Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium

We take our 5 year old here regularly and although it is a small it is educational and she loves it! She loves getting to touch the starfish and watch the eels getting fed, as well as climbing up the stairs to look at the fossils and identifying the fish in each tank. All in all a great activity to enjoy!

For a small donation, you can walk inside and view a variety of fish and sea life. It was interesting to see the eels in their (upside down) U-​shaped habitat, swimming above and to the side, but I felt a little bad for them. Whenever I go to an aquarium, the eels are skulking in sea caves, coral formations, or dark corners. I always assumed that’s their habitat preference. Though you can see them much better in this glass enclosure, there is no place for them to hide. I feel as though they are put on display to their detriment, merely for the enjoyment of people wandering in. :/​
It was a fun 20 minutes, and there were a lot of kids running around having fun. it’s a good, quick stop for families, but I feel their tanks, etc., need attention. Donate more?

Compared to other aquariums on the West Coast, it is not much. For what space, resources, etc., this is a nice little gem located on the end of the Manhattan Beach Pier. It looks something a person would have in the garage but a bit bigger. It is very hands on for kids. It is ‘free’ but a little donation is nice. It is a great place to spend a little time inside away from the sun and see what life is around and under the pier.

My first time ever coming here. I brought my daughter because I just read today that you can see and touch starfish! How exciting! It’s free to go in, you can donate $ 2 per person or $ 5 per family (I donated $ 5) and it helps feed the animals. Super cute little aquarium. Stop by if you’re at Manhattan beach.

Came here on a Monday morning which is the best time to go in my opinion and we had the place all to ourselves as a classroom field trip. Terry and Eric are outstanding educators and have the patience of saints. Thanks so much for having us.

I stumbled upon this place while walking down the Manhattan beach pier and I am so glad I did! There was some pretty educational things inside also there were some pretty cool fishes and more. It was pretty small in the inside, but it was a great non-​profit museum. You should check it out!

5 stars for an unexpected surprise, a 2 story «roundhouse» (yes, the building is round) aquarium with free admission found on the far end of the Manhattan Beach Pier.
The aquarium has been around since the 70’s and its not brand shiny new… but nonetheless serious kudos to the folks who keep this small aquarium going which is free to the public donations welcome upon entrance. Volunteers seem to man the floor and the tanks are all super clean and sea life appears to be thriving here.
Want to touch a star fish or sea urchin, or see some local tiger sharks swimming around? How about view a nursery of young sea life like baby octopus and hatching baby fish from egg purses? Want to see some sea horses? my absolute favorite! There’s a great variety of sea life at this location and what could be better than viewing what is normally under the sea right on the pier?
This is no Scripps or Long Beach Aquarium as it is not large, but it has all the makings to remind you how varied, beautiful, and unique sea life is.
Take as little or as much time as you like to explore this two story small round building. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. This would be a great activity for families or anyone taking a stroll on the pier. I’ve lived in So Cal all of my life and never knew this existed!

Such a cute little spot at the end of the boardwalk. Its a little run down, but still have a large variety of creatures on display. It is $ 2 donation (per person) suggested and is definitely worth a visit on a sunny afternoon (kids or adults).

If you find yourself on the Manhattan pier, be sure to walk all the way to end to this little treasure! Super fun and cute, especially if you’re with kids. It’s a mini (very mini) aquarium with an assortment of sea life (not just fish like other mini aquariums!). You can even touch some of them.
It’s free admission/​donation based.

It’s not the Monterey aquarium or the aquarium of the pacific but it’s a delightful non-​profit that has several touch tanks so it is probably a better dollar donated than spending a fortune schlepping the kids around a huge aquarium before they can fully appreciate it. They fed the pair of eels while we were there which was cool. Check the hours before you go. It was a fun time for a few bucks donated to a good cause.

I stumbled upon this place during a run with my friend at the beach. It’s located at the end of the pier of Manhattan Beach. I don’t know why I never noticed it before. For the size of the place, there were actually a lot of different sea creatures to look at and touch but don’t go in expecting too much. Admission is free with an encouraged donation.

