Tide Pool and Aquarium

"It’s pretty small but it’s free! A few fish for the kids to look at, lots of stiffed animals and bones etc for the kids to touch and look at. Not something I would specifically travel to, but worth a peek if your driving by to get out of the sun for a few minutes."

"This free little state park aquarium/interpretive center is worth a visit. Inside you will find a small tide pool tank with sea stars, guitar fish, sea urchins, and even shark eggs (if you are there when they have them. There are five more tanks with eels, lobsters, leopard sharks, and fish. The rest of the place has taxidermy native species and bones of animals found in the area. You can see a history of animals presented. It may be a small center, but there is still much to see and children love to explore here."

"This is a very cute little aquarium at Doheney St. Beach. Set your sights appropriately, this is a small, 2 room aquarium that tries to showcase the native species that live in thr area around the park. It's great to stop in if you are there for the day or camping."

"One of the best places to visit in Dana Point. Free information and educational exhibits for the local critters and sea life in the area. Just a small sample of pictures that I took while exploring."

"It's a small place, but for the size there was quite a lot to see. There were croakers, calico bass, and a sand shark in the tide pool tank. The aquariums had eels, lobsters, and sharks. The rest of the displays were taxidermy of local animals such as coyotes, squirrels, skunks, and various types of birds. You can visit for 5 minutes or half an hour depending on how much detail you want to get into it. Also, there's a butterfly garden next door. Unfortunately, we didn't see any butterflies on our visit."