Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Seymour Marine Discovery Center is a smaller, hands-on aquarium and marine science center on UC Santa Cruz's coastal campus. Families can see Monterey Bay animals, touch a swell shark, hold a hermit crab with volunteer guidance, watch jellies, explore rotating discovery stations, and use kid-friendly scavenger hunts. Indoor exhibits connect the animals to active university research, while outdoor areas add paved bluff-top paths, wide ocean views, and a large blue whale skeleton.

The blend of live animals and real science gives children something concrete to do before asking them to read or listen.

The center says most visits take one to two hours. Ages three through twelve are likely to get the most immediate fun from the touch pools and scavenger hunts, but younger children can enjoy watching aquarium animals and older students can focus on the research stories. Children under three enter free.

The grounds are fully ADA accessible and officially described as stroller-friendly. Nursing and changing facilities are not detailed on the visitor page.

Admission includes access to both indoor and outdoor exhibits. It also includes 30-minute outdoor science tours, which currently run at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Tours operate rain or shine and have limited capacity. They are first-come, first-served, and families sign up at the admissions desk beginning one hour before the tour. Buying an entry ticket does not reserve tour space.

The official ticket page says hours are 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and notes a seven-day summer schedule from June 1 through August 3, 2026. Because that period has ended and official page wording is not fully consistent about Mondays, confirm current Monday hours before making the coastal drive. The same page does not expose exact age-based dollar amounts in its public text, so check the live purchase form for current family pricing.

The center is at 100 McAllister Way. Weekday parking is paid through ParkMobile, while weekend parking is free. Coastal wind and fast-changing weather can make the outdoor portion cool even on a sunny day.

Bring layers. Indoor exhibits still make a rainy visit possible, but poor weather will affect the bluff and tour experience. The site highlights lunch on the bluff without listing a cafe, so a picnic is the safest food plan.