Seaside Aquarium

«Hey look kids, let’s check out the aquarium down in Seaside and feed the seals. How fun is that?» I was pretty excited to visit the aquarium. Once we got there, my excitement subsided quickly. The aquarium looked run down and is pretty tiny, much smaller than the aquariums that I’m used to. Don’t expect anything like the Long Beach aquarium or the Underwater World in Guam cause you will definitely be disappointed.
We spent $ 27 for admission which seemed a bit steep for how small it was and $ 2.00 to feed the seals. The kids enjoyed feeding the seals and trying to get their attention. The area that the seals were in, was pretty small. Looked too small to house them in, in my opinion.
Once the kids were done feeding the seals, we finally went inside the aquarium. As I stated earlier, it is pretty small. From the entrance you can pretty much see the entire aquarium once you enter. The tanks were all against the wall. The waters in the tanks looked pretty murky and not very clear. In the middle, there were touch stations where you can touch various different marine life. My boys were probably here most of the time. The ladies that were working the touch stations were friendly and nice. But I think what I enjoyed most is watching the employee feed the octopus. That was pretty neat.
I would probably recommend this if you have small children. They will definitely enjoy feeding the seals and touching the starfish and other animals in the touch stations. They even have a coloring station as well if they don’t want to look at the marine life and just color.

My husband and I decided to check out the Seaside Aquarium while on a walk at the beach. The aquarium is really small, three rooms (gift shop, area to feed & view seals, and a room with aquariums & area to touch sea creatures), but it is super cute. The admission is reasonable, $ 8. You can purchase a small dish of tiny fish for $ 1 to feed the seals. The seals did not seem super hungry, but they still eat the fish and they are soooo cute to watch. The room with the aquariums has pictures above the tanks of the fish that can be found in the tank. It was fun to try and find all the different fish in each of the tanks. And when you leave the building, go around to the side. There is a large glassed room with skeletons of various sea life, including a huge whale. Super cool to see how large it is!

This place had a lot to live up to, as we hail from the land of the Birch Aquarium. As our family pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a sign stating that the first hour of parking was free. I thought, «Huh, that’s nowhere near enough time.» However, it was plenty.
The aquarium itself is tiny. The octopus and the touch tanks were the main areas of interest for our three-​year-​old son. The seals are by far the most fun attraction. SO cute and it was awesome to be able to feed them tiny baskets of small fish.
I would have probably given this place four stars if it wasn’t for the complete absence of public restrooms. This is an absolute necessity for any family-​friendly attraction. Especially ours, with a child experiencing «digestive issues.» Probably TMI for those without kids. Oh well.

A must if you’re in this area. The best part of this place is feeding the seals. They give you a lot of fish at a very cheap price to throw to the seals. The place also has a nice collection of ocean creatures including an octopus. This place may be small but it’s definitely worth seeing.

So, so for us as far as Aquariums go… felt kind of depressing – dark, old, very small space. $ 8 per person was too much to spend for this exhibit. Decided not to feed the seals — such a small space… We saw what there was to see in 30 minutes max. Maybe small children would enjoy?

These four stars are definitely for the delightful seals! They make me smile days later thinking of the fun we had feeding them. Each one had a different personality and they had various ways to catch your attention so you would throw food their way. One, in particular, was my favorite because he was clapping and putting his hand to his mouth to show me he wanted food. Adorable! However, there’s a large one in the front that will splash you so hard if he isn’t getting your attention. It was SO FUN. did I say that yet? Definitely worth the admission, though the rest of the Aquarium was pretty dismal. I DO hope those seals have more room to play in the back of the building as it did appear there was more space in the back to spread out. Otherwise, the food money should be spent on a new seal playground!
One thing that surprised me is that there were practically zero seal souvenirs in the tiny gift shop. I don’t even like stuffed animals, but after playing with those seals, I would have tempted to get a seal animal or seal SOMETHING. Perhaps better organization could afford this aquarium some much needed updating. However, I will return next time I’m in Seaside. It truly is a Seaside institution!

It was ok. The seals of course are the star of the show. $ 8 for a small room with a hand full of tanks and 2 touching stations was a little $$$. But for a small 8 yr old and under might be enertaining.

Love this little aquarium by the sea. Been coming here for years. Not much has changed but I enjoy taking the family here. The seals are the main draw and boy are they fun. $ 1 trays of cut herring are sold so you can feed them. They slap, splash, stare and bark to get your attention. Such a riot. Numerous tanks hold various sea creatures from the region. A few touch tanks for the kiddos. The place will be packed at peak hours so plan accordingly. You can get a re-​entry stamp for use on the same day.

Ok for one room full of misc fish, a few sea lions. Not very interactive with the kids on the hands on tank. Good for 30 minutes worth of viewing.

This is a very fun small scale aquarium. If your going expecting to stay all day or see something large scale you’ll be disappointed. We spent about 1 hr and our kids 7, 4 and 1 loved it! There are lots of things to see and touch and feeding the seals was fun. I think it was a good value.

$ 8 per adult and $ 1 per tiny dish of cut up fish for the seals.
I spent $ 4 on food for the seals because they were pretty awesome, but if it weren’t for them and the large octopus that was very active while I watched him (they’re nocturnal so it was unexpected)… It would have been borderline not worth the $ 8.
The place is pretty small. I took my time looking at every little thing and I went through the aquarium in right about an hour.
It looks like a lot of people are worried the seal enclosure was too small but I noticed an entrance at the back end to another area that it seems allows them more space.
Overall, I’d say it’s worth the money if you’re the type to really look things over at museums/​places like this… and youre a critter lover. Spend several dollars on seal food — it makes it worth it!

