' time! We can't say enough about Venk and Cassidy. Their professionalism and friendly demeanor were invaluable during the planning process and on the day itself. They were incredibly responsive, attentive to every detail, and truly went above and beyond to ensure our wedding was perfect. Their expertise and genuine enthusiasm made us feel completely at ease. They were always there to lend a 'helping fin' and made sure everything went 'swimmingly.' The Seymour Marine Discovery Center delivered a truly unique and memorable wedding experience. If you're looking for a venue that combines natural beauty, educational charm, and exceptional service, we wholeheartedly recommend it. Our wedding was a dream come true, and we're so grateful to Venk, Cassidy, and the entire team for making it so special. We were 'hooked' from the start, and it was a day we'll 'sea-riously' never forget! Photos by: Soil and Sea Photography

We visited on a rainy day. Great place to relax after seeing the small exhibits of marine animals...especially if you have some stir-crazy young kids. We can see some walking paths between the main building and the ocean.

Awesome place for whale, shark, and dolphin facts! 🐋🦈🐬 #MarineLife. nice view near beach. you can get experience of touching fishes like small shark, star fish and other

What a gem! We (2 adults) had a great visit. Kids would love it too, but we enjoyed the touch pools as much as kids! Everyone here was so knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. They also have a great tour revolving around conservation and research. Our tour guide, Kevin, was great to talk to and we learned so much. I highly recommend carving out time to visit this amazing place. We spent about 1.75 hours here and thoroughly enjoyed it!

If you're anywhere near the coast, this little aquarium/discovery center perched atop the seaside cliffs overlooking the Pacific is absolutely worth a visit. It's easy to find, has an adequate amount of parking, and offers a surprising variety of activities for visitors of all ages. . One of the highlights is definitely the touch tanks -- kids and adults can get hands-on with tide pool creatures, and if you time it right, you might even get the chance to touch a small shark in their special interaction tank! . Outside, the property opens up to stunning views of Natural Bridges Beach and the surrounding coastline. There are multiple outdoor exhibits too, including several massive whale skeletons displayed around the grounds. Seeing the giant blue whale skeleton up close is worth the trip alone. . Don't miss the secluded dolphin pools tucked away opposite the main building. You can watch the dolphins as they're fed and trained, and the trainers do a great job explaining behaviors, conservation efforts, and the animals' personalities. . If you want to dive deeper, the guided tour is fantastic. It feels like getting a crash course in marine biology, with plenty of fun facts, behind-the-scenes insights, and hands-on learning that keep everyone engaged. . All of this for just $9-$12 admission (and free for kids two and under!) makes it an affordable and memorable stop for families, couples, or anyone who loves the ocean. Highly recommend!

It's been years since we've been here. Pre-CVD was the last time we brought the family here. Not to9 much has changed since then, but some of the displays, exhibits, and activities have been updated. We enjoyed the touch pools as usual. It's interesting to feel the starfish, sea snails, hermit crabs and some of the seaweeds and other marine plants. Another area that was a hit with us was the shark tank where you can touch a shark We also attended a tour that explained the ecosystems in this area and what kinds of conservation efforts are underway to protect the wildlife here. All in all, this place is pretty educational and still interesting even though it's not very big.

We had the best time here! I brought my two grown kids and we spent at least an hour here looking at each species, and marveling at nature. We also walked along the walking path outside for some pretty shore views. The people who assisted with the touch tanks are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and willing to answer all of your questions. Parking was free.

If you want a peaceful area with an amazing view and access to tons of information. This is a wonderful place. I visit at least once a month and go for a walk on the coastal trail

I have seen this little Center grow over the years. It's small but mighty very educational. Very interactive. Cute gift shop.

I am shocked that in all of my visits to Santa Cruz and short time living there, I had never been to Seymour Marine discovery center. I've been to natural bridges and the tide pools so many times and overlooked this place. We had so much fun walking through the exhibits, petting the shark, and touching the other marine life. We did the tour of the back area as well, which was cool to see and very educational - you could tell our tour guide loved what he did. We took a walk on the walking path, enjoyed the views and salty sea air.

We always enjoy bringing our kid to an educational/cultural spot when we go on a trip, so the Seymour Marine Discovery Center fit the bill for our Santa Cruz trip. Thankfully we came on a weekend so we didn't have to pay for parking. It's a beautiful venue along the coast and they have some nice trails for hiking but we just stuck to the Marine Center. Admission is $12 for adults and $9 for kids. Not so bad but it is a small space. I'd say you can be done in 1 hour here. It's basically about two rooms of exhibits. It was cool how we got to touch a swell shark, there was a touch pool with a number of things inside, some tanks/habitats for other animals, and there was a scavenger hunt for the kids with a prize pack of sea life trading cards when it was done! There were a lot of volunteers (likely UCSC students) who were really helpful and excited to teach. We left with a lot of new facts on marine life! They've got a small gift shop as well.

Loved this gem in Santa Cruz. It's tiny and can occupy hours with the 1st graders. They throughly enjoyed petting the shark, the starfish, and hermit crabs. I was shocked how quiet and quaint it was. We may have been the only ones for stretches of time. I suspect older kids will be bored and adults can go through the aquarium within an hour. I learned tons of interesting facts. It's annoying that you have to pay for parking on weekdays altho much appreciated that parking is free on weekdays. There is a tour where you can see dolphins! Loved seeing the dolphins. I wish we could have watched them longer. We will be back tho!

This is a wonderful place for younger children without overwhelming them. We enjoyed the opportunity to touch Swell Sharks, sea stars, sea urchins, and sea anemones. It was not too crowded on a holiday and everything was easy to access and can be explored in about an hour. The surroundings were very scenic and filled with nature in every direction. We also enjoyed watching surfers below the cliffs. Parking was easy and there were things to check out outside and inside. Tours are available and must be reserved when payment is made. The facility was very clean and the staff was very friendly.

Amazing venue, reasonably priced rental and phenomenal staff. If you've ever been to this venue, you know the view is impeccable. The staff was incredibly helpful and even offered to open the touch station so that the kids could experience it during the event. They were kind enough to help with setting up tables, moving displays and even the takedown. The rental price cannot be beat for this amazing location. You can use their food and beverage recommendations, but are not required to use them, which is a huge saver. I would recommend anyone hosting an event here. It's super family-friendly and the sunset views cannot be beat! Thanks again for everything, Seymour Center!

Fun for the kids to touch stuff but only took about 1-2 hours to visit, thankfully we had discounted passes.

Great way to spend a couple hours with little ones. It's small, but plenty of things to experience.

An employee at the Monterey Bay Aquarium suggested for us to stop by this discovery center. It's part of the UC Santa Cruz marine biology science center. It was more educational yet interesting and much smaller than I anticipated. It's only one floor and it's over within an hour. The highlights were touching a swell shark, hermit crab, and starfish. Keep in mind, you have to wait different times to touch the swell shark and they are very protective of the time. The man volunteering was very uptight with the 5 yr old being all excited in line. He told them to stand still and not touch anything lol. Maybe they should put a coloring station near there so the kids have something to do while waiting. I think they should offer an age appropriate section for toddlers. I would say 4 and under could not participate due the arm length, etc. I was very surprised to find out it was only the one level. We needed to mystery spot after. I would say the Monterey Bay Aquarium was a better fit for the kiddos. Still a very interesting and educational marine center for 5 and up.

Cool venue! Staff was nice. Awesome view of the ocean. I would recommend this to a couple who is looking for a venue!

Beautiful touch tanks, an opportunity to pet a swell shark, and a tour of dolphins and a Hawaiian monk seal in training. Great and well-trained volunteers. Wonderful trails outside for a windy day!

Fun, hands on place for children to explore and touch sea life. My girls got to touch sharks which they thought was super cool. The volunteers were super knowledgable! Recommend for kids 5th grade and under.

Super cute place to bring children! The staff were so kind. I loved that there were so many interactive areas

I am a member and respect and support all they do to educate our community and contribute to research and support of maintaining the health of our beautiful Monterrey Bay!

Beautiful outdoor space that is perfect for overlooking Monterey Bay. Plenty of benches outside as well as informational plaques to learn about the marine center and different whale species.

As two marine biologists, there couldn't have been a more fitting venue to host our wedding reception than the Seymour Marine Discovery Center! The venue sits on the bluffs, overlooking Monterey Bay with a beautiful section of coastal trails for guests to explore. We had access to the two outdoor patios, the large conference room with a wall of ocean facing windows, as well as the full exhibit hall and it made for quite the party! Emily, the event coordinator, was great to work with, very responsive and helpful with all of our many, many questions. We were able to have two docents work at the touch tank in the exhibit hall, and it was absolutely the most fun and unique part of the experience, really fun for both the kids and adults. With all of the exhibits to peruse, we were able to do minimal decorations. For the views and the perfect sized setting, there isn't a better location for such an affordable price. We are also very happy that the cost of the venue actually goes towards funding the outreach and education center. I grew up visiting the Seymour center in elementary school, and it was awesome to have our party at such a unique and memorable site, and end up with some wedding photos in front of a blue whale skeleton! SO awesome! We did a *VERY* DIY wedding, and there are a few things to think about when planning. The Seymour center can recommend someone (Sarah at A Paper Flower Wedding) to do lighting in the Feliz Room, which looked great and I would highly recommend going for it. For the dance area, we purchased our own uplights, which was an added task that our crew of friends helped set up, but were great to set the mood. The sound system in the center was not functional at the time of our wedding and we ended up having one set up, there were a few snafus with set up, although I don't think anyone noticed, and the dance music sounded great. The Feliz room has beautiful windows out onto the bay and the patio also has a great view, but if you have seating outside on the Feliz room patio, it might be hard for guests to hear if speeches are going on inside. We had enough space in the room to have everyone sit inside, and I'm really glad that worked out. I would also note that on the Monterey Bay, you can't be too sure what the weather will be, and while it was perfectly beautiful out, it was quite windy. We had our ceremony in a redwood grove earlier in the day so it didn't matter at all. Luckily we also didn't have any fog roll in, although I would honestly guess it would be very pretty in the fog as well. Wish we could do it all over again! Photo credits: All of the photos from our wedding are thanks to our epic photographer: Austin Greene Photography (https://www.austingreenephotography.com/), check him out on Instagram @austinanywhere.

The Seymour Center helped make our wedding day so special! We had our wedding in the La Feliz room with ocean views! I believe it is so worth the price, especially knowing that the money goes back into the education programs and exhibits at the center. Clay helped us on the day of the wedding and they were so incredibly kind and thoughtful. They made sure everything ran smoothly and just made the whole day more special. Also huge thank you to Emily for helping us book the venue and kindly answering the hundreds of questions I had. I can go on and on about how great the venue and workers all were. I'm forever grateful.

Emily and the private events team were incredible to work with. I recently had a dinner party for 160 people in the Main Exhibit Hall and it went flawlessly. We sat amongst the beautiful exhibits and watched the sunse over the Pacific Highly recommended Leslie Steiner Chair, Ways & Means Santa Cruz County Democratic Party

This is a small cute place with lots of parking. I felt like, it could have had more exhibits to look at. They did have a small area to touch starfish and touch a small shark ( I can't remember the name). Outdoors area has a few benches to sit at & look at the waves or surfers. Small gift shop & no food court or drinks.

Really fun place I took my son. He was able to do a lot of sensory exploration with the touch pools. He loved all the tanks with the fish, eels, sharks, etc. I would definitely come back when he's older and can interact with the different sections more.

I love this little aquarium/museum. It may be small but there's a lot of hand-on activities for the kids. The nice thing is that it's fairly inexpensive and not very busy. You could easily spend a few hours here if you do these other activities: *Make sure you do the tour which is included in admission. You'll learn about whales and you get to see dolphins. *Bring a picnic lunch because there are picnic tables. *Do the geocache challenge! Ask about it inside or see my tip. *There's more than meets the eye at the aquarium. Walk around the grounds. There are walking paths and information signs along the way.

Go here support the marine sciences! Great petite museum with a glance at our oceans creatures. Then step outside for beautiful views and trails.

Love the hermit crabs you can hold them they don't bite go there every day it's so fun

We have been visiting this marine center first with our children when it was the delighful Long Marine Lab, and now the Seymore Marine Center with our grand children. Unfortunately if you have children younger than 6-7, don't bother to go. The exhibits are hardly visible and the negative staff at the "SharkTank" look to reprimand (a 2 year old, no less) when first walking up to the display. I hope they are volunteers because they would not be worth a salary. I am sorry to say we will not be renewing our membership.

Just visited this spot for the first time this week. At first when planning, we were going to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. But, then remembered we hadn't been here yet. Anyhow, went on a weekday. Parking is super easy and you receive 3 hours free with admission. (Just have your license plate number handy.) We have a toddler and she was able to pet several diff animals with the exception of the shark. Her little arms were not quite long enough. They also had a fun scavenger hunt that made the experience even more engaging for her. When leaving we stopped by the gift shop which was surprisingly affordable. ie a kids sweatshirt was $20 and I could feel good that the money went to support the center. Overall, this is the perfect spot with little kids or for a quick trip to do something off the grid on the Westside. Totally recommend!

I have to say first of all that these are the friendliest volunteers I've ever encountered, and I am a volunteer myself in multiple organizations. These folks were just lovely, answered questions happily and were eager to show off the materials they had. On the downside, having traveled an hour to get here what was outside was very limited and, therefore, somewhat disappointing to our granddaughter. The skeletons are indeed awesome, but not much else of interest outside to an 8 year old. The disappointment vanished,however, when she discovered their gift shop which was open and full of all kinds of wonderful things. All Covid precautions were taken and handled in a very pleasant manner.

We loved this space. The docents and staff are so knowledgeable. For example, we learned that female sharks can replicate themselves in the absence of a male and that those purple urchins are invasive. Good stuff. The views are also incredible.

Lovely learning for kids. It's a very small space, but they make good use of it with educational exhibits and touch tanks. The cliffs behind the museum have a breathtaking view of Monterey Bay, and there's a blue whale skeleton for selfies. A great way to spend a short morning!

This is a cool place to visit to see some marine life native to the coast. The staff was super friendly and helpful. My older students still got enjoyment from it despite it being geared more toward younger-aged kids!

Thoroughly worth the cheap entrance fee. Definitely do the tour, Docents were so kind and helpful.

Great place for special events. We used the Feliz room for Celebration of Life. Locals and out of town guests were amazed. Emily was so nice and accommodating. Thank you Emily and Seymour Center!

Did you know that hermit crabs inhabit vacant snail shells? Did you know that clown fish have a special coating that prevents them from getting shocked by sea anemone? Did you know that decorator crabs "decorate" themselves with the same color of their surroundings? I did not know any of these things before coming to Seymour Marine Discovery Center but due to the fantastic volunteers here, I was able to learn quite a lot of new things. This is a smaller aquarium than Monterey Bay or the one in SF but like one of the other reviewers said, is more intimate. My 5yo daughter is really into underwater mammals and sea creatures so my husband and I wanted to foster that interest. The admission fee is nominal and it helps to support this fantastic resource which I didn't know about it until I had seen it listed under the Discover n' Go passes. They offer an easy to intermediate to difficult scavenger hunt which me and my daughter did. Also, take advantage of the 30-45 min tour they offer. It is quite educational and they show the bones of a blue whale featured toward the front of the aquarium. Also featured are the swell sharks which you can touch. During the day, they are sleeping so they are still and relaxed. They also have a touch and feel area where it features hermit crabs, sea stars, sea anemone, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. The volunteers are extremely knowledgeable. Julia B. was an incredible docent and informative at the touch and feel area. It's been around for 15 years but it seems like it's still a hidden gem. I definitely recommend coming here and checking it out. It's got wonderful views of the CA coast!

Great spot to go for a walk and take in the amazing views! Right now the center isn't open so you aren't able to park in their lot but street parking is easy to find. There are a few trails to pick from and some cool whale bones you can check out. It isn't dog friendly, but that didn't seem to slow anyone down as we saw several groups with pups.

The whale bone display (Blue Whale) is amazing to see. There are nice views of the Pacific Ocean. The museum has a small fee to pay to see the exhibits and learn more about their work there. There are some videos, tidal touch pools, and more. Its part of the UC Santa Cruz system. There are also docent tours if interested. When one pays the admission charge, they give you three hours included parking in the nearby lot. One needs to give them the car license number of one's car.

In the UC Santa Cruz campus but it was an easy find using gps. It is small for an aquarium but that didn't take anything away from it. It seems more centered towards kids but both me and my wife enjoyed it. We got to touch some sea creatures (like starfish), and the view outside was breathtaking.

Beautiful location with all the views! Our twin toddlers actually can make a few loops through this place and don't want to leave. They like the hands on stations, aquariums, and touching starfish, sea anemones, and sea weed. We make it outside a few times and look at the waves, whale skeletons, and visit the elephant seal statues. They love it all. Love that UCSC students work/volunteer here and are always friendly and helpful. It's really a nice, low key museum to visit and I'm all for giving back to a cause like this.

Awesome place and super great for kids! Still a fun place to go for the afternoon for any tourist of students and people of any age. There's touch tables where you can touch sea stars and anemones. They even have a swell shark that you can touch. About every hour or so they have tours you can go on and they're included for free with the price of admission. They really teach a lot about the ocean and help inspire people.

Great little museum overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It has not only one, but two whole whale skeletons displayed outside its facility. Inside, the displays, aquariums, and samples are kid and family friendly. The gift shop is always stocked with seasonal and relatable items. Staff are always onsite to answer questions or provide a tour. Perfect for a day trip.

I'm so glad we finally decided to go to Seymour Marine Discovery Center. We have been living in Santa Cruz for over four years and for some reason never visited Seymour before. Well, our loss. This place is great. The amount of things you will learn here is off the books. All of the volunteers were amazing and very attentive. You can totally see how they love what they are doing. They were so engaging that my four years old daughter was interested during our whole visit - which is impressive. From touching a swollen shark to learning about Seal sounds and their fur, from holding a hermit crab to touching a few different sea stars, and much more, we enjoyed every part of our visit. So thanks Bonnie, Lynn, Dale, Tais and all the other volunteers that made our visit to Seymour so pleasant. Some of the activities geared towards kids include a scavenger hunt, stamps, touch pool, puzzles and more. Remember that they are part of a marine lab, so there are people researching and actually working on the background to learn even more about the marine life surrounding us. We did the tour and I was once again amazed by how knowledgeable these people are. I learned so many things that I was as excited as my 4yo. The blue whale skeleton is certainly a highlight of the tour, especially when you get to stand "inside the whale's belly." Take your time to read as many signs and details as you can. I can guarantee that you will learn something new. Remember that this is a small aquarium/marine center, so don't compare it to bigger aquariums. Think about Seymour as a research center. These guys are working daily to learn more and protect our amazing ocean. And they share their knowledge with us. So forget about size and enjoy your experience.

We came to check out the whale bones outside this facility. Nice place to visit on a hot day with the cool ocean breezes and beautiful views. Trails, parking and artifacts on the outside are free.

Definitely a quaint, small marine center (when compared to something like Monterey Bay Aquarium) so can be done in about1 hour. Not too crowded on a weekday.The exhibits are presented from a oceonagrapher/scientist perspective, which encourages the visitor/kiddo to think like scientists in how to research/study the ocean vs. the mostly "display" mode of an aquarium. Of course, there is also the touch exhibits for the tactile learners. The center is on a cliff, so make sure to take a stroll outside to catch fantastic views of the coast and ocean--it beats the Monterey Bay Aquarium in this regard!

I'm always amazed at how many treasures we have in the bay area! This hidden gem belongs to UC Santa Cruz and is part of their marine science research and labs. For $9, I spent several hours learning and relaxing with stunning ocean views, great exhibits & saw their dolphins! Parents: I recommend this for 3+ year olds however, petting the sharks requires a longer arm (6 year & up). The tour takes you through their research facility where you meet their 3 dolphins & sea lion. You cannot take pictures of this because it is federal funded research. The volunteers are so kind and generous with their time. The place isn't huge nor touristy like the Monterey Bay Aquarium but it is a cool place to spend 2 hours or so. Beware of the gift shop with adorable trinkets! No food on premise but it is only about 2.5 miles from downtown Santa Cruz. I also saw they do class presentations for kids.

Great place to go and learn something! We wanted to see some fish and do something a little different while in Santa Cruz. The whole family loved this little place. First off it is at the end of the road on a cliff with great views of the Pacific. There is a blue whale and a grey whale skeleton outside which is cool and my science teacher hubs loved it. Inside there are some tanks with cool species, some interpretive learning centers, a shark touch tank and a starfish/aneome tank to touch stuff in that my kids LOVED. They couldn't believe they got to touch a shark!!! We also did a puzzle and learned about a bunch of cool stuff. A fun way to pass the time for an hour or so. It was great.

My kids love everything to do with ocean animals...especially whales. So they loved the outdoor whale bones. We have been to Monterey Bay Aquarium so many times that this aquarium was a nice change of pace. It is a lot smaller, but the kids got to touch a shark, touch some starfish, see some fish, crabs, and jellyfish. There is also a nice walkway and benches behind the museum to view the ocean. Recommend going to Natural Bridges beach as well for an overall nice day.

This place is a hidden gem! Nestled up a long, serpentine road and overlooking the vast ocean, this is a haven for nature lovers and curious minds alike. Housed in this covert treasury are informative, well maintained displays of marine life including small aquariums filled with magestic jellies, taciturn crustaceans, small fish and even leopard sharks. There is a petting station where one can feel the cragged back of a starfish, the tingly polyps of a sea anemone and the squishy body of a sea cucumber. The staff here are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about marine life, as the SMDC also serves as a lab for UCSC marine biologists. I was actually here after hours for an engagement party. I was amazed that the space could be rented out for such an occasion-what a great way to celebrate a momentous life event and promote learning and conservation at the same time! They have a side room that can be used as a banquet hall, and they allow food and drinks to be catered. It was one of the most unique parties I've ever been to, and I'm a little jealous that I didn't have the idea first!