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Heal the Bay Aquarium

Nature & parks
In Santa Monica, California
0.6 mi from Route 66

Heal the Bay Aquarium sits beneath the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA, right beside the Pacific Ocean. The pier is the traditional finish line for Route 66 drivers, so this aquarium makes a fitting last stop. Run since 2003 by the nonprofit Heal the Bay, it focuses on marine education and conservation and draws more than 100,000 visitors a year, many of them students.

What is Heal the Bay Aquarium?

This is an aquarium built for learning about the ocean just outside its doors. Heal the Bay uses it as its base for teaching about the ocean, for advocacy work and for community science projects. Its programs, activities and special events center on protecting sea life, preventing pollution and teaching people about the environment.

The aquarium sits inside a California State Beach Park, which the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors manages, and it runs as a private-public facility open to the general public.

History of Heal the Bay Aquarium

The facility dates from 1996 and first carried the name Ocean Discovery Center, run by UCLA. In 2003 Heal the Bay took over operations. It has also gone by the name Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, a reminder of its place under the pier. Today it welcomes visitors from around the world, including roughly 15,000 students a year.

Visiting Heal the Bay Aquarium: tips

Plan about an hour, and combine it with a walk on the pier to mark the end of your Route 66 drive. The aquarium has wheelchair access, and restrooms, food and water are all within about 0.1 miles. Check its current schedule before you go.

Edgemar, a Frank Gehry-designed shopping center, is about 0.8 miles away, and the Venice Heritage Museum about 1.3 miles. The Museum of Flying is about 2.8 miles off.

For many drivers, reaching the pier is the moment the trip ends, and a short visit here adds a look at ocean life before turning for home.

Practical info

Address: 1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: +1 310-393-6149
Website: healthebay.org/aquarium
Hours: Mo off; Tu off; We off; Th off; Fr off; Sa off; Su off
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Heal the Bay Aquarium

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Barney's Beanery
West Hollywood, CA · 8.9 mi from Heal the Bay Aquarium
A West Hollywood roadhouse on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1927, its walls covered in old license plates.
Diner & restaurant
Carney's
West Hollywood, CA · 9.3 mi from Heal the Bay Aquarium
Hot dogs and burgers served from yellow Union Pacific rail cars above the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Pink's Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA · 10.1 mi from Heal the Bay Aquarium
A Los Angeles hot dog stand on North La Brea Avenue, serving since 1939 at the edge of Hollywood.