The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is the largest aquarium in Southern California, home to more than 12,000 animals across 100 exhibits. Adult admission is now $49.95, and the aquarium requires a timed reservation on weekends, holidays and peak days, so most people buy tickets before they arrive.
We stay in Long Beach several times a year because my daughter plays volleyball at the Convention Center, and helping families pay less for California theme parks and aquariums is a core part of what I do here. So this guide covers every current way to buy discount Aquarium of the Pacific tickets, each one checked against a live price, plus straight answers on Costco and free admission days.
Which Aquarium of the Pacific Ticket Is Right for You?
The quick answer
Adult admission is $49.95 before discounts. Find your route:
Fact-checked and updated August 22, 2026.
Groupon offers rotate and limited-time promotions come and go, so confirm the price on the listing before you buy.
Aquarium of the Pacific Ticket Prices (2026)
Whether you buy online or at the window, the aquarium publishes one admission price. Buying online adds the timed entry slot to the same transaction, which is the practical reason to do it.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (12-61) | $49.95 |
| Child (3-11) | $34.95 |
| Senior (62+) | $46.95 |
| Under 3 | Free, no reservation needed |
The aquarium requires a timed reservation on weekends, holidays and other peak periods, and buying online handles that for you because you pick your entry time at checkout. If you arrive with a coupon or plan to pay at the window, reserve free online first, since walking up without a reservation on a busy day can mean waiting for the next open entry time.
1. The Groupon After-3 P.M. Ticket ($35.95)
Groupon’s best Aquarium of the Pacific offer is an after-3 p.m. admission ticket for $35.95, which is 28 percent off the $49.95 adult price. More than 25,000 people have bought it.
The trade-off is the entry window. You can enter any time after 3 p.m., and the aquarium closes at 6 p.m. most of the year, with later summer hours on many dates. Three hours is enough to see the major exhibits at a comfortable pace, but it is not a full day. All sales are final, so read the date-change terms on the listing before you buy.
Groupon also sells a full-day general admission ticket, listed at $49.39 when I checked, which is 56 cents under the gate price and more than the aRes Travel price in the next section. It is not a deal. If the after-3 p.m. ticket has rotated off when you look, compare whatever Groupon is offering against the aRes price and the grocery store coupon below before assuming it saves you anything.
2. Discounted Single-Day Tickets From aRes Travel
aRes Travel is a San Diego-based authorized ticket seller for attractions across California, including the Aquarium of the Pacific, and we have been partners with them for years. Their current price is $47.95 for adults and $32.95 for children, which is $2 off both tiers. One thing to watch: aRes sells a single adult ticket for ages 12 and up, so anyone 62 or over pays less buying the senior ticket straight from the aquarium.
Two dollars is the smallest discount on this page, so here is what you are actually buying with it. You pick your date and entry time at purchase, which settles the reservation in the same transaction, and you can add ticket insurance for $25 at checkout for a full refund if plans change.
It is the simplest full-day option and it is not the cheapest one. The grocery store coupon in section 4 takes $10 off an adult ticket, and the Groupon ticket above takes $14 off if you can start your visit at 3 p.m.
3. Go City Los Angeles Passes
If the aquarium is one stop on a bigger Los Angeles trip, a Go City Los Angeles pass usually beats buying tickets one at a time. Which pass you need matters here, because the aquarium is not on all three:
- All-Inclusive Pass: the cheapest pass that includes the aquarium. Pick your number of days and visit as many of the included attractions as you like. Entry runs 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., which is fine here because the aquarium closes at 6.
- All-Inclusive Pass Plus: the same lineup plus Universal Studios Hollywood, the San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND California.
- Essentials Pass: you pick 3 to 5 things from a curated list of 10 and have 30 days from your first visit to use them. The Aquarium of the Pacific is not one of the 10, so this is the wrong pass if the aquarium is the reason you are buying.
The math only works if you genuinely visit multiple attractions. Against a single aquarium ticket alone, no pass wins. Pair it with Madame Tussauds, a studio tour or a harbor cruise and the per-attraction cost drops quickly. Every pass is valid for a year from purchase and can be canceled for a full refund within 90 days as long as you have not activated it, so buying ahead of a trip you are still planning carries no real risk.
Go City Los Angeles Promo Code
Explore more and spend less, saving up to 50% on admission to top Los Angeles attractions.
Two ways to buy · pick one
Lowest price
Through my ticket store
No code needed.
or
Buy direct
Straight from Go City
Apply code at checkout for an extra 5%.
One more thing to know. No CityPASS product includes the Aquarium of the Pacific, on either the Southern California pass or the Los Angeles one, so Go City is the sightseeing pass option here.
4. AAA Discounts and Grocery Store Coupons
AAA members save up to 10 percent on Aquarium of the Pacific tickets purchased at any Southern California Auto Club branch or through AAA MemberDeals. For a limited time, the aquarium is also offering AAA members up to 30 percent off online purchases for Wednesday visits, which beats every other single-ticket discount in this post when it applies.
