Right now, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's African penguin page shows two words under the species name: "Not on exhibit." The Penguin Cam has a short note in place of a live feed: "Our Penguin Cam is currently offline as we renovate our exhibits."
That changes on Saturday, November 7, when Ocean in Motion / La Danza del Mar opens with a much larger penguin habitat at its center. The Aquarium designed the bilingual gallery for children ages two to six. Admission is free for anyone four and under. So the people who will love this room most will mostly walk in at no charge. The cost of a visit falls on the adults who bring them, and that makes the math different for a local household than for a family visiting once.
Where the penguins used to live
Before the renovation, the penguins lived in Splash Zone, the Aquarium's family gallery. The Aquarium's own species page still carries a photo captioned "African Penguin, Amigo, on exhibit in the Splash Zone." In spring 2025, the Aquarium's member magazine, Shorelines, put a "Splash Zone Remodel" on its cover, describing "a reimagining of our beloved family gallery" as coming soon. Hoodline's September report describes Ocean in Motion as the gallery replacing Splash Zone.
The Aquarium's September 8 announcement calls the penguin habitat "much-expanded" and "the centerpiece of the gallery." Visitors will see birds diving, preening, waddling and resting on a rocky beach, and digital silhouettes beside the habitat invite children to waddle, flap and shake their tails along with them. The same panels cover how a changing climate and overfishing affect a species the Aquarium describes as critically endangered.
A room organized around how animals move
The whole gallery is built on one idea, and CEO Jenny Gray explained it to KSBW: "The main theme of this exhibit is building empathy with ocean life in kids through movement, so we've selected endearing animals that move in fun ways." Emily Saich, the Aquarium's Vice President of Exhibitions, told the station that the team "engaged with young children and their adults" early in the project to base the design on the movements and words children would use on their own for each animal.
In practice, each stop asks a child to copy an animal before seeing it:
- Hold. Oversized seagrass towers rise toward the ceiling, and children grab a cluster the way a big-belly seahorse does. Then they reach a living exhibit where dozens of seahorses twist their tails around green seagrass.
- Hop. Shapes on the floor send kids from rock to rock, ending at a large open-top exhibit where water washes over wet stones and dozens of leaping blennies hop and flop at eye level.
- Glide. In a 20-foot living coral reef, a custom wave machine sends a ripple through the water while bluespotted ribbontail rays move over the reef and clownfish tuck into anemones. A coral-themed play area sits nearby, and the main path is fully accessible.
- Flutter and sway. The exhibit page also features flamboyant cuttlefish rippling yellow, purple and white, and spotted garden eels swaying out of their sandy burrows.
- Waddle. The penguins come last, and the Aquarium points out that these "awkward beach-goers" can swim up to 12 miles per hour while hunting.
The labels match the audience too. The Aquarium says they are written "in a children's book tone and style" with the animals as the main characters, so a caregiver can read them out loud. A gallery like this works best over repeat visits, as a two-year-old turns three and moves from watching the blennies to hopping along with them.
The child is free, so the cost is the grown-up
The Aquarium's ticket page currently lists these prices, with tickets on sale through December 31, 2026:
- Adult, ages 18 to 69: $65
- Youth, ages 5 to 17: $50
- Senior, ages 70 and up: $50
- Ages 4 and under: free
Ocean in Motion is designed for ages two to six, and most of those children fall in the free group. A parent bringing a three-year-old pays $65 for the visit, and the child's admission costs nothing. Two parents and a toddler pay $130. The child's age matters a lot here. Once a child turns five, a youth ticket adds $50 to every visit.
Membership tiers, as currently listed, change the question from the price of a visit to the number of visits. Here is how the current figures compare for a few typical local households:
| Household | Per visit at current ticket prices | Membership as listed | Membership costs less by visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| One parent, child 4 or under | $65 | Individual, $125 | Second |
| Two parents, child 4 or under | $130 | Family, $295 | Third |
| Two parents, one child age 5 or 6 | $180 | Family, $295 | Second |
| One grandparent 70+, toddler in tow | $50 | Senior, $95 | Second |
| Two grandparents 70+, toddler in tow | $100 | Senior for two, $190 | Second |
A few details on the membership page affect who fits where. The Family level covers two designated adults plus their children or grandchildren ages 5 to 21. The Individual, Senior and Student levels include no children. Only the $500 Ocean Advocate level comes with two transferable guest cards, and the Aquarium says guest passes may not be resold or used with vacation rentals or businesses. Guest cards fit a household that hosts visiting relatives every holiday season. The Senior level fits grandparents doing weekday trips with a preschooler, because the child gets in free either way.
Some local families may also be thinking of the Aquarium's resident offer. Free admission for Monterey County residents ran September 8 to 20, 2026, by reservation, and that window has closed.
Members get in a week before the public
The membership math also includes early access. Members and donors see the gallery first, and most of the preview dates fall in the week after this post goes live:
| Date | Who | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Donor preview | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Donor preview | 8 a.m. to noon |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Member preview | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Adults-only member preview, 18+ | 8 to 10 a.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 to Tues., Nov. 3 | Member previews | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Public opening | Regular admission |
During previews, members enter through the Main Entrance and show their member card and photo ID at the gallery door. Guest cards are honored. The Sunday morning adults-only slot stands out for a gallery built for preschoolers. It gives grown-ups two hours with the penguins and the reef before the play areas fill with the visitors they were made for.
The next members-only evening after opening is December Member Night on Friday, December 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. It is free for members, guest cards are honored, and the Aquarium Store is 20% off. Due to the animals' needs, the seabirds and Into the Deep / En lo Profundo exhibits will be closed that evening. Ocean in Motion is not on that closed list.
Hours, prices and event details on these pages can change, so check the Aquarium's schedule before you go, especially in the busy days just after November 7.
As a volunteer guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I've been looking forward to this opening. Seeing the penguins return to a gallery built around the youngest visitors means a lot to me, and it's the kind of local detail I bring to every conversation with clients new to the Peninsula. If friends or family are planning a move and want to know which parts of Monterey keep Cannery Row close by, Susan Clark would be glad to help. Request Your VIP Listing Consultation.
