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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » San Diego
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Birch Aquarium’s first permanent building was designed by famous architect Irving Gill and it was constructed in 1910. The aquarium was housed on the first floor of the building with the museum in an upstairs lecture hall. In present times, this building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Finally a building just for an aquarium was built on the Scripps campus in 1915. This building was a wooden structure which had 19 tanks of varying sizes from 96 gallons to 228 gallons (363 to 1068 liters). As the aquarium grew in popularity, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography made plans to develop a new building which were deferred until after World War II.
Today, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps is built around a central lobby and has entrances to the main interpretive areas. There is the Hall of Fishes which has more than 60 tanks and is home to Pacific fishes and invertebrates. The largest habitat in the Hall of Fishes is in 70,000-gallon tank. The Scripps Explorers Gallery highlights the discoveries made by Scripps explorers with regard to climate, earth and ocean sciences. These are featured through interactive exhibits. Preuss Tidepool Plaza houses living tide pools for discovery and it overlooks the Pacific Ocean. While the Smargon Courtyard has the famous 13,000-gallon (50 cubic meter) shark reef tank and the Wonders of Water play stations. Many seasonal events take place in the Courtyard right round the year.
Compared to the old building, the current Birch Aquarium at Scripps is four times the size and it is located on the hilltop and has a spectacular view of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus as well as the Pacific Ocean.
A visit to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps is a must and you can enjoy the exhibits and take part in the education programs. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps hosts dive shows where its divers dive into a 70,000-gallon (270 cubic meter) kelp forest tank and you can see the leopard sharks and stingrays along with myriad other creatures that live in this kelp forest habitat.
Do not forget to visit the motion exhibit, the Morphis: Movieride. You are treated to three-minute adventures all with surround sound and computer generated visuals. The films change seasonally and it just cost $4 per person.
- Address: 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, CA
- Telephone: (858) 534-FISH
- Hours: 9.00 AM – 5.00 PM daily
- Website: aquarium.ucsd.edu
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