Aquarium of the Pacific Tickets: Prices, Skip-the-Line and Family Options

Planning a trip to Long Beach? Sorting out your Aquarium of the Pacific tickets before you go is the one thing that saves you the most grief on the actual day.

It is the biggest aquarium in Southern California. There are over 12,000 animals spread across more than 100 exhibits. On weekends, tickets go quickly.

It is also a non-profit that is accredited by AZA. So it is not only hype. Here is the useful part. Find the ticket price, skip the long wait, and pick the right option when kids are joining you.

At a Glance

Why Book Ahead

The Aquarium of the Pacific sits right on Rainbow Harbor and pulls a steady mix of families, school groups and cruise passengers killing time before boarding at the nearby port.

Here’s the thing people get wrong: you select your visit date and time at purchase, on every ticket. This isn’t a weekends-only reservation system. Turn up without one and you’re queuing at the counter to buy before you can queue to get in.

Book online and you skip that first queue entirely — e-tickets go to your phone, and you walk straight to the turnstiles at your slot.

Current Prices

Here’s what general admission runs at the box office, next to what you’d pay through TickYourList:

At $41 that’s $8.95 off the gate price, roughly 18%, and booking general admission online means the ticket arrives digitally with no counter line at all.

Quick note: the price for an aquarium can change with seasonal deals and different bundle options. So use this as a rough starting point. Then confirm the current cost during checkout instead of relying on what you saw last year.

Other ways to save, including ones we don’t sell

Worth knowing all your options rather than just ours.

Grocery store coupons. The Aquarium runs periodic coupon promotions at participating Southern California independent grocers — the current one takes $10 off an adult ticket and $5 off a child ticket, picked up in store while supplies last. Coupons are in stores through 29 September, and tickets bought with one stay valid through 23 December 2026.

Note the participating chains are scattered across Anaheim, Glendale, Los Angeles, Northridge, Santa Ana and Van Nuys, and none is actually in Long Beach, so it only works if you’re passing one anyway.

Free admission days. Three of them, all requiring advance reservation with limited capacity and no walk-ups:

• Seniors Day, 5 October 2026 — free for anyone aged 50 and over with valid photo ID
• First Responders Day, 11 September 2026 — free for firefighters, EMTs, police officers and sheriff’s deputies with current service ID
• Veterans Day, 11 November 2026 — free for veterans and active military

If any of those fit your dates, nothing beats them.

Groups of ten or more get $44.45 adult, $31.95 child and $41.95 senior, with one free adult chaperone per ten children. The conditions are tight: weekdays only, arrival between 9am and 2pm, 10 to 100 people in a single slot, payment at least 24 hours ahead, no refunds.

AAA members save up to 10% booking through a Southern California Auto Club branch or the AAA website, and a limited-time offer has run at up to 30% off for Wednesday visits booked online.

Go City Los Angeles includes the Aquarium on its All-Inclusive and All-Inclusive Plus passes, though not on the cheaper Essentials Pass. Worth pricing if you’re doing several LA attractions.

What’s Included with General Admission

Every major gallery: the Tropical Pacific, the Northern Pacific and the Southern California/Baja galleries, plus crowd favourites like the June Keyes Penguin Habitat, Shark Lagoon and the Sea Otter Habitat.

Pacific Visions is included too, and that includes the Honda Pacific Visions Theater show — worth knowing, since some visitors assume it’s a paid extra and skip it.

The Moon Jelly Touch Lab and Lorikeet Forest also come standard, and they’re the two stops that hold younger kids’ attention longest.

What’s not included: harbour tours and whale watching trips, which are separate add-ons or bundled into packages.

Skip-the-Line, Realistically

“Skip-the-line” at an aquarium doesn’t mean what it does at a theme park with a dedicated fast lane. Here’s how it actually plays out.

Timed-entry is the main mechanism. Book ahead and you go straight to the entry line at your slot rather than joining the queue to buy a ticket first, which is the longer wait on busy days. Skip-the-line tickets arrive on your phone, so the counter queue never enters the picture.

Members get a dedicated entrance. If you’re visiting repeatedly, membership includes express priority entry through a separate member entrance plus discounted parking.

Timing beats any ticket type. The Aquarium’s own advice is to come at opening or after 3:00 p.m. Both windows are noticeably calmer, especially around Shark Lagoon and the penguin habitat.

Family Options and Combos

Kids two and under are free, so real planning starts at age three.

Combo tickets are sold through the Aquarium’s own store and are worth pricing if you’re doing more than one thing:

• Aquarium + Los Angeles Zoo — $68.00 adult, $51.00 child, saving $8.95 and $5.95 against separate tickets. Valid for a year, so the two visits don’t have to be on the same day
• Aquarium + VIP package — $69.95 adult, $59.95 child, $66.95 senior. The draw is no advance reservation required, plus a retail credit and discounts on site
• Aquarium + whale watch — $75.95 adult, $64.95 child, $70.95 senior
• Aquarium + harbour cruise — $64.95 adult, $40.95 child, $56.95 senior

Membership. If you’re local or visiting for a stretch, annual membership gives 12 months of unlimited admission, guest ticket discounts, priority member entry and half-price pre-paid parking. It pays for itself quickly for a family visiting more than a couple of times. Senior tiers are cheaper than the standard equivalents.

