Monterey Bay Aquarium: one of the world's finest in an old fish cannery

After more than a year of closure, the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium is open for lovers of marine life once again.  Masking and distancing are in place, and one must obtain tickets on line for specific times and numbers quotas.  It's worth the wait and the trouble to get inside.

PHILANTHROPIST'S OCEAN LOVING FAMILY GIFTED THE WORLD A REMARKABLE AQUARIUM

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

A renovated cannery offers one of many outdoor patios at the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.

DIVE DEEP into one of the world's finest ocean exhibits to explore the wonders of Monterey Bay Aquarium in the lovely village of Monterey, California.

We booked our tickets on line in early May, after the world famous venue announced it would reopen after 15 months of closure.

  We spent a splendid, uncrowded afternoon admiring sea otters, jellies, seabirds, penguins and even sharks in one of the world's finest exhibits of sea life.

Julie Packard, daughter of aquarium founder David Packard, runs the operation.

ONE UNIQUE attraction -- among many -- is the amazing living kelp forest, an expansive three-story exhibit with graceful leopard sharks, wolf-eels and an array of other colorful fish.

The non-profit enterprise is known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984.

The aquarium was a gift to the community from David and Lucile Packard (of Hewlett Packard fame, the multinational technology company). Its remarkable evolution includes an imaginative rebuilding -- from the ruins of a sardine cannery on the Pacific Coast to a world class learning institution. 

The Packard family renovated the 1916 Hovden Cannery and transformed it to house the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which opened with fanfare and kudos in 1984.

The Packards' $55 million grant launched the institution. Their children carry on the legacy of philanthropy and love of the sea's rich life. Daughter Julie Packard has run the operation since its 1984 opening. 

Marine lover, lifelong diver and sailor Bruce Keller admires the unique kelp forest, also above.

She majored in marine algae studies at U.C. Santa Cruz and serves as the aquarium's executive director.

Her goal -- and that of her parents -- is to inspire conservation and appreciation of the ocean and its richness. Her sister, Nancy Burnett, also played a part in developing the imaginative space, using her graduate work in marine biology at Stanford University to help inspire the aquarium's creation. 

Marine life lovers worldwide appreciate the deep pockets of the generous Packard family, whose wealth supplied the millions necessary to make the conversion from the fish canning days.

Fascinating exhibits help viewers enter the magical world of coral and fish.

THE AQUARIUM'S displays are first rate, with the unique backdrop of Cannery Row and Big Sur's rocky California coastline.

Tips for Visiting

If the Monterey Bay Aquarium is on your travel itinerary, do plan ahead. Allow several hours to enjoy the exhibits rather than trying to rush through the aquarium.

Check current admission prices, hours, special exhibits, and visitor information before your trip. Popular travel periods can be busy, so advance planning can make the experience easier and more enjoyable.

We drove it in just a little over 3 hours from downtown San Francisco.

The friendly and knowledgeable volunteers enhanced our visit, smoothly directing traffic and answering questions. The facility's welcoming architecture and attention to details large and small make it a pleasure to enjoy -- much like a world-class museum.

The exquisite chambered nautilus has been around 500 million years; it is a popular feature at the aquarium.

It's easy to spend two or three hours, and you must not miss the three-story kelp forest, largest living kelp forest community in the world. Leopard sharks, eels and colorful fish swim just an arm's length from the viewer. A lively aviary offers the opportunity to observe birds at close range, foraging for insects. A colorful colony of penguins splashes and preens, flipping about like the underwater acrobats they are. And the Monterey Bay Habitat specializes in featuring  inhabitants of the local waters.

FAMILIES, COUPLES, students and small multi-generational groups wandered from the jellies to the seabirds to the extraordinary chambered nautilus, which pre-dates the dinosaur.

"Nautilus pompilius" was attracting crowds the day we visited.  This large, mobile cephalopod is considered a "living fossil." Of all the delights of this fine aquarium, he was the favorite of this arts driven travel writer. I've wanted to see one close-up for this wonder has been the subject of poetry, artwork, math, musical compositions and elegant jewelry. 

The nautilus has even inspired the names of submarines and exercise equipment and has been around for about 500 million years.

If you like to sit and admire aquatic wonders, there are thoughtfully placed benches, and if you're hungry, a pleasant cafe offers dining with signs to encourage hand washing and respectful behavior.  We found our fellow viewers courteous. The bathrooms are immaculate.

Everything about the museum is thoughtful, welcoming, educational without being preachy.

A graceful jellyfish resembles a person under a parachute.

A Memorable California Travel Experience

For anyone traveling along California's Central Coast, the Monterey Bay Aquarium deserves a place on the itinerary. It combines spectacular marine exhibits, fascinating wildlife, education, conservation and the natural beauty of Monterey Bay.

Whether you are seeing a sea otter up close, watching jellyfish drift through the water, or standing in front of the huge kelp forest exhibit, the aquarium reminds us how remarkable the world's oceans are.

Cannery Row Brewing Company in Monterey, California, takes its name from the street and famous John Steinbeck novel by the same name. Steinbeck lived and wrote in Monterey in the 1930s and '40s, subsidized by his generous father.

ARTWORK IS also an important and delightful part of the aquarium. Sea life mobiles and eye-catching contemporary art adorn transitional spaces between the various "zones".

A trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium is more than simply another stop on a California vacation—it is an opportunity to see the ocean in a completely different way. If Monterey is on your travel list, make time for this extraordinary attraction and discover why it has become one of the Central Coast's most memorable destinations. At WhereIsCookie.com, we believe the best travel experiences are the ones that leave you with something to remember, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium certainly does that.

We applaud this magnificent gift and hope to return on our next swing through this beautiful section of California.

Reservations are essential and the number of guests is carefully controlled.

montereybayaquarium.org

UP NEXT: While we're in Monterey and Salinas, we take a stroll down Memory Lane, with a look at the 1982 film, "Cannery Row," inspired by a John Steinbeck yarn, and our interviews with Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. There's a fun story behind the world premiere of the film, and Cookie's one-on-one interview with Nolte. Plus a look at Salinas now, in the post-Steinbeck days, with the National Steinbeck Center replete with the writer's archives, life history and displays. It's right in Old Town Salinas, and we look at the changes in both cities from the quaint days of 50 years ago to change and  gentrification of the old canneries and warehouses. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, the arts, nature, family and more: whereiscookie.com