I am firming up my itinerary and was wondering how many days does it take to see the Monterey Aquarium?? 1 or 2? They sell a 2 day pass . . .
Also what else is a MUST see with kids in the Monterey area.
TIA

One good day is enough to see the aquarium. Given your screen name I'll assume you have children. There are feeding shows and hands on exhibits you'll want to check out.

As far as what else to see while in Monterey, you can do a query on this site, and on the web. We spent time poking around tide pools, did a whale watch, and visited the Hearst Castle.

MBM, one day at the aquarium is plenty, IMO. We did about four hours there before going on up the Coast, and we had time to check it all out. It's a great place ... enjoy!

One day is plenty. Try not to go on Saturday or Sunday, try to get there as early as possible.

Honestly, 1/2 a day is plenty. It's great, but it's not all that big.

I would say 1/2 to 1 day is fine.

What else do in the area? How much time do you have?

Pacific Grove has a nice paved path along the water - great for biking and walking. There are little beaches long the way with good tide pools.

Carmel is a nice little upscale town that a lot of people like to wander.

Point Lobos is a gorgeous state park just south of Carmel with a lot of walking paths.

Then there is the whole Big Sur coast south of there.

If you are interested in history, the Monterey Historical Park near the wharf has some neat stuff - the old Customs House and some other things.

From the wharf, you can take charter boats and kayaks out on the bay.

At Moss Landing you have Elkhorn Slough, which is great for bird watching and you can see sea mammals that come into the shallow water.

There is a great Steinbeck Center in Salinas if you are a fan.

Then there is the whole rest of the bay up to Santa Cruz...

If you buy your tickets ahead of time you can avoid any lines to get in. I believe you can do this online. Then you just pick your tickets up at the will call window.

It depends of course on the time of year and if you are visiting on the weekend, but I always play it safe.

One day is sufficient, but if you really want to enjoy the beauty of California's Pacific Coast Highway, stay on it for about a week and your life will never be the same. It's breathtaking and about as close as you can become to Mother Nature.