At Pier 39, more than 20,000 sea creatures from the San Francisco Bay and California coastline await your visit. Walking through the aquarium’s transparent tunnels immerses you in the bay’s diverse aquatic life, as you come eye-to-eye with the native sevengill sharks, watch the hypnotic motion of the jellyfish, and even touch a grand bat ray’s wing, if you dare. Four adorable otters live here, too. The aquarium hosts daily naturalist-led animal feedings, and curators give talks about tide pools, octopi, and climate change, interactive experiments. New virtual-reality experiences allow you up-close “access” to whales and polar bears. Otters, considered watershed ambassadors, are indicators of healthy waterways. Splurge on a behind-the-scenes tour and shark-feeding tour in addition to the regular admission ticket, and you’ll have an unforgettable day at this amazing waterside habitat.
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium of the Bay
Tiffany Cheng/Tiffany Cheng
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Jellyfish in the Museum
If you have kids, they will love the Aquarium by the Bay. You can walk underwater and there will be sharks swimming over you. At the end you can touch stingrays and other sea creatures. My wife touched an anemone and it stuck to her finger. This is a fun place and worth the money; if you bring a camera, make sure you have a fast lens—it gets dark in there. You can buy a week-long city pass in San Francisco and for 60 dollars you get access to the museum, trolley rides, a boat trip that takes you under the Golden Gate Bridge, and more. We bought them for our whole family and had a blast going to all the museums and other things that were included. We loved our vacation to San Francisco and are planning another trip next year!
Discover San Francisco's aquatic animals
On the water’s edge at Pier 39, more than 30,000 sea creatures from the San Francisco Bay and California coastline await. Walk-through transparent tunnels that bring the bay’s diverse aquatic life up close. You’ll come eye-to-eye with the native sevengill sharks, watch the hypnotic motion of the jellyfish, and can even touch a grand bat ray’s wing, if you dare. The aquarium also hosts daily naturalist-led animal feedings, talks about tide pools, octopi, and climate change, interactive experiments, and a new virtual reality experiences that bring you upclose to whales and polar bears. Four adorable otters live here, too. Considered a watershed ambassador, otters are indicators or healthy waterways. Add on a behind-the-scenes tour and shark feeding tour to the regular admission ticket, and make an unforgettable day of this amazing waterside habitat.