It may not be the Aquarium of the Pacific or the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but it still had more to offer than I expected from a tiny aquarium. There were starfish, jellyfish, a few eels, little sharks, etc. You could touch the starfish as well, which is cool.
It’s a nice little addition at the end of the pier; it was sure not something I expected to see on the average pier. I usually see restaurants and bars on these things at other beaches.
Apparently this little aquarium has an upper floor as well? I had no idea. Barely finding that out right now as I read a few reviews a minute ago.
It’s really not something worth driving far and wide to just see. It’s just a nice spot to check out when you’re in the other mainly for Manhattan Beach itself or the restaurants/​stores in the area.
It’s free admission here, and you’re encouraged to donate a few dollars or so upon entering.

This place is non profit, free and it survives entirely on donations and fundraisers that it holds up.
Why anyone would rate this place less than five stars probably doesn’t understand the importance of this place. How could you rate it less than 5 stars, I’m sorry, did you not get your money’s worth out of the visit. I’m more than sure you probably didn’t even donate a single cent!
This place shows the importance of being less wasteful and the impact that we have on the environment and everything that it encompasses.
Plus it’s a pretty awesome place to come visit, it’s an aquarium on the PIER!
I always love coming to this place when I’m around even if it’s just to donate a couple bucks look around and touch the starfish and or maybe take a selfie with the shark outside hahah.

Although small, the Manhattan Beach Aquarium is a fun place to go with the kiddos if you have a little time to kill. Many tanks to look into with fish, eels, starfish, some pretty creatures and some pretty funny looking ones too!
Upstairs they have some interactive and educational activities to learn more about the ocean and the animals that live there.
It is free but they run off of donations so take a look around and drop a few in the bucket!

This place is a bit of a tourist trap I think. As much as I like educational facilties, it felt a bit light on that. Cool creatures and the volunteer basis is equally cool. It takes about 15 – 20 min top to go through and is a captive point of interest if you’ve made it down the pier this far

Didn’t realize this was actually located on the pier. Cute little aquarium. Don’t compare it to the AotP. It’s really tiny (shhh it has feelings you know… :)) It was cool to walk thru after a bike ride and lunch in the area. Just a nice place to relax and enjoy a sunny CA day.
I thought it was neat to find the NORTHROP GRUMMAN sponsored tank!
Hint: It’s upstairs! Yay NG! :)

This aquarium sits at the end of Manhattan Beach pier. It’s not really big, but there’s lots of cool marine life to see. There’s even a touch tank. Whenever I’m at this beach with my toddler, we usually walk over to check it out. Sometimes they are closed, call in advance to make sure they are open.
P. S. There’s an upstairs part too. Unless it’s closed off.

UPDATE:
Still a cool place to take a stroll, but don’t expect it to be WOW/​AMAZING. Definitely not at the same caliber as the rest of the shops on Manhattan Beach. Maybe if people actually made donations instead of spending it on ice cream and drinks, it would be better run by the volunteers and the actual aquarium can get a facelift/​update!
Not worth a drive, but worth strolling down the pier if you’re in the area.
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old review as of 2÷27÷2010:
Looking for a FREE place to check out waves & look at aquatic animals? Look no further than Roundhouse Aquarium.
+ Free
+ Down the street from the bustle of Manhattan Beach
+ Pier has good views of surfers, fishermen, & volleyball nets
+ Donation box at the entrance/​exit
+ a big SHARK to pose with
+ a café at the front!
+ Great place for kids, & hands on areas to interest them
+ Great place to volunteer
— A bit too dingy/​dirty, but what do you expect from a volunteer aquarium?
–small place, but PACKED with stuff! (two levels)

Now, when I mean ‘as good as it gets’, I mean ‘as good as it gets for an educational aquarium at the end of the pier’. This aquarium should not be compared to say, the Aquarium of the Pacific.
What I love about this little gem is how fun and cute it is. Go have brunch in Manhattan Beach, stroll to the end of the pier, and check out this little locally-​sourced aquarium.
Petting pools, big eels and rotating animals upstairs make this a cute place for the family or a date. Sadly, sometimes the tanks are not as clean as they should be, but it’s a volunteer run organization.

This aquarium is free to enjoy! Make sure you give at least a dollar or two donation when you enter. It’s polite! The volunteers on the particular day I went this week were very friendly and informative. Sometimes the place seems understaffed, but who can complain? It’s free!
If you have kids you need to entertain this is a great place to go for half an hour or so. I really like watching the rays swim around, but wonder why you can’t touch them. :(They have a ton of star fish to touch and look at, which was fun.