Cabrillo Marine Aquarium sits at the edge of Cabrillo Beach in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, dedicated entirely to the marine life of the Southern California coast. What started in 1935 as a small collection of tidepool specimens kept in the old Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse has grown into what the aquarium calls the largest collection of Southern California marine life anywhere, all housed in a distinctive building designed by architect Frank Gehry.
The current facility opened on October 21, 1981, replacing the original museum, and was expanded in 2004 with an Exploration Center, an Aquatic Nursery research lab, and the Virginia Reed Moore Research Library. Operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the aquarium is best known for its hands-on tidepool touch tanks and its long-running grunion programs, a tradition popularized by longtime director John Olguin starting in 1949.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
- Opened: 1935 (current Frank Gehry-designed building opened 1981)
- Size: About 44,000 sq ft combined (23,000 sq ft original 1981 building plus 21,000 sq ft 2004 expansion)
- Species: More than 200 species of Southern California marine life
- Annual visitors: 100,000+ students on field trips yearly, plus general public visitors
- Famous for: Grunion Run beach programs and its Frank Gehry-designed building
The Aquarium Experience
Unlike aquariums that showcase exotic species from around the world, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium focuses exclusively on the waters just outside its doors, from local tidepools to the deeper habitats of the Southern California Bight. Touch tanks let visitors handle sea stars and other tidepool creatures, while galleries walk through the region’s kelp forests, rocky shores, and open ocean. The facility’s name changed from Cabrillo Marine Museum to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in 1993 to better reflect its growing living collections.
The building itself, designed by Frank Gehry before he became globally famous, is considered a notable piece of Southern California architecture and is recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy as a historic site of local interest.
Grunion Runs and Ocean Education
The aquarium’s grunion programs are one of its signature draws, combining an educational video with a guided walk to Cabrillo Beach to watch the small silvery fish spawn on the sand during their seasonal runs, a tradition John Olguin helped popularize decades ago. Beyond public programs, CMA runs extensive school field trip and outreach efforts, bringing marine science to tens of thousands of Southern California students each year through onsite visits and its Ocean Outreach Program.
Explore more: More Zoos & Aquariums.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium FAQs
Where is Cabrillo Marine Aquarium located?
It’s in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, next to Cabrillo Beach and the Port of Los Angeles.
Who designed the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium building?
The current building, which opened in 1981, was designed by architect Frank Gehry, with a later 2004 expansion designed by Barton Phelps & Associates.
What can visitors see at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium?
The aquarium focuses on Southern California marine life, with more than 200 species on display, touch tanks, tidepool exhibits, and popular seasonal grunion run programs at the adjacent beach.
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Photo: Jllm06 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.