Monterey Bay Aquarium

When Adam and I drove down the coast of California last month, we made a pit stop in Monterey and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I started watching Big Little Lies when it came out, and near the end of the first season, Adam started watching, too. It takes place in Monterey, and "The Monterey Five" is what the group of women is called in the show.

It was fun visiting the aquarium where Jane worked and wandering through the neighborhoods of Monterey, imagining Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon were somewhere nearby in their ridiculous beachfront mansions. It really is a beautiful area. We even drove over the bridge you see in the opening credits and blasted "Cold Little Heart" by Michael Kiwanuka with the windows down. (I'm obsessed with that song!)

I was really into all of the jellyfish exhibits. They're so mesmerizing! We visited the aquarium on a Saturday over Labor Day weekend, so the aquarium was suuuuper packed, as you can see in that last photo. Taking photos with children running around and bumping into me was a bit of a challenge, but I tried my best!

Eels are so strange and will forever remind me of The Little Mermaid. I'll never forget their freaky, quivering voices that haunted my childhood.

This octopus was so lively. He was swimming all over the tank, putting on quite the show for us. He finally suctioned to the glass long enough for me to snap a quick photo.

I was impressed with the wide variety of cuttlefish they had at the aquarium. I think the cuttlefish has to be one of the most amazing sea creatures out there. They're definitely Adam's favorite. Check out this video to learn about their sneaky tendencies.

My personal favorite part of the aquarium was the shorebirds exhibit. I loved how it was open to the ocean outside. It was designed in such a clever way. I've turned into a bit of a birder over the years, so it was cool seeing all of these different birds together in one place. They even had one of my favorite Emily Dickinson quotes on the wall!

The aquarium is open from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 7 days a week.Adult tickets are $49.95Child (age 3 - 12) tickets are $29.95Youth (age 13 - 17) and Senior (65+) tickets are $39.95It's a beautiful aquarium and highly recommended if you're in Monterey! But if you don't have kids, my suggestion would be to go during the week when most kiddos are in school. As always, thanks for reading! xo