Living Coast Discovery Center

A

Angel Almanza

via Google

Living Coast Discovery Center is a peaceful, hands-on wildlife spot with sea turtles, rays, birds, and beautiful coastal views. Friendly staff, fun exhibits, perfect for families or a chill day exploring. Loved it!

B

Brendan Kiely

via Google

The Living Coast Discovery Center is an amazing habitat sanctuary to visit just South of San Diego. They have a variety of wildlife with multiple birds, reptiles and marine life. I was lucky enough to arrive on time for see the Eagles being free which was a cool sight. There is also hiking trail out to the Bay which is nice as well. Great for kids and not as crowded as other places.

D

Daikiry Franco

via Google

We went and enjoyed learning about all the animals they had. The Staff was so nice, they had tons of interesting facts and information about the animals. They made our experience wonderful!

E

Evan Gusman

via Google

We love the discovery center. We are frequent visitors. There are so many neat things to see including a large array of animals and birds. It is so special to see the golden and bald eagles and you'll love petting the rays. This is a great spot for families. I highly recommend it.

J

Jennifer Doyle

via Google

Our kids grew up coming on field trips here. Not much has changed, but it's still as interesting as it was then. This is a great place to bring kids to, to come as a family, to learn about nature and conservation. It's small enough to see everything in a day, and still go into some detail. They have many species of animals here. Their workers are very knowledgeable about the animals, their habitats and interactions. There is a composting station/workshop, a shark and sting ray tank (for petting), as well as a sea anemone petting area, a sea turtle enclosure, several bird enclosures, a look out area with beautiful views looking over the marsh lands and the bay, and an area with picnic tables. The area is surrounded by native plants, chapparal. The gift shop is well stocked and items are mostly affordable. Pleasant staff who are mostly very knowledgeable. (We enjoyed talking to several employees.) Clean bathrooms. Expanded and closer parking lot compared to older one. Bus/shuttle van comes on a loop several times an hour. Also, there are several short hiking trails. Definitely worth spending a day here. (Or more—when my kids were little we had annual passes. Worth the price if you plan to visit more often.)