Heal the Bay Aquarium
Heal the Bay Aquarium, previously named the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, is a private-public aquarium at a California State Beach Park managed by Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, located beneath the Santa Monica Pier, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. It lies in Santa Monica itself. Its story as a place to visit starts in 1996.
A zoo & aquarium inside Santa Monica
You can stay in Santa Monica
Heal the Bay Aquarium is inside Santa Monica, which has 57 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December are the mild months, with highs of 64–76°. When to go ↓
An airport 7 miles away
Los Angeles (LAX) has airline service, about 7 miles from Heal the Bay Aquarium.
Established in 1996
Heal the Bay Aquarium dates from 1996. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
How the seasons run
Every month near Heal the Bay Aquarium is set out below.
Heal the Bay Aquarium
Heal the Bay Aquarium, previously named the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, is a private-public aquarium at a California State Beach Park managed by Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, located beneath the Santa Monica Pier, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Since 2003, it is operated by Heal the Bay, a nonprofit organization. It was formerly known as the Ocean Discovery Center and was operated by UCLA until 2003.
As Heal the Bay's marine education, advocacy, and community science facility, it is open to the general public and attracts more than 100,000 visitors from around the world per year (approximately 15,000 are students). This facility offers educational programs, activities, and special events dedicated to marine conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental education.
- Type
- Zoo & aquarium
- Animals
- 717 animals · 104 species
- Established
- 1996
- Wikipedia readers
- 1.1K a year
Nights near Heal the Bay Aquarium
To stay close, try Santa Monica (57) and Los Angeles (841).
- 1SoFi Stadium
- 2Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 3Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
- 4Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- 5La Brea Tar Pits
- 6Intuit Dome
- 7Hollywood Sign
- 8Crypto.com Arena
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Heal the Bay Aquarium | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | in town | — | 57 46 hotels · 6 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 hostel · 3 campgrounds | 90,082 | $1,756K | D− |
| Los Angeles | 5 mi east | 5 min | 841 554 hotels · 169 motels · 39 inns & B&Bs · 17 lodges & cabins · 36 hostels · 17 campgrounds · 9 RV parks | 3,869,089 | $921K | D |
| Inglewood | 9 mi southeast | 15 min | 49 31 hotels · 13 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 2 hostels · 1 RV park | 101,662 | $793K | D |
| Beverly Hills | 7 mi northeast | 10 min | 33 32 hotels · 1 campground | 30,764 | $2,000K | D |
| West Hollywood | 9 mi northeast | 15 min | 31 29 hotels · 2 motels | 34,231 | $925K | D− |
| Culver City | 6 mi east | 10 min | 17 9 hotels · 7 motels · 1 inn or B&B | 39,452 | $1,143K | D− |
| Long Beach | 25 mi southeast | 35 min | 125 77 hotels · 36 motels · 5 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 450,469 | $807K | D |
| Hawthorne | 11 mi southeast | 15 min | 21 16 hotels · 4 motels · 1 inn or B&B | 82,741 | $863K | D |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Worth adding to a visit
Within 14 miles you can add these well-known places.
Big draw110 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw211 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw312 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw412 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw59 mi MuseumLa Brea Tar Pits
Big draw610 mi Stadium & arenaIntuit Dome
Big draw713 mi LandmarkHollywood Sign
Big draw813 mi Stadium & arenaCrypto.com ArenaPhoto credits
SoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · La Brea Tar Pits: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Intuit Dome: Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hollywood Sign: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Crypto.com Arena: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Heal the Bay Aquarium, answered
Is Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica?
Yes. It’s inside Santa Monica, CA.
When is the best time to visit Heal the Bay Aquarium?
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December, with highs of 64–76°.
How far is Heal the Bay Aquarium from Santa Ana?
About 40 miles southeast of Santa Ana, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Heal the Bay Aquarium?
Los Angeles (LAX), about 7 miles away.
Where should I stay near Heal the Bay Aquarium?
Los Angeles (5 mi, 841 places to stay), Santa Monica (in town, 57 places to stay) and Inglewood (9 mi, 49 places to stay).
Word from Santa Monica
No one has shared advice yet; Santa Monica’s Town Square takes questions.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.