6 Hands On Activities at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA

These 6 hands-on activities at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, are perfect for families with kids of all ages! Enjoy a day on Rainbow Harbor with a visit to the Aquarium and follow it up with a walk to Lions Lighthouse.

This post is sponsored by the Aquarium of the Pacific. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our family recently visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, as part of our vacation to the Los Angeles area. Whenever we go places that have an aquarium, we love to visit and see the different animals and exhibits. While it’s entertaining for us, it’s also helpful to remember that the purpose behind aquariums is to share information about conservation and protecting the environment.

According to the official website: “The Aquarium of the Pacific’s mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.” As we visited the different exhibits, we repeatedly saw evidence of the Aquarium’s mission being lived out.

At the time of our visit, my kids were 13, 11, 7, and 4. All of them were entertained during our visit because there was something for everyone. I’ve found that the best places for families with kids have a variety of hands-on activities. The Aquarium of the Pacific had so many options for learning. I’ve listed 6 that your family should be sure to check out when you visit the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Aquarium of the Pacific Information

Tickets

When you purchase your tickets, you will need to choose a date and entry time. Reservations are required on weekends and holidays to help manage crowds. You can also purchase upgraded tickets for experiences, such as harbor tours and whale watching, which include aquarium admission.

Aquarium of the Pacific Ticket Pricing (as of 4/16/2025)

• Adults (12+) $44.95
• Children (3–11) $34.95
• Seniors (62+) $41.95

Address

100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802

Hours

Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except on Christmas Day. Extended hours are available on select days. You can find more information about hours on their official site.

Parking

Convenient all-day parking is available for $8 per vehicle at the Aquarium Parking Structure with validation. Remember to bring your parking ticket with you into the Aquarium. We just scanned our parking voucher when we arrived so we wouldn’t forget before we left. You can pay for your parking as you exit the parking structure or at one of the kiosks by the elevators.

Stroller friendly

We brought our stroller with us to carry water bottles and jackets (and of course, our 4 year old). Both the indoor and outdoor areas are spacious and elevators are available to get to the different floors. There were a couple of field trips the day we visited so a few areas became crowded. However, we were still able to maneuver our stroller without much difficulty.

6 Hands-On Activities at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Shark Lagoon

This hands-on exhibit is located outside. It is a large area with 3 shallow touch pools where you can reach in and touch bamboo sharks, epaulette sharks, fiddler rays and cownose rays. There are other pools where you can see (but not touch) other species of sharks as well.

Also located outside in Shark Lagoon are play structures and a water squirting squid for kids to play in. My kids had fun climbing on and around the different play areas.

Lorikeet Forest

Right next to the shark and ray touch pools is the Lorikeet Forest. Lorikeets are native to Australia but you can visit them here for a lot less money. You can go inside and see the lorikeets flying around and eating. They have certain times of the day where the Lorikeet Forest isn’t open to allow the birds to rest. These are posted outside the doors of the enclosure.

We decided to pay $5 for a small cup of nectar that imitates what they would eat/drink in the wild so we could feed them. This was a great decision because it meant my kids were able to interact more with the birds. They sat on our arms and happily ate up the nectar.

Coastal Corner Touch Lab

On the second floor of the Aquarium next to the Sea Otter exhibit in the Northern Pacific Gallery, there are a series of touch tanks. The three tanks feature similar tidepool animals in each one, such as sea stars, anemone and sea urchins. There are volunteers available to answer questions as well as remind you not to pick anything up.

*NOTE* Check out the giant octopus as you wait in line for your turn at the touch lab!

Moon Jelly Touch Lab

Another hands-on exhibit to explore is the Moon Jelly Touch Lab in Harbor Terrace where you can gently touch the top of a moon jelly. Moon Jelly food is also available for purchase here. Be aware that there are rest periods for these sea creatures. Unfortunately, we arrived at the tanks a minute too late and weren’t able to return before they reopened.

Embossing Stations

When you pick up your printed visitor guide and map, refer to the bottom of the first page for information about the embossing stations. If you complete all the stations, you can bring your visitor guide to the Member Services Desk for a free surprise! (Supplies limited.) Plus, you go home with a unique souvenir.

There are 8 embossing stations around the aquarium: Lorikeet, Zebra Shark, Bufflehead Duck, Southern Sea Otter, Solomon Island Leaf Frog, Smoky Jungle Frog, Sonoran Desert Toad and Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog.

Interactive Art Installations

Pacific Visions

My kids loved creating here and then seeing their art come to life!

• 1st Floor – Paint a fish or shark
• 2nd Floor – Paint a frog, axolotl or newt

To the right of the entrance to the Aquarium is Pacific Visions. They have a couple of fun and interactive art installations there. One has a projection on the floor and wall that looks like water and has bubbles and fish to try to “catch”.

The other is an art gallery where you can paint a fish or shark. When you are done, you send it off to swim in a virtual coral reef. On the second floor, right above the fish/shark art gallery is another one where you can paint a frog, axolotl or newt and watch it appear in a virtual pond.

{FREE} Aquarium Folding Book Printable

To supplement your trip to the aquarium, print out this free aquarium folding book! It’s got 7 pages of activities to keep your kids interested and engaged as you walk around the aquarium. To get the printable delivered to your inbox, simply fill out the form below:

*BONUS* Lions Lighthouse

From the main entrance area of the Aquarium of the Pacific, you can see a lighthouse. This is Lions Lighthouse and it was built in 2000 by the Downtown Long Beach Lions Clubs International to advertise their services to blind people. You can’t go inside but there are some nice views of the RMS Queen Mary, benches to sit on and grassy hills to relax and enjoy the sounds of the water.

More Aquariums to Visit

• Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon
• OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona

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