Something must be in the air in Monterey this fall, because there are so many anniversaries and celebrations it would be hard to pass up a trip to California’s coast to catch some art and culture with a little history mixed in.
Earlier this fall, I told you about the Monterey Museum of Art celebrating its 50th anniversary and the 52nd Monterey Jazz Festival. Fortunately, Monterey has one more big celebration up its sleeve. The Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrates its silver anniversary later this month.
The famous aquarium opened its doors on October 20, 1984. In the first year alone, nearly 2.5 million guests paid a visit. 25 years later, the aquarium hosted more than 44 million visitors and currently has 250,000 members. Approximately 35,000 animals and plants are housed there, and there are nearly 500 employees and 1000 volunteers to keep things running.
This historic aquarium’s silver anniversary celebration will be held on October 17-18. For a complete celebration schedule and a timeline featuring images and accounts of its 25 years of existence, visit the aquarium’s web site.