AAA shows the exact member price only after you log in, and the discount varies by ticket product, so check your total against the prices above before you commit. The aquarium also asks AAA buyers to reserve a date and time for every guest in the party, whatever day you visit.
The grocery store coupon (through September 29)
The aquarium is running a coupon at participating Southern California independent grocers: $10 off an adult ticket and $5 off a child ticket, picked up in store while supplies last. For a full day at the aquarium that takes more off than the aRes Travel price or Groupon’s general admission ticket, and unlike the AAA Wednesday offer it is not tied to one day of the week.
Two dates govern it. Coupons are in stores through September 29, and tickets bought with one are good through December 23, 2026.
The chains are Big Saver Foods, Cardenas Markets, Superior Grocers and Super King, at nine locations across Anaheim, Altadena, Claremont, Glendale, Los Angeles, Northridge, Santa Ana and Van Nuys. None of them is in Long Beach, so the coupon has to be picked up before your trip rather than near the aquarium. Reserve your entry time online too, because a coupon is not a reservation.
5. Aquarium Hotel and Ticket Packages
If you are making a trip of it, aRes Travel also runs the aquarium’s hotel and ticket packages. You choose from 37 hotels and bundle discounted admission with your stay, which is priced as one package total rather than a room rate plus tickets. The Queen Mary itself is one of the options, along with the Hyatt Centric at The Pike, the Westin, the Hilton and a long tail of motels near the airport.
There are real advantages to basing a Southern California trip in Long Beach.
Why stay in Long Beach?
- Hotels are typically cheaper than in coastal Orange County.
- You can have ocean views from your room.
- Great restaurants and bars are located near the convention center.
- It’s about 20 miles to LAX.
Note that the area is gentrifying. There are excellent spots but also gritty ones, too.
6. Military, Teacher, Nurse, First Responder, and Student Discounts
The aquarium runs verified discounts through ID.me, which publishes the same headline saving, over 15 percent off, for every group it covers:
- Military members
- Nurses
- First responders
- Teachers
- Government employees
- Medical providers
- Students
- Alumni
The exact price appears only after you verify your status.
Military families have a second option. Discounted advance tickets are sold at MWR and ITT offices on base, which is often the better price if you have base access.
7. Discover & Go for L.A. Library Cardholders
If you live in the City of Los Angeles, your library card is worth checking before you pay full price. The Los Angeles Public Library’s Discover & Go program lets cardholders 18 and older reserve free or reduced-price passes to participating museums and attractions, with a new batch released at the start of each month and everything first come, first served. The venue list sits behind the library login and changes, so sign in and search for the aquarium rather than assuming it is there.
8. Aquarium of the Pacific Membership
At current prices, a family of four pays $169.80 per visit. The $249 Family membership costs less than two visits, so if you live in Southern California or expect to return within a year, membership is the better buy.
- Individual: $119 for one cardholder.
- Dual: $179 for two cardholders in the same household.
- Family: $249 for one or two cardholders in the same household, plus their children or grandchildren aged 17 and under.
- Plus: $299 for the same household coverage as Family, plus one transferable guest card you can hand to a grandparent or a babysitter to use without you.
- Senior tiers: $109 for one cardholder aged 62 or over and $169 for two in the same household, both cheaper than the equivalent standard tier.
Every tier includes 12 months of unlimited admission, 20 percent off guest admission tickets, 10 percent off in the gift stores (20 percent in December), 10 percent off at Café Scuba and the other food outlets, invitations to member events and exhibit previews, and a free digital subscription to the aquarium’s magazine. Parking is half price with a pre-paid voucher, sold at any ticket counter and good for three visits.
9. Combo Tickets and Boat Add-Ons
The Los Angeles Zoo combo is the one worth planning around: $68.00 for adults and $51.00 for children, which the aquarium puts at $8.95 and $5.95 below separate tickets, and the two tickets are valid for a year so you do not have to use them on the same day. It is sold only through the aquarium’s own ticket store.
The aquarium also bundles admission with a 45-minute harbor cruise, a whale watch, its holographic theater and a VIP package that skips the advance reservation. The whale watch sails daily year-round, so it is not something you have to wait for a season to book.
The aquarium also lists a Queen Mary combo, and it is the one combo it does not sell through its own ticket store. Its BUY button hands you to Tiqets, the aquarium’s ticketing partner, where the combo runs $87.01. That is more than the $76.46 the aquarium’s own page advertises, because Tiqets prices the Queen Mary half at $45.00, well above what the aquarium’s combo implies. Compare it against buying the two tickets separately before you commit.
10. Group Discounts for 10 or More
Ten people is a low bar to clear, and unlike most of the offers above, the group rate discounts every tier rather than just adults: $44.45 for adults, $31.95 for children aged 3 to 11 and $41.95 for seniors. One adult chaperone comes free for every ten children, which is why scout troops and school groups use it.
