Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Great place to take the family. Even great for just adults, too, if you don't have kids. We got to pet a shark!! The docents are nice and you can learn alot. Beautiful ocean views here and cute dolphins in a tank.

I found this place interesting and liked it. Families with children also come here to have a good time and look at the aquarium. The bones of whales are impressive with their size. I have never seen a live whale, but I believe that I will. Behind this center is a very picturesque view of the ocean, I recommend walking along the sidewalk to the lighthouse or even the pier.

What a gem! Do the tour- it’s informative and cool to see the dolphins. It is o it doors so bundle up. Our family likes the hands on activities and plenty of knowledgeable docents and volunteers to answer questions. We like that this place is not crowded on weekends and hard for kids to get lost. We are members, which includes 2 guest passes.

Reading hour was very nice...the octopus was showing off in his aquarium and the sharks were hiding and Miss Blue was still out front, although she's scheduled to come in sometime soon

Had an amazing time checking out the Seymour marine discovery. Great way to learn about the marine life in the area! Kid friendly hands-on learning. We even were able to touch live starfish. Highly recommend the tour. Our tour guide was awesome , knowledgeable, and answered questions. I also loved that they take care of the marine life they are researching. They give breaks to the sea creatures and don't overwork them. Gotta check this place out!

Super cute small exhibit. The tour was cool but I wish we could get closer to the seal and dolphins but overall a great experience.

This discovery center is relatively small but filled with great educational stations, opportunities for hands on experiences and beautiful views upon exiting.

I enjoyed my visit because it didn't feel overwhelming. Also, I appreciated that the staff welcomed curious adults like myself to touch animals and get involved without making you feel a kind of way.

Great place for family trips, dates and solo exploration. Plus, beautiful area to take pics. I recommend this place hands down!

Learned a lot. Friendly staff. Close to the ocean. Lots of fun!

A great place for family to visit! Educational & lots of nature activities! A summer party at cafeteria for friends and family will definitely give you a wonderful day!

On vacation from Texas, our original plan was to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but with historic flooding while we were here, highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Monterey was closed. This was a great little place as a backup, the kids got to touch a swell shark, sea stars, urchins and anemones…cool exhibits and very friendly people.

This place is special. The focus of this place is the amazing nature that surrounds it. We chose to hold our wedding here, Emily and the event coordination team were wonderful to work with and helped reduce the stress around getting married. The venue allows for a lot of flexibility in plans, and we loved that the cost of the venue is put back into the research center. Guests told us they had never been to such a uniquely beautiful setting. The best decision we made, 1000 times over.

This place was beautiful. My husband and I have taken many different trails thru Santa Cruz, and it was our first time ever riding our bikes thru this trail. It was a really nice area to see.

Nice museum to visit in Santa Cruz. Great for people, especially kids, who want a learning opportunity.

There is free parking on the weekends.

There are lots of sea creatures. There are starfish you can touch (with the supervision of some knowledgeable volunteers).

Just a few hundred feet behind the museum is the coast (the coast is free). There are amazing views of the Santa Cruz coast.

This was a fun experience and affordable. We did do the free tour that was included with the price our the basic admission. This is a small museum but is interactive. People can touch starfish and even pet a shark. The tour involved going to the back of the museum to see the dolphins and the students doing their daily duties tending to them. The observation area allows you to walk around the cliffs to better view the beaches, landscapes and protected areas, truly beautiful. We actually enjoyed this more than the Monterey Aquarium. It was very affordable and more personal, definitely worth the visit. Parking was a bit tricky as you needed to download a parking app to pay but found this was common for parking around Santa Cruz.

Blue whale & gray whale skeleton outside. Pretty Oceanside view. We touch live Swell shark skin, live sea stars& otter skin specimen. Starfish takes its time to turn back to its preferred position. Nice walking trails with sea view & surfers enjoy surfing. Fun!

Great place for individuals, families and children to learn and explore. The Seymour Discovery Center could be added to your walk or a bike ride through native landscape on any day, enjoy touch and feel the outdoor exhibits (whale skeleton and life-size elephant seal sculptures) located on a beautiful coast with excellent views.

Also can spend couple of hours visiting a variety of unique and interactive indoor exhibits, and experience the thrill of scientific discovery through breathtaking photos captured by UC Santa Cruz researchers and their collaborators.

What a cool find that we drove by so many times and didn't realize what was hiding there! Fun little sea creatures to touch, like sharks!! The area is well kept and the staff seems immensely happy to be there, so much so we wanted to work there too, lol! I certainly would love to be there every day to help with the dolphins!! Absolutely soul warming to watch as they swim and play. I hope the funding never ceases for them, and they are definitely on my list of places to donate to! It offers a wonderful day of surprises :-)

This is a really great place to visit if you love the ocean and all inhabitants. The blue whale skeleton outside is pretty awesome... its so long! The exhibits inside were great. Really enjoyed our time here.

This was the perfect start to Spring Break 2023. Our tour guide Nancy D. had the energy, passion and knowledge. The dolphins were being fed during our tour and they happily engaged the group. I keep trying to determine if my or I had the most fun!?!?!
Thank you Seymour Family for making this possible for the community.

You hear a lot more about the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row, but there's also a marine discovery center in westside Santa Cruz, at a breathtaking ocean side location with educational coastal paths. Admission is nominally $9 with breaks for seniors, students, and children. There are rotating exhibits, an aquarium, and huge skeletons outside ("Outdoor Giants"). Part of the scenic facility is available for rent (conferences, weddings, etc.). Parking is easy and free. I've only been there during the week. It may get crowded on weekends. There are periodic community "free days" with no admission. You can check their website for that information and much more. This is an extension facility of UCSC.