Monterey’s World-Famous Aquarium

If you haven’t spent a few immersive hours at an aquarium or two you haven’t had much of a childhood. Or an adulthood. Growing up with the promise that I’d soon get to visit Shamu at Miami Seaquarium was the main reason I carried on with my life from ages 6 to 7. But enormous Orcas are just one aquarium attraction at your visual disposal. Another, perhaps rarer sight to behold would be the animated jellyfish of Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

Unlike other locales that promise “an up-close, captivating experience” without ever delivering, Monterey’s Jellies Experience Exhibit provides everything from the transcendent music soundtrack to the deep blue strobing lights of an underwater world. They draw you in to the colorful, lively realm of the mystical creatures. And if jellyfish aren’t your thing, Monterey’s exhibit houses a variety of sharks, marine mammals, and reptiles as well as puts on shows like live penguin feedings.