The conditions are what rule most families out. Groups run Monday through Friday only, arrival times are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the group has to be between 10 and 100 people in one time slot, payment is upfront at least 24 hours ahead, and there are no refunds or cancellations.
Employers can go further. The aquarium’s eTicket store is free to set up and needs 25 tickets sold a year to stay open. Its prepaid ticket programs add express entry and start at a minimum order of 25 tickets. Details are on the aquarium’s group sales pages.
11. College, Conventioneer, and Union Discounts
Three smaller programs are worth checking if they apply to you:
- College students: many Southern California universities sell discounted aquarium tickets through the Student Union or ASI office. Ask on campus before paying full price.
- Conventioneers: present a Long Beach, Los Angeles County, or Orange County convention badge at the ticket window after 12 p.m. for a discount, valid one week before and after your convention, one discount per badge. A free reservation is still required.
- Union and professional organization members: many SoCal unions offer member pricing. Check with your Member Benefits office.
Tips for Visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific
- Address and hours: 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. Open daily except Christmas Day, generally 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended evening hours on many summer dates.
- Parking: $8 for the day at the aquarium structure with validation, paid by card as you exit or at a kiosk. Most of the structure’s elevators are out of order, so use the drop-off in front of the aquarium if anyone in your party needs it.
- Reservations: required on weekends, holidays and peak periods for every guest age 3 and up. Book your entry time when you buy, or reserve free online if you are paying at the window.
- Animal encounters: check the schedule for feedings and the paid encounters with sharks and rays, seals and sea lions, and Magellanic penguins.
- Before or after: The Pike Outlets and Shoreline Village are within walking distance for meals and shopping.
FAQs About Aquarium of the Pacific Tickets
Is the Long Beach Aquarium the same as the Aquarium of the Pacific?
Yes. The Aquarium of the Pacific at 100 Aquarium Way is what people mean by the Long Beach Aquarium, and every discount on this page applies to it.
What are the best exhibits?
Do not miss the June Keyes Penguin Habitat and Shark Lagoon. My favorite animals, no doubt, include the sea otters, sea jellies, sea horses, and sea dragons, as well as seals and sea lions. You can also hand-feed lorikeets.
Are there free admission days at the Aquarium of the Pacific?
The aquarium does not publish any free admission days, and children under 3 are the only guests admitted free. For everyone else, the after-3 p.m. Groupon ticket in section 1 is the lowest price on this page, and the grocery store coupon in section 4 is the cheapest way to buy a full day. AAA members are the exception, because a Wednesday visit can save up to 30 percent and beat both.
Does Costco sell Aquarium of the Pacific tickets?
No. The aquarium’s own discounts page lists AAA, the grocery store coupon, the L.A. Zoo combo, conventioneers, college students, military MWR and ITT offices, unions and corporate programs. Costco is not among them. Any Costco price for this aquarium you find quoted elsewhere online traces back to a listing that no longer exists, so treat it as expired.
Costco does still sell some Southern California attraction tickets, including a San Diego Zoo Safari Park pass. I keep a separate guide to what Costco sells for the San Diego parks if that is part of your trip.
Is there an EBT or Museums for All discount?
The Aquarium of the Pacific does not currently offer an EBT or Museums for All discount. If you are in San Diego, Birch Aquarium does participate in Museums for All with reduced admission for EBT cardholders.
Is the Aquarium of the Pacific on a sightseeing pass?
Yes, on Go City. The Aquarium of the Pacific is included on the Go City Los Angeles All-Inclusive and All-Inclusive Plus passes, but not on the cheaper Essentials Pass, whose list of 10 choices does not include it. Neither the Southern California CityPASS nor the Los Angeles CityPASS includes the aquarium.
Is there a discount for first responders, government employees, or teachers?
Yes. Military members, nurses, first responders, teachers, government employees, medical providers, students and alumni all have published ID.me offers at over 15 percent off, with the exact price shown after you verify.
How much is parking at the Aquarium of the Pacific?
Parking is $8 for the entire day at the aquarium’s structure with validation, paid by card on the way out or at nearby kiosks.
Is the Aquarium of the Pacific worth it?
For most families, yes. It is the largest aquarium in Southern California, with more than 12,000 animals across 100 exhibits, and the penguin habitat, Shark Lagoon touch pools, and sea otters justify a half-day visit. Most visitors spend two to four hours, which is why the discounted after-3 p.m. ticket works so well if you arrive knowing what you want to see.
The Aquarium of the Pacific anchors our list of the best zoos and aquariums in California. In addition to Long Beach Aquarium discount tickets, I’ve written comprehensive guides to buying discount:
We purchased San Diego Zoo tickets thru your site. Thank you so very much for the tips and discount.
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Aw thanks for letting me know. I grew up in Huntington Beach!