Monterey Aquarium & Carmel Mission

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

What you will visit:
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium, located in the Cannery Row district, is a gorgeous complex with 34 major galleries with 200 exhibits on 550 marine species. The structure of the aquarium rests directly on the Pacific coastline, offering an immersive and interactive experience made possible in part due to direct access to the waters of the ocean. Home to a wide array of sea life, it includes colorful fish hidden in kelp forests, sea horses, jellyfish, penguins, octopuses, rays, sharks and fan favorites: the giant sea otters. Huge tanks, touch pools, feeding shows and one of the world's largest marine tanks: you might feel as though you are actually under the sea. Binoculars and telescope stations, found on the outside decks, allow for sea lion, whale, dolphin and otter sightings directly in the Monterey Bay. Guides are on hand to help with photography and to offer detailed information on life on the bay.

Carmel Mission
A graceful statue of Saint Junipero Serra and lush gardens blooming with native plants and flowers surround the Basilica of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission (Carmel Mission). Originally founded in 1770 in Monterey by Serra, it was moved a year later to Carmel-by-the-Sea, and is fittingly the final resting place of Serra himself. This registered National Historic Landmark, designed in a combination of Spanish and Moorish influences, showcases the natural, spiritual beauty of the basilica church and the stone centerpiece of the mission that stands on the same location where an old adobe church once stood. The Carmel Mission also has four museum galleries that give insight into the history of both the Monterey Peninsula and of the twenty-one California missions of which Carmel was the second.

What you will see along the way:
Monterey
Captivating Monterey is one of California's most gorgeous coastal cities. Known for its spectacular shoreline, Monterey delights inland as well with a plethora of historic buildings, a world-class aquarium, wonderful museums and the iconic Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row with their salty charm straight out of a John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row. Alvarado Street is the downtown most famous street, lined with unique shops, trendy restaurants dishing up the popular specialties, and lively bars serving wines from local vineyards. The Monterey Peninsula has the largest population of sea otters on the California coast plus additional marine life viewing of seals, sea lions and whales whose migratory paths bring them offshore in the spring and fall months.