My family and I had the opportunity to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium recently. This is our favorite aquarium of all the many aquariums we have visited over the years. One of the exhibits that we have always enjoyed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the permanent jellyfish exhibit. As luck would have it, we were headed down the coast during Spring Break and the new Jellies Experience exhibit opened just a few weeks before – great timing!
We couldn’t resist heading to the new Jellies Experience upon our arrival. The exhibit evokes a 60’s, groovy, psychedelic theme complete with 60’s music to accompany the pulsing, graceful movements of the stars of the exhibit, the 16 species of jellies and fluorescent coral. Upon entering the exhibit, we were greeted by the large and graceful Japanese Sea Nettle. This species has 16 stripes on its bell and tentacles that are up to 10 feet in length. Some of the next jellies we encountered were the Upside Down and Spotted jellies. The Upside Down Jellies were resting on the floor of their tank with their colorful, lacy undersides swaying in the water. Nearby, a display tank was filled with white-spotted, cream-colored jellies that were quickly pulsing as they moved around the tank in all directions. The variety of jellies in this exhibit is amazing and I had a hard time pulling myself away from each display.
As we transitioned to the next phase of the Jellies Experience exhibit, we noticed the large motion sensitive jelly shaped light fixtures overhead as we headed to view the next room of jellies. While jellyfish are beautiful and so fun to watch, the reality is that jellies can be dangerous predators in the ocean. As an example, the long and beautiful but deadly Atlantic Sea Nettle has thousands of stinging cells to capture a meal or defend itself against predators. One of my favorite jellies on display was the Mediterranean Jelly that often swims upside down revealing pretty purple spotted "mouth arms" that are used to catch food. We enjoyed several more species of jellies, including the compact and speedy Blubber Jellies on our way to the Moon Jelly room. The mirrored room containing cylinder tanks filled with Moon Jellies gives the visitor a feeling of being surrounded by a swarm of Moon Jellyfish.
Throughout the Jellies Experience exhibits, kids and adults alike will enjoy several interactive features. Visitors can draw their own jellyfish on an electronic tablet and then send their jellyfish off to swim on a wall-sized virtual aquarium along with other visitor’s virtual jelly creations. Kids will love projecting themselves onto a large kaleidoscope image on the wall or walking through a life size frame of a Comb jellyfish complete with flashing lights to simulate the rainbow of color that appears as light reflects on the unique Warty Comb Jellies on display in the adjacent exhibit. I have just described a few of the special jellies that are on display in this "can't miss" exhibit. Words alone do not do it justice.
Fun Facts about Jellies:
* Jellyfish consist of 95% water.
* Jellyfish have no brain, heart, bones or eyes.
* Jellyfish can grow or shrink depending on how much food is available to them.
* Fluorescent jellyfish genes have been used by scientists to test the effectiveness of drugs on humans.
(source: Monterey Bay Aquarium)
While you and your family will be mesmerized by the Jellies Experience exhibit, be sure to allow time to see the many other exhibits the aquarium has to offer. Another beautiful and unique exhibit located nearby is The Secret Lives of Seahorses. This extensive exhibit is filled with various seahorses and educational displays. Seahorses are very unique in that the males of the species are the ones who gets pregnant! Have you ever seen a Leafy Sea Dragon? These creatures definitely live up to their "leafy" name and could easily be confused for sea plants when they are still. 
"The Secret Lives of Seahorses."© Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder
Don't miss the permanent Jellies exhibit and the Open Sea display located on the floor above the Jellies Experience and sea horse exhibits. The Open Sea is an immense tank that includes tunas, a large school of sardines, sea turtle, sunfish and sharks. There is also a puffin exhibit nearby. A visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium would not be complete without a stop by the Sea Otter Exhibit. Be sure to check the schedule for feeding times for the otters, as well as the penguins and Kelp Forest. I suggest arriving at least 15 minutes early to the otter feeding so your kids can get a spot to see the fun. During our visit, a sixteen week old orphaned otter was on display with its "adoptive" mother. The two otters were bonding and feeding together and it is always good fun to watch the otters eat and then play after their meal. 
Charismatic sea otters are a visitor favorite at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.© Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder
Other "don’t miss" exhibits are the large Kelp Forest, numerous touch pools, the penguin exhibit, the octopus exhibit and Splash Zone. If you have little ones, there are some places where they can get a chance to move around and just play. Infants and toddlers can crawl around and explore colorful objects at eye level in the Coral Reef Kingdom. Older kids can enjoy the Kelp Forest Canopy Walkthrough, the touch pools and the interactive games in the Enchanted Kelp Forest. For parent information about these areas click HERE. The aquarium also offers short movies about various topics with titles such as You Otter Know, Mysteries of the Deep and Project White Shark in the theater across from the lower otter exhibit. The aquarium also has special tours for an additional fee that give your family a behind-the-scenes experience.
Crawl through the colorful roots of giant kelp in the Splash Zone family galleries.© Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is open every day except December 25th. Hours vary by season. Visit the aquarium online: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
For schedules and ticket information click HERE. For interactive games and activities you can do at home click HERE.
The author received complimentary tickets to visit the aquarium for this review.
