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La Jolla's Birch Aquarium
Dave Lauridsen

Birch Aquarium

Birch Aquarium
Learn about the Pacific’s undersea world

Catch a glimpse of more than 5,000 fish in 60-plus Pacific Ocean habitats, from the Northwest’s frigid waters to the tropical ecosystems of Mexico and beyond, at La Jolla’s Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. High on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, 20 minutes north of central San Diego, this aquarium offers displays of a wide variety of marine creatures, ranging from big whales to leopard sharks to bizarre weedy seadragons, a type of seahorse. Coral reef colonies shimmer with tropical fish as well as chambered nautilus and lionfish. Get a closer look at starfish, squishy sea cucumbers and other near-shore marine life in the aquarium’s outdoor touch pools in the Preuss Tide-Pool Plaza.

In 2019, the Birch Aquarium broke new scientific ground with its Seadragons & Seahorses exhibition. It features one of the most extensive seadragon habitats in the world, designed to facilitate the breeding in captivity of the leafy seadragon, which has never been done before. These impossibly delicate, undulating creatures, along with seahorses, pipefish and brightly coloured weedy seadragons, are fascinating to watch as they interact or—sometimes just as curiously—don’t interact with each other. The tiny baby seahorses on-site were all bred at the aquarium, and visitors will be able to take an inside look at the Birch’s world-class aquatic husbandry programme.

Thanks to its affiliation with the adjacent Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the aquarium presents plenty of cutting-edge scientific discoveries too. It is a great way to get a deeper appreciation of that beautiful ocean stretching to the horizon.

Know before you go: the aquarium is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily; three hours of free parking is available on-site, and can be extended for a small fee. Oversized vehicles are not permitted in the parking area. Check the daily schedule to time your visit to coincide with a feeding session or special event. 

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Discover San Diego County

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March
Average (°C)
Mar - May
19°
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June - Aug
23°
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Sept - Nov
22°
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Mar - May
19°
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