The Marine Mammal Center

Visited the center on Labor day, very welcoming and clean place. I had many questions about local California sea lions and staff and workers gave me their time and answered me about whatever I wanted to know. Got a lot of info about local marine mammals in general. They got real whale bones there too, found that really cool. You can touch seal skins there and see local patients and ask about them. I definitely recommend this place if you're interested in marine animals.

Wonderful center that helps and rehabilitates rescued marine life. We were able to learn about the process and what it entails including an open window view of the surgery/medical rooms as well as see the areas where the animals temporarily live during their rehabilitation. Staff are very wonderful and kind hearted. There's an area with hands on activities where you can learn firsthand about the dangers marine animals face and what the average person can do to prevent or limit such incidences. They have restrooms and a gift shop. The gift shop is pricey but worth it because it helps sustain the rescue movement of this program. Parking can be limited on busy days.

What a great organization with so many dedicated volunteers. We recently visited and went on a behind the scenes tour, well worth the money (which at the end of the day is really just a donation, which is great!)

I visited in January with my husband and 5-year-old. We did an official tour and the docent was very knowledgeable and did a fabulous job explaining the mission of the rescue center. We did not see any animals because they actually didn't have many patients at that moment, which was a positive thing. I would caveat that this is probably not a good tour for children. There is a lot of information and definitely geared to adults. There were a few kids from age 5-8 and their focus was definitely wandering. But my kid did love the gift shop and the nearby beach, so a good visit for us overall. :)

My son and I visited MMC early on a Saturday. They do have guided tours and it's best to make an appointment ahead. April - May is the best time to visit because they will have seals patients that they are nursing back to health. Very clean environment too. I had studied to be a marine biologist in college but didn't finish. It was on my bucket list to visit and it was great! Employees were friendly and knowledgeable.