NEW UPDATES UNDERWAY AT CABRILLO MARINE AQUARIUM ON THE LA WATERFRONT
Exhibit Enhancements, New Graphics and Capital Improvements
Enrich Visitor Experience
SAN PEDRO, Calif. – Aug. 24, 2021 – For decades, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on the LA Waterfront has been a favorite spot for families, students and tourists interested in exploring the marine life that lives in and around the Port of Los Angeles. That experience is about to get even better, thanks to a host of renovations and updates that will make exploring the underwater world of Southern California even more engaging.
“COVID has not been an easy time for anybody, but it provided us the time and opportunity to change and transform our aquarium,” said Crislyn McKerron, Executive Director at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. “Without the Port of Los Angeles, the Department of Recreation & Parks, and our Friends of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, none of that would have been possible.”
New eye-catching graphics featuring Southern California marine life have been added both inside and outside the aquarium. Updates to the welcome area and new signage have been designed to help visitors navigate and explore the aquarium in a more intuitive and enjoyable way.
“What makes the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium special is that when visitors come here, they can directly connect with nature and the life that lives right here at the Port, and in and around Cabrillo Beach,” said Aquarium Exhibits Director Jose Bacallao. “Witnessing the joy that our visitors experience during their visit has made all of this important renovation work worthwhile.”
Many improvements made to enhance the visitor experience — from new artwork, paint, flooring and beyond — have already been completed on several of the aquarium’s hands-on, interactive exhibits, including:
- Tidepool Habitat Exhibit, an interactive experience where visitors can touch and learn about marine life and conservation.
- Life in the Tidepool Exhibit, which features small fish found in local tidepools, and provides educational content about tides and adaptations, video graphics and tactile experiences.
- The Aquatic Nursery, a working laboratory where visitors have access to active scientific research, and the "Aquaculture Kitchen" that supports these research projects.
Additionally planned improvements in the coming months include renovations to aquarium classrooms, with new flooring, paint and window treatments. The Susanne Lawrenz-Miller Exhibit Hall pumphouse and life support system—now about 40 years old—will be redesigned and replaced with a modern, high-quality water system to support the aquarium’s many living marine life collections.
Since reopening to the public on June 19, 2021, daily attendance at the aquarium has already exceeded daily attendance numbers for 2018 and 2019. A facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from noon-5 p.m. Suggested donation for entry is $7 per adult and $3 per child. To learn more about the aquarium, visit cabrillomarineaquarium.org.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of the Port of Los Angeles, with miles of public promenade and walking paths, acres of open space and scenic views, the LA Waterfront blankets more than 400 acres of prime waterfront property and boasts historic Los Angeles Harbor landmarks, such as the welcoming Vincent Thomas Bridge and Angels Gate Lighthouse. The Port of Los Angeles, which funds and maintains the LA Waterfront, has completed more than 20 beautification and public access projects in the harbor communities of San Pedro and Wilmington over the past two decades.