Fins, Fun, and Fish Tacos: The Ultimate California Itinerary That Includes Aquarium of the Pacific

Your Day-By-Day California Itinerary That Includes Aquarium of the Pacific (Without Drowning In Tourist Traps)

The perfect Southern California adventure balances carefully planned activities with strategic downtime – similar to how the Aquarium of the Pacific balances education with that hypnotic feeling of watching sea creatures glide by while you contemplate the meaning of life (or just where to get lunch). Here’s a day-by-day breakdown that turns the typical hectic California vacation into something actually resembling relaxation.

Day 1: Landing and Long Beach Orientation

Arriving in Southern California presents a choice: LAX, where you’ll experience the authentic Los Angeles tradition of sitting in traffic, or Long Beach Airport, the boutique alternative where you can get from plane to baggage claim in the time it takes to check Instagram. LAX offers more flight options but demands more patience and $50-60 for the rideshare to Long Beach. Long Beach Airport slashes the ride to $20-25 and cuts the journey to about 15 minutes – roughly the time it takes to decide which fish pun to use in your first vacation post.

For accommodations, Long Beach offers options across the budget spectrum. The Hotel Royal provides rooms from $89-120 per night with a certain mid-century charm that hovers between “vintage” and “overdue for renovation.” Mid-range travelers find comfort at the Hyatt Centric ($150-200/night), while luxury seekers might venture slightly south to Terranea Resort ($250-350/night), where the ocean views are so perfect they appear photoshopped even when you’re looking at them in person.

After check-in, stretch your travel-cramped legs with an evening stroll along Rainbow Harbor and Shoreline Village. This free activity provides essential orientation to Long Beach’s waterfront and offers prime viewing of boats that will remind you of exactly how much discretionary income you don’t have. Cap the evening with dinner at Parkers’ Lighthouse ($25-45 for entrees), where the seafood tastes precisely 37% better than inland restaurants simply because you can see the ocean it came from – a scientific fact that absolutely no scientist would endorse.

Day 2: Aquarium of the Pacific – The Main Event

The centerpiece of any California itinerary that includes Aquarium of the Pacific deserves a full day of exploration. Arrive at opening (9:00 AM) to experience the rarest of Southern California phenomena: empty space. Adult tickets run $36.95, children 3-11 enter for $26.95, and seniors enjoy a modest discount at $33.95. Like most attractions in California, the ticket price initially seems shocking until you realize you’ll spend four hours here and suddenly it feels like a bargain compared to that $18 avocado toast you had yesterday.

Begin with the 350,000-gallon Tropical Pacific Gallery before the post-lunch crowds descend. The tropical fish display such vibrant colors that visitors often check their sunglasses to ensure they haven’t accidentally purchased some sort of hallucinogenic eyewear. By mid-morning, make your way to the outdoor Shark Lagoon, where you can touch small sharks and convince yourself you’re braver than you actually are.

For visitors willing to invest a bit more, Animal Encounters ($99) offer Instagram moments that will make your followers temporarily forget about their own lives. The Behind-the-Scenes Tours ($19) reveal the complex filtration systems and feeding operations that keep 12,000 animals alive and swimming – it’s like seeing the backstage area of a Broadway show, except with more kelp and fewer divas.

The sea otters merit special attention, as they’ve clearly studied improvisational comedy and time their antics perfectly for maximum audience reaction. They float on their backs cracking open shellfish with rocks in a display that somehow makes your own lunch technique seem inadequate. Pro tip: Get your hand stamped before leaving for a free same-day return – perfect for taking a midday break when the aquarium reaches peak capacity around 1:00 PM.

For lunch, weigh the convenience of in-house Café Scuba ($15-20) against nearby Bubba Gump’s ($15-25) or venture slightly further to local spots like The Breakfast Bar ($10-18), where the food doesn’t come with an aquarium markup and nobody’s trying to sell you a souvenir cup with your meal.

Day 3: Catalina Island – The Aquatic Playground

The perfect complement to any California itinerary that includes Aquarium of the Pacific is an actual island adventure. The Catalina Express departs regularly from Long Beach ($74.50 round-trip), whisking passengers to Avalon in about an hour – just enough time to finish your coffee and develop mild seasickness if you’re particularly sensitive to motion.

Once on the island, options abound. Adrenaline seekers can try the Zip Line Eco Tour ($129), which allows you to fly over chaparral while pretending to be interested in ecological facts shouted by your guide. More sedate visitors enjoy Glass Bottom Boat Tours ($35), where you can view fish in their natural habitat after seeing their cousins in tanks the previous day – a marine version of visiting someone’s home after seeing their work office.

The island’s most underrated activity involves renting a golf cart ($50/hour) to tour Avalon’s scenic roads. It provides all the freedom of a convertible road trip without Southern California’s infamous traffic, though local golf cart congestion around lunchtime offers an adorable miniature version of L.A.’s transportation woes.

