santa barbara museum of natural history

It is a wonderful place to take and educate children in because it is smaller than most Natural History Museums and so children feel more comfortable in it. You can stay there for about 45 minutes and see a lot of the interesting exhibits.

This museum is in a very quaint old building in a lovely park setting. There are only a few well laid out rooms. The displays are small and easy to view with a great bird room with a wonderful display of various bird eggs. The minerals were also awesome. It would be a great place to introduce children to various birds, fish and mammals of the area. It also has an outdoor area for children to play.

I've been to the museum several times, and there is something there for anyone who enjoys nature and or history. The geology gallery is really neat, especially for kids since they show off some of the colors in the rocks well. There is a very nice insect exhibit as well, and who doesn't like a full-size blue whale skeleton? If you have an afternoon free in SB, it's a nice, quiet place to take the family. And if you're there during the week, they have a program that will allow you to get a tour of the collections side of the museum which is normally closed off except for employees, definitely worth seeing.

Well worth the price of admission!! ..... Lots to see!!!.....Fun!!!.....We used their map and followed it closely......Every area was open and available to us....We wished we'd packed a snack and picnicked in the back garden area.....must see!

This museum really sprawls around...some parts are kept up better than others but overall a decent amount of interesting things to see. Probably just 3 stars for the indoor exhibits, but they had an extensive outdoor area along a creek that was a lot of fun for our kids. Lots of rocks to climb on, mature trees providing ample shade, a rescued animals area including well-informed docents who have some like owls out of the cage for an up-close encounter, and a smaller man-made creek area with lots of water play opportunities for the kids using various items provided by the museum staff.

I've never been disappointed with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The museum is an excellent attraction for children as well as adults. There is usually a special exhibit along with the perminate instalations. Don't miss the Star Party at the Palmer Observatory.

We had the kids for the weekend away and this place is so kid friendly. I was hoping to find somewhere that enterained all of us and this did the trick! The grounds are so clean and the place was beautifully kept. The natural landscape and location is what makes it!

Tucked back behind the Old Mission in Santa Barbara in a wonderful adobe environment, is a very delightful and intimate museum about the natural history of Santa Barbara and it's surrounding areas. A wonderful place to bring your children for an afternoon adventure. Or just a stroll around it gardens.

Fascinating exhibits and interpretive signs on the grounds. Did not expect such intensive experience. Chumash room is not-to-be-missed.

This is a sweet little museum, a little randomly laid out, perhaps, but I believe that is the result of some re-arranging and adding on after a fire. It's small and manageable for kids, with several hands-on displays, and various rooms for mammals, birds, insects, ocean life, butterflies, and the Chumash Indians. We especially liked the display cases of nests of eggs of the tiniest birds. Different seasons have different displays; for example, the butterfly tent is not open in the fall, when we visited. In the back of the museum is a wooded area and a creek, and a little amphitheater area; this was a pleasant place for a stroll or a picnic or just to sit and enjoy nature and the scents of the surrounding foliage. The museum is not so big as to be overwhelming and it's not a taxing walk through. We thought it was charming and a nice way to spend a morning.

When on Sterns Wharf head into the Sea Centre especially if you have kids - this is a hands on environment where they are anxious to share their knowledge. It was quite expensive and we were done in about 1hour however my son was anxious to fish and didn't want to hang about too long. There were many hands on experiences and looking at the sea life below the wharf was really interesting. It included so much information regarding the major seal life which inhabits the Pacific area/ Channel Islands -especially the various migration paths of whales, sharks. We enjoyed it and it was expensive but was much better than I thought it would be. For the price it should take a little longer to go through.....

We went late in the day here and wished we had gone earlier. There is a lot to see for such a small town museum. They had a butterfly pavillion that is better than the one in Los Angeles. And the grounds are amazing for adults and kids. My seven year old could have played all day. If you have kids be prepared to wait while they play in some great kid friendly rooms. They also had live animals that volunteers showed off outside.

Not bad but not very interesting. Some decent exhibits but overall not worth the time and money. The worst part is how confusing the museum layout is. Seems like they randomly put things together over the years,

This is one of the best small natural history museums that I've ever visited. A local Santa Barbara landscape Painter, Ray Strong, created the extraordinary dioramas. There is a wide diversity of local birds, mammals, and butterflies. A planetarium, art gallery, and many other exhibits are featured, and the outdoor paths along Mission Creek affords natural light after viewing the indoor exhibits.

This is a comfortable, old-fashioned museum with fascinating exhibits. The yearly butterfly exhibit is an absolute highlight. Worth taking the family, always fun and comforting. The grounds are beautiful as well. One of the best spots in Santa Barbara.