Public Tours
Free, docent-led tours are available to the public by reservation on Fridays for individuals and groups of up to 10 people. These tours are geared toward adults and children over the age of 12 years, though all ages are welcome. Visitors will learn about ongoing marine and coastal science research at Bodega Marine Laboratory and its history on the Sonoma Coast. Plus, they will get to meet a variety of colorful and diverse ocean creatures. Tours run approximately one hour.
For questions about public tours or to schedule a tour for a group larger than 10, please reach out to ucdbml@ucdavis.edu. We cannot accommodate tours for RV groups or car clubs, as we do not have the parking space.
Please sign up for a tour date and time using the link below.
Bodega Marine Lab Tour Reservations
Take a virtual tour
Explore the Bodega Marine Laboratory and Bodega Marine Reserve in this self-guided, virtual tour.
Group Tours
Group tours are scheduled on other weekdays up to four times a week. Group tours must be reserved and scheduled in advance. Tour size is limited to 45 adults or 30 children. A minimal fee is charged for group tours.
For more information about arranging group tours please contact ucdbml@ucdavis.edu.
Docent-Led Tours
Since 1976 Bodega Marine Laboratory volunteer docents have led interpretive tours for all ages. Public Education features at BML include numerous marine aquarium displays. Upon entering BML's West Wing, visitors experience a 24-foot-long display, containing many colorful local fishes and invertebrates, and a small kelp forest. Past that is a harbor aquarium, holding residents of our local estuary, Bodega Harbor. Next to that is a round aquarium that displays anemones and other organisms in our nearshore subtidal habitat. Elsewhere around the facility are smaller display aquaria featuring local and, occasionally, unique marine creatures. A tidepool mesocosm display allows visitors to experience the biodiversity and dynamic energy of the northern California coast.
We thank our volunteer docents
Our docents introduce BML to over 12,000 people annually. We are extremely grateful to our docents for their dedication to BML and enthusiasm for marine science interpretation:
- Fonarow, Amy
- Hales, Dianne
- Patton, Roger
- Perry, Diane
- Puglisi, Jo Ann
- Schultze, Judi
- Shubin, Barbara
- Stewart, Allyson
- Sugihara, Marcus
- Zankel, Jeffrey