It's not as if the Monterey Peninsula needed anything additional to recommend it. A magnificent spur of land reaching out into the blue Pacific Ocean, it's one of the most dramatic juxtapositions of sea and shore found anywhere in the world. Of course, the region is also roundly lauded by golfers as an essentially sacred realm with some of the most compelling golf courses on the planet.

And, then, in 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened its doors and forever changed - or perhaps, turbocharged is a better way to say it - the area as a travel destination. Almost overnight, the Aquarium became renowned as one of the leading family-friendly travel attractions in the United States and added to Monterey's allure as a must-visit destination for travelers in the California Countryside.

The mission of the non-profit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans. The Aquarium's exhibits are a living extension of Monterey Bay, which is at the heart of the largest marine sanctuary in the continental United States. The exhibits feature more than 30,000 creatures and nearly 700 species of plants and animals from the waters of California's central coast. The four largest exhibits are the Outer Bay (1 million gallons), the Kelp Forest (335,000 gallons), Monterey Bay Habitats (326,000 gallons) and Sea Otters along the Rocky Coast (55,000 gallons). Award-winning special exhibitions open on a regular basis, so there's always something new to see.

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