Fun place to visit if you're into nature. We visited during the summer (fewest elephant seals) but there were still several dozen on the beach and in the water. Close enough to see them well and get good pictures and video.
Note that there's a gift shop that comes up on search results that is a few miles south of the actual rookery. If you're pulling up to a place with a few hotels and inns, you're by the gift shop. To see the actual seals you'll need to drive north on PCH a few miles from there.
Interestingly, as we were heading south on PCH after we were done, we saw zebras running in the hills just east of PCH.
Admission is higher than I'd normally go for, but it was time for a stop beyond simply eating/restrooms/stretching. I'm glad we stopped - the crater itself is neat, and they try to intertwine it's history with natural history and astronomy...I just don't expect to be stopping there again.