Located under the carousel and boardwalk, Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is dedicated to educating the public about native sea life.

Formerly the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center, this small science aquarium is now curated by environmental group Heal the Bay. The conservation message here is present but not heavy-handed: Fun and education surfs into just about every drop of space, including interactive and touch displays filled with animals found in tide pools. Visitors can touch dozens of species of sea animals including sea stars, crabs, sea urchins, snails, kelp and sea cucumbers. The aquarium is also home to non-touchable sharks and stingrays. Be sure not to the miss the aquarium's most dangerous and deadly underwater species: kelp (just kidding).