For lunch, casual spots like The Lobster Trap serve vacation-worthy seafood without requiring a second mortgage. Time your return ferry to catch the sunset on the water – a spectacular light show that somehow makes even terrible vacation photos look professionally shot. The westward journey back to Long Beach offers views that cruise lines charge thousands for, all included in your day-trip ticket.

Day 4: Beach Hopping and Coastal Exploration

No California itinerary would be complete without dedicating a day to its famous beaches. Start with breakfast in Long Beach, then drive 25 minutes north to Huntington Beach, where $15 secures all-day parking and access to the legendary “Surf City USA.” Here, professional surfers and amateurs who greatly overestimate their abilities share the same waves in a democratic display of aquatic chaos.

By midday, venture south to Crystal Cove State Park ($15 entrance fee), where tide pools offer a natural complement to yesterday’s aquarium experience. Observe crabs, sea anemones, and starfish in their natural habitat while trying not to fall on slippery rocks – a dance performed by visitors since time immemorial. The park’s 3.2-mile beach provides enough space that you won’t hear other people’s music or conversations, a luxury worth far more than the entrance fee in Southern California.

The beaches of Southern California function like tribal territories, each with distinct populations and unwritten rules. Huntington attracts surf bros who use the word “dude” as every part of speech. Newport Beach draws the affluent crowd who pretend not to care about being seen while carefully positioning their designer beach bags in every photo. Venice Beach collects the eccentrics and exhibitionists, while Hermosa maintains the most authentic beach-town vibe, like a surfer who got a responsible job but still refuses to cut their hair.

End the day at Corona del Mar for sunset, specifically at Inspiration Point, where the crowds thin out and the views justify the name. For dinner, seek out authentic tacos at places where prices hover between $3-5 per taco and English is the second language on the menu. The general rule of fish taco excellence in Southern California: the less impressive the building, the more impressive the taco.

Day 5: Urban Adventures in Long Beach and Beyond

Begin your final full day with a visit to The Queen Mary ($44.99 admission), a historic ocean liner permanently docked in Long Beach Harbor. This floating hotel and attraction offers a glimpse into luxury travel of bygone eras and supposedly houses a few ghosts who couldn’t afford return tickets to the afterlife. The guided tours provide fascinating historical context, though the “haunted” staterooms mostly deliver the spine-tingling terror of 1930s plumbing systems.

Afternoon options branch out depending on interest. Shoppers can browse Pike Outlets, where designer brands offer prices that are merely expensive rather than outrageous. Those seeking more cultural stimulation might drive 45 minutes to the Getty Center (free admission, $20 parking), an architectural marvel housing European art collections that make you feel simultaneously cultured and underdressed.

For families or the young at heart, Disneyland lurks just 30 minutes away in Anaheim. At $104-149 per ticket (depending on day and season), it’s an investment, but one that delivers the uniquely American experience of waiting 90 minutes for a 3-minute ride while consuming a $7 churro. The key to enjoying Disneyland as an adult lies in the park’s perfectly calibrated nostalgia-to-alcohol ratio at California Adventure’s wine country area.

Complete your California itinerary with an evening food tour of Long Beach’s East Village Arts District. This walkable neighborhood offers everything from upscale farm-to-table experiences to hole-in-the-wall international cuisine ranging from $12-25 per meal. The district represents Southern California’s cultural melting pot, where you can sample Filipino, Cambodian, and Mexican cuisines within blocks of each other – the culinary equivalent of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s diverse ecosystem displays.

Practical Information to Keep Your Itinerary Afloat

Transportation around Long Beach deserves special mention. The free AquaLink water taxi (seasonal, usually April-October) connects major waterfront attractions and adds aquatic flair to basic transportation. Rental cars run $50-70 daily and provide the most flexibility, though parking can add $15-30 daily to your budget. Rideshares average $12-25 for most trips within Long Beach and provide the benefit of not having to decipher California’s baffling parking restriction signs, which often require a law degree to interpret correctly.

Weather patterns in Southern California follow reliable yet counterintuitive patterns. Summer mornings often feature a marine layer (locals call it “June Gloom”) that burns off by noon. Temperatures average 75-85F in summer and a still-pleasant 55-65F in winter. The region’s famous sunshine delivers approximately 287 days of perfect weather annually, with the remaining days merely very good. Pack layers, as evening temperatures can drop 15-20 degrees from daytime highs – a natural phenomenon that catches tourists in shorts and tank tops shivering outside restaurants every night.

Budget-conscious travelers should investigate the Southern California CityPASS ($94 for adults), which bundles the Aquarium with other attractions like Universal Studios or Disneyland for substantial savings. Most museums offer free admission days monthly, typically on the first Tuesday or Thursday. Happy hours represent a religious observance in Southern California, with discounted food and drinks available daily between 3-6pm at establishments ranging from dive bars to upscale restaurants.