When our staff visited Southern California a couple of weeks ago, our first stop when we arrived in San Diego was LEGOLAND's brand new SEA LIFE™ Aquarium.  This amazing aquarium opened last summer and is a fantastic addition to LEGOLAND.  It's located right next door to the Theme Park and the best and most affordable way to see both is with our discount Park Hopper that allows admission to both LEGOLAND and SEA LIFE™.

When our staff arrived at SEA LIFE™ they broke us into two groups because our group was so large.  The second group waited a few minutes to give the first group a head start in the aquarium, so we wouldn't feel crowded.  This ended up being great, because you can explore at your own pace and not worry about it being overcrowded at all.

When you arrive at the aquarium you are given a Quiz Trail scratch card that correlates with questions that you'll learn the answers to as you go through the aquarium.  The aquarium takes visitors throughout different types of water life found in California starting with Lake Tahoe.  You'll keep your eyes open for numbered signs (like this one with the shark) with questions and then scratch off your answer to see if you're correct.

Most of the aquarium is completely indoors and when you walk in the front doors you enter Lake Tahoe where there is a great play area for kids complete with an aquarium with fish that live in the area and a tree slide.  From Lake Tahoe you'll visit the San Francisco Harbor and then head on to the California Coast. 

We also visited Kelp Forest, Shoaling Circle and the Southern California Tide Pools where a lot of our staff got to touch live sea stars, sea cucumbers and more!  This area also has a giant "sand castle" made of LEGOS that guests can add on to. 

One of our staff's favorite exhibits was the giant Lost City of Atlantis aquarium.  This is the largest of the aquariums at SEA LIFE™ and is full of sharks, rays, fish, and amazing Lego creations.  The best part of this aquarium is that you actually get to walk through it via a clear tube then view it from the outside.  It is so much fun to get such different perspectives. 

Once you reach the other side of the aquarium you'll get to experience Surf Break, Ray Lagoon, Kingdom of the Seahorse, and the Discovery Zone Touch Pool before you exit to the Ocean Journey Cafe, which serves delicious sandwiches, salads and more.

The entire experience takes approximately an hour and a half to two hours and is one worth seeing.  When you return your completed scratch card you'll receive a "SEA LIFE™ Expert" sticker.  We definitely recommend the SEA LIFE™ Aquarium to anyone taking a vacation to Southern California! 

We offer great hotels right in Carlsbad where LEGOLAND and SEA LIFE™ are located and have many more just 30 minutes south in San Diego.  For the most savings, stay at one of our San Diego hotels offering the 3rd, 4th, or 5th night free!  The aquarium also makes a great addition to any Disneyland® Resort vacation and is just an hour's drive away.  Book your San Diego vacation today!