I really want to give this place a better rating, but…
We paid $ 27 for our family of four — three adults, one child — and we took our time looking at the tanks. Not even thirty minutes later and we’re all done, ready to feed the seals on our way out. (Granted, my teenagers weren’t exactly hip on hanging at the touch-​tank, so this may be better suited to younger kids.)
Now the seals are the star of the show, obviously. One dollar for a couple of cut-​up herring and you get a few minutes of fun. Some of these guys have special ways of getting your attention — SO CUTE! Yet… I felt bad for them. Though they look healthy, and seem happy, their enclosure is so small, and it didn’t look very deep. The speeds that seals can reach in water means it is a two second swim from one side to the other — I counted — and unable to dive at all, from my observations.
In my opinion, I would have paid $ 27 to see ONLY the seals, if the building only housed that and nothing else; and I would still pay extra to feed them, too. I don’t mind animals in captivity, but these guys need some diving and swimming space.

Small aquarium big on fun. This place launches you into the 60’s and 70’s, from the giant yellow sign on the promenade to the architecture of the building, to the design of the tanks.
$ 1 gets you a thing of chopped up fresh fish to feed to the seals. Bring a camera, but make sure it’s water resistant. These little guys are splashers.
Once inside the main aquarium area, it’s small, but the displays are awesome. The water is clear, the animals are obviously cared for, and it’s great for photos. The touch tanks in the middle are super awesome. When we were there, the woman running the touch tanks pointed out little invertebrates and «bone shrimp» that we never would have otherwise noticed. The massive octopus in the open tank was beautiful.
We had a great time here, and I’d definitely go again when heading down the coast. I hope it stays around for decades to come.

We had such a fun time here last week. :)
As many have mentioned, the star of this aquarium are the cute seals! We LOVED watching them and feeding them fish. Each one had their own fun personality it was joy to be around!
We also got to touch some of the smaller creatures and the gal working there was very knowledgeable on them and offered fun tidbits. I would definitely come back, fun for all ages!

Despite how you feel about aquariums and zoos, this ones not that bad. It’s very very small, probably no bigger than a Taco bell dining area but it has a lot of charm. Located right next to the beach, it’s a really great way of killing an hour or so before or after playing in the sand. The main attraction is the Seal Tank that you can throw fish into for an extra $ 1. A few folks have mentioned that the tank is small but I would say they looked happy and engaging. Sure, they would be happier in the wild, but like I said, they didn’t look miserable.
The touch tank in the back is great for little ones, there they can touch hermit crabs, starfish, and a few other small animals.
I’ve been to bigger aquariums but felt this one was cozy, not overwhelming, and very laid back. A good way to end a nice day at the beach.

Although it was cool to see some of the fish that washed up as a result of the 2011 tsunami and to see the octopus exhibit, the seal exhibit is very concerning. In no way is that enclosure big enough for the number of seals that they house there. They seem to be very aggressive and agitated based on how they react when people are nearby (food or not). It just seems really uncool that an exhibit exists where you pay to throw food at improperly housed seals.

This place is small and local and unique. Friendly staff and 2 interactive tide pools that our kids loved!!! We were able to feed the seal lions Fresh chopped fish. They allowed us to pay once and visit multiple times throughout the day. It is small and dark, but we enjoyed our time greatly!
We will return!

The aquarium itself wouldn’t be so horrible if it weren’t for the poor seals who are stuck in their tiny a$$ tanks where there are screaming children and even adults throwing rotten, gross food at them. I can’t handle this place… free the seals! :(

I had never been to the Seaside Aquarium before. I’m not sure I would be so inclined to go back again unless I had some sort of small person with me. It was great for my 4 year old niece. For the rest of us it was just (as my stars will back me up) A-​OK.
First off if you have 6 people your entire group can get in for $ 27. That is a great deal. I’m not sure this place is worth spending more than that. It is old. A bit run down. I’m guessing the Newport Aquarium is a bit newer, cleaner and maybe better, but I’ve never been there either.
What is the attraction here? The seals and the fact that you can feed them. Sure, the smell coming from that pool isn’t exactly the greatest, but my niece loved throwing fish at them. She even threw a few that landed right in one of the seal’s mouth. 3 points.
The rest of the aquarium is mostly tanks filled with fish and crabs and other strange looking creatures that you might not get to see everyday. There is also a petting tank with starfish and other things that the kids are allowed to pick up and examine more closely. Again, this place is built for the little ones.

The Seaside Aquarium is something to do to get out of the wind but for my kiddo, she had a blast. It’s a small place, basically one room with several places to look at a variety of fish, crabs, octopi, starfish and anemone. Plus a separate area up front to see some always hungry spotted seals.
It cost under $ 30 bucks for all six of us to go, so that’s a pretty good deal if I must say, plus we paid a little extra to get some fish to feed the seals. The kiddo loved that, and two seals pretty much stayed right by the glass where we were just go have her throw the fish to them. That was fun. Indise the big room, we saw a tribute to a 28lb lobster that passed away. Big sucker, might have gone nice with drawn butter…
Many fish and a two tanks of a petting area. The kiddo got to hold starfish and crabs, touch a few anemone and a sea cucumber and she kept going back for more. There was a fish camera and a tv off in another part so I could look in the camera and the kiddo saw me on the TV, she thought that was funny.
This is basically a simple little «mom and pop» type of place so you’re not going to see shark and some of the larger fish of the sea, but it’s good for a short spell and it kept us happy.