Monterey Aquarium

Monterey is a few hours from San Francisco - a few hours in no traffic, more than a few hours if you happen to be in rush hour.

The Kelp forest is the truly unique attraction here, they pump in water from the bay into the kelp forest and then the water flows out of the forest into other exhibits. The kelp forest also requires a ton of attention as it grows about 6" a day.

Kelp Forest from above (behind the scenes tour):



Kelp Forest from below:




Pretty Aquarium Shots: