Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

A great place to take your family to visit if you're in the area. Very nice displays and everything is well within a good walking distance. We enjoyed the butterflies and dinosaur displays. Parking is free and so is for active duty military (including reservists and National Guard). Friendly staff. Clean Museum. The mission is also close by.

Great place to visit! Very good for kids. They have a beautiful butterfly exhibit until the end of the summer ($3 per person). There is a planetarium 25 minute shows about 3 times a day. They have an observatory. Prehistoric forest with moving dinosaurs is a must see. There is a garden with a creek where kids can play with water, boat, climb rocks. Free parking.

My son and I went there for his end of the year field trip and we absolutely loved it! What a wonderful place to go and explore! Everyone was so friendly and really cares for the nature in and around the museum.

This place is surely worth a visit for kids and adults. So many things to see. Right enough size of museum not to exhaust you. Must visit and decently priced. The real live owl in the back is the best thing ever. It made a serious eye contact with you and turns his head 360. This museum is a wow! Buying tickets is a piece of cake and less than $20 per person but discounts for kids, seniors etc..

Has a good parking lot. Beautiful location. The exhibits are good. Kids liked looking at the insect display. Dinosaurs outside in the museum backyard is cute. Will take the kids again.

Butterflies exhibit was beautiful. Dinosaurs and a creek to play near...great exbits inside the museum

Butterfly exhibits open until September. Only an additional $3. Worth it. The Planetarium exhibit is closed until July.

We visited Butterfly alive today at the museum. They also have live birds (Kestrels, a peregrine falcon and Great horned owl)who in captivity due to human imprint.

What a great experience! We arrived not knowing it was the annual free day, so I guess that's why the parking was jammed :-). You first enter into a courtyard and the exhibits are in different small and large rooms around the perimeter of the courtyard. There was so much to see and they have a gem exhibit and fashion exhibit which was a treat because I've not experienced that kind of exhibition in a natural history museum before. If I had more time, we would've visited the sea exhibit which is located somewhere else but it will have to wait until the next time we are in the area.

This museum is so beautiful! I love that it has literally so much history. It's not as big as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, but it makes up for it in so many other ways. We love the different sections throughout the museum. One of my personal favorites is their gemstone display. My kids love their dinosaur outdoor area! They have a really beautiful outdoor area with lots of plants, flowers, and trees. It even has a small creek! It's so peaceful and relaxing. Today they had a special event, and we were able to see some of their real-life birds. I recommend going after lunchtime if you want a less crowded place.

I consider myself to be a 'Museum Snob' having visited a wide variety in multiple cities spanning the United States with it being one of my favorite activities. I like to think that I have a solid rational of what makes a museum the crème de la crème. The city of Santa Barbara is a popular destination for residents of Los Angeles to escape the craziness that is the City of Angels; but its blue skies, glistening beaches and prime shopping/eateries isn't quite known for its museums. So, how does the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History stack up? Let us explore... The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is nestled in the residential hills above Santa Barbara near the famous mission surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna which is fitting for a natural history museum. The parking lot is spacious (and free!) and easily accessible. Admission is surprisingly pricey for what it is; but look out for discounts such as for those with Snap benefits. The exterior of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is inviting with its beautiful architecture and lush landscaping and yet almost feels like a personal home mansion versus an academic structure which reduces any anxiety or overwhelmed feelings that some visitors may experience when visiting museums. The entrance desk sits inside an office to the right immediately upon entering and the female desk attendant was welcoming and kind, even commenting on my 40th birthday button I was exhibiting on my clothing (I was in Santa Barbara celebrating my 40th birthday). Our visit to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (on a Friday afternoon) can best be described as 'sleepy' and intimate. Although the parking lot was quite full; I haven't the faintest clue where the car owners were hiding as the museum itself was mostly empty and we rarely came across other guests. The museum is easy-to navigate and is handicap accessible with large rooms, ramps and pathways. What will you find at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History? It is a bit of stretch to call this spot a museum and is more like a nature or education center. Even though there are comparisons to the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History content-wise as they both feature a gem room, mammals, sea animals, some prehistoric skeletons and a bird room; the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is much more condensed. Although the gem room is nice; I've seen more gems and crystals in a metaphysical shop. The sea animal exhibit was somewhat silly and just very 'cheap' in execution. The Mammal Room was a bit better with actual taxidermy animals and a pygmy mammoth skeleton discovered in nearby San Luis Obispo. The highlight is the Bird Room which features taxidermy birds of most all you can find living in the state of California. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has a small botanical garden behind the building with a bridge spanning a lovely ravine, wild animals like Western Grey Squirrels (we don't really have those in LA) and animatronic dinosaurs that move and growl. We also succumbed to laughter as a Mama Stegosaurus was joined by two baby dinosaurs that were programmed to say "Hi!" and "MA-MA!" in response to the Mama Steg's growl. This was obviously for the children visiting the museum but it was -and still is - quite hilarious. During the summer months, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has a butterfly pavilion that a staff member was raving about because of its abundance of delicate, colorful butterflies that even land on your body as you walk through and encouraged us return during those exhibition months so must be a draw to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Plus, the museum's sister aquarium museum resides on Sterns Wharf (I believe it requires separate admission) so there is more to see if visiting that structure. If interested in making purchases, the gift job sits in the outdoor central courtyard of the museum (you walk by it entering each exhibition room). Ladies curious the restroom facilities will find that it is somewhat lacking in tidiness but not awful. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is a very quaint, small museum that is probably most suitable for small children as adults won't find much that is impressive to the eye nor discover any new educational tidbits but it is nice if wanting to do something out of the Santa Barbara touristy norm. MA-MA!

I came here for the first time recently, specifically for the "butterflies alive" experience, but ended up enjoying the museum as a whole. I spent approximately 45 minutes in line waiting to see the butterfly exhibit. Groups were let in every 2 minutes into the butterfly enclosure and you move along the marked paths inside the enclosure when you hear the bell ring. This allows you time to explore all the butterflies without a huge crowd. There are butterflies on the ground, on plants, flying around, etc. Once you're ready to leave, you have to check yourself out in the mirror to make sure you have no butterflies on your clothes or in your hair. If you have an open purse or bag, you have to check that, too, to make sure no butterflies flew inside there. The rest of the museum had a variety of different exhibits that were informative and entertaining to see and read about. I really enjoyed this place and the butterfly exhibit really put the museum experience over the top.

Cute little museum! Was sad that a few exhibits were closed but as a Dinosaur lover seeing the Dinosaur animatronics was so cool! It's a great place to take your kids as well.

I can't believe I've never been here before! It is so fun! There are a lot of different things you can see here, including, realistic looking dinosaurs that move and roar as you walk through the outside little trail, a gift shop, a marine mammal exhibit that has marine wildlife in taxidermy form, a bird exhibit in taxidermy form, an art museum, picnic tables, a space exhibit, which was closed, a butterfly exhibit, which didn't open for 5 more days, and much more. This is a great place for any age, but especially for families with children. I can't wait to come back to see the butterfly exhibit.

In this place history comes alive!! I was happily surprised with this museum. I had never been and this was my first visit. They have a great selection of exhibits, a fantastic bird collection and a very nice selection of gems and minerals. They also have a dinosaur exhibit outdoors and their grounds are beautiful. We walked by their butterfly exhibit and although it was closed, we got to see some butterflies flying around. They also have a play area in the back for kids that my children enjoyed a lot. We also got to see a show in the planetarium that was great and my kids really loved it. Overall, I enjoyed the visit and we are definitely going to be back soon!

We are members and try to go to all the new exhibits or events. They hosted their members party last week that featured the new Butterflies Alive exhibit, the Santa Barbara bubble guy, and NASA star maps! The family lives to check out the dinosaurs on every exhibit and play in the boat waterfall area where the kids can play outside as long as they like! There is always easy parking and the museum isn't too big so never overwhelming. Give it a try if you are in town and enjoy the unique museum environment under the trees and thru a creek.

Came here on Sunday and it was a fun trip. Was pleasantly surprised by the butterfly live exhibit. We had to get in a separate line for that, which can be long: so many butterflies and some of them landed on each one of us. Dinosaurs were nicely done and scared our youngest child, age 2. They were very life-like and made sounds that can scare kids. I was a bit freaked out at first too.

This place is incredible. I've been living here a long time and never had the chance to stop in, but spontaneously woke up and decided it was time. So glad I did! This is a pretty large museum with both indoor and outdoor exhibits. The Chumash life exhibit is not open right now because the natural history museum is in the midst of working out a deal with the tribe to continue to display the artifacts, but almost everything else is open and super interesting. My personal fave was the gemstones and minerals room. I would definitely come back and pack a lunch to enjoy in one of the many outdoor seating areas that are by the creek! Fantastic spot to bring children or adults visiting from out of town. Bonus points for such a cute little gift shop too!

Small but packs a full-sized punch. This Natural History Museum has everything you expect from a Natural History Museum... and then some. Full-sized large animal skeleton? Check. Blue whale right there at the front. Hall for Mammals? Check. You can even put yourself in the display! Butterfly Pavilion. Check. Though, sadly, they weren't out yet during our visit. Marine Animals? Check. Gems? Check. Avian Animals? Check. And they have the most artistic display of eggs and nests I've ever seen, too! First Nations display? Yes! They even have an Art Exhibit too! Not only is their gift shop inside.... They also have a set up in their courtyard. Walking around the grounds and property is a joy. The architecture is beautiful and the grounds are full of native flora, which by the way, are properly labeled. And there's a dinosaur garden!!! Dinosaur garden Architecture Gift shop

We took the kids to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on Memorial Day, two days after the butterfly pavilion opened for the summer. