Birch Aquarium

The Birch Aquarium is part of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and this is the place I was the most excited to go to.

We arrived at the perfect time to watch the sharks getting some breakfast. I was hoping they would be putting live fish in, but it was still fun to watch.

Stuck in a shark tank

Snack time for JawsThis was a neat exhibit!! Called the "Wonders of Water" water ran from the side closest to the bottom of the picture to the end with the baskets, and the kids could change the flow of the water with the yellow or blue discs put into slots of different sizes. There were also little boats to float from one end to the other. We played here for a long time and decided we want one for our house!

Lots of tanks inside - jellyfish, octupus, eels, 100's of different fish! We ended up stuck behind a tour bus group which was annoying until I realized Austin and Nyah were actually listening to the guide talk about the last few exhibits.

Another favorite part was called "The Art of Deception." The tanks would seem empty until you could find the camoflauged fish and frogs hiding- usually in plain sight. The tide pools - the kids were able to touch starfish, sea cucumbers, anemones, sea urchins, west coast lobsters (they don't have claws like east coast ones), and ask the staff questions. We played here for a long time too.

There were also plenty of plastic versions in a shaded area for the younger two to play with.

Playing in the fountains out front.

We had a great time!!