Best Times to Visit for Families

Weekday mornings, Tuesday through Thursday especially, are the calmest window for young kids, as long as you’re outside school holidays. Weekends and the first couple of weeks of summer break draw the heaviest crowds, and slots for those dates fill up a week or more out.

If your schedule bends, a rainy weekday in Southern California — rare as those are — tends to be about as empty as the Aquarium ever gets.

Food and What You Can Bring

No outside food inside the Aquarium. There are picnic tables on the plaza, first come first served, where you can eat anything you’ve brought. Inside, Café Scuba handles quick bites.

A lot of visitors save their appetite for the strip just outside instead. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is directly across the street, and Parkers’ Lighthouse and Yard House are a few minutes’ walk along the harbour.

Events Worth Timing a Trip Around

The Aquarium keeps a full calendar beyond the regular exhibits. The Baja Splash Cultural Festival each September celebrates Mexican, Central American and South American culture with live music and dance, and the Autumn Festival in November honours Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Filipino traditions.

There’s also Pride Night, a Juneteenth celebration, and Night Dive, an adults-only after-hours event with food trucks, cocktails and live entertainment. None of these change your ticket type, but they do shift crowd levels and hours, so check the events calendar before booking.

Combining With Nearby Long Beach

The Rainbow Harbor location puts the Aquarium within walking distance of most of Long Beach’s other draws, which is why so many people build a full day around it.

The Queen Mary sits just across the water. Shoreline Village and The Pike Outlets are both a short walk. Catalina Express runs ferries to Catalina Island from a terminal right next door if you want a multi-stop day.

Accessibility

Fully wheelchair and stroller accessible, with complimentary wheelchairs available on site. Service animals are welcome throughout. Family restrooms include a nursing and childcare area near the main entrance. Guest support is available by phone and live chat during aquarium hours if you have questions before arriving.

Getting There and Parking

An easy walk from the Long Beach convention area and several downtown hotels. Parking runs $8 in the adjacent structure with aquarium validation — members get 50% off with pre-paid parking. If you’re staying nearby, walking or Long Beach Transit saves the hunt for a spot.

Final Thoughts

A few minutes of planning changes the whole day here: lock in your time slot, check whether a coupon or Seniors Day fits your dates, and book early enough that you’re not stuck in a counter line while your kids stare longingly at the entrance doors. Either way, the sea otters and Shark Lagoon make the visit worthwhile.

FAQs

Is the Aquarium of the Pacific worth it?

Yes, the Aquarium of the Pacific is a good stop, and it tends to work well for families and people who like marine life. You will see more than 12,000 animals in over 100 exhibits, such as sea otters, penguins, and sharks. Most people plan on about 2 to 3 hours there.

Is the Aquarium of the Pacific free?

Admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific is not free. For now, adults pay $49.95. Kids ages 3 to 11 are $34.95. Seniors, age 62 and up, pay $46.95.  If a child is under 3, they do not need a ticket.

How much is the Aquarium of the Pacific parking?

Aquarium of the Pacific parking costs $8. Members can save 50% by purchasing three prepaid parking vouchers for $12.

How much is the Aquarium of the Pacific membership?

Membership at the Aquarium of the Pacific costs $109 if you choose Senior Individual, or $119 for an Individual plan. There are also other choices: $169 for Senior Dual, $179 for Dual, and $249 for Family.

How long do Aquarium of the Pacific tickets last?

Aquarium of the Pacific timed tickets are valid for the selected reservation hour and are accepted for the remainder of that day. Children under 3 do not need a ticket or reservation.

How to buy Aquarium of the Pacific tickets?

You can buy Aquarium of the Pacific tickets online through TickYourList by selecting your ticket, date and entry time. Online timed tickets include the reservation, so you do not need to make a separate reservation.

How to get cheap Aquarium of the Pacific tickets?

You can save on Aquarium of the Pacific tickets through discounts such as AAA, participating grocery-store coupons, college discounts and military discounts. You can also buy your tickets from TickYourList, with an adult ticket price of $41 at the time it was written.

How much are Aquarium of the Pacific tickets?

Current Aquarium of the Pacific general admission costs $49.95 for adults, $34.95 for children ages 3–11 and $46.95 for seniors ages 62+. Children under 3 enter free. You can also buy Aquarium of the Pacific skip-the-line tickets at TickYourList for $41.

Can you refund Aquarium of the Pacific tickets?

No, Aquarium of the Pacific tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. The official ticket terms also state that substitutions or changes are not provided.

How to reschedule Aquarium of the Pacific tickets?

Aquarium of the Pacific tickets generally cannot be rescheduled because the official terms state that tickets are non-transferable and no changes or substitutions are given. If you have a special ticket type or booking through a third party, check that seller’s terms before purchasing.