Monterey Bay Aquarium opens 'Ocean in Motion / La Danza del Mar' on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The bilingual exhibit is designed for children ages two to six and features a 20-foot coral reef with a wave machine, an expanded African penguin habitat, seahorse towers and coral-themed play areas.
Toddlers are getting their own corner of the ocean. Monterey Bay Aquarium will open "Ocean in Motion / La Danza del Mar" on Saturday, November 7, a bilingual exhibit built for children ages two to six that invites them to move like the animals they're watching.
What's trending
According to the aquarium's announcement, the new gallery includes:
- A coral reef about 20 feet long with a custom-built wave machine
- An expanded African penguin habitat at the center of the gallery
- Seagrass towers home to dozens of big-belly seahorses
- Leaping blennies at kid eye level, plus bluespotted ribbontail rays, clownfish and cuttlefish
- A coral-themed climbing area, a new water play area and digital interactives where kids copy penguin movements
Signs are written in a children's-book style, with the animals as the main characters. The exhibit is aimed at ages two to six, but all ages are welcome, and members can attend preview events before the public opening.
Why it's resonating
"The main theme of this exhibit is building empathy with ocean life in kids through movement," said Jenny Gray, the aquarium's CEO. Emily Saich, vice president of exhibitions, said the goal was an experience where "children connect with live animals through movement and play."
Ocean animals are already a favorite with little ones, and an exhibit built around climbing, splashing and copying penguins suits an age group that learns by doing.
Bringing the ocean home
For families who can't get to Monterey, the same ideas work at home, and they make a lovely first or second birthday theme: soft coral colors, bubbles, a "waddle like a penguin" game and plenty of sea-creature toys. If you're planning one, our Oneder the Sea birthday invitation with a baby mermaid and dolphin sets the under the sea mood and edits in Canva on your phone.
The bottom line
"Ocean in Motion" opens November 7 and looks set to be one of the West Coast's best new outings for toddlers. Check the aquarium's website for tickets and member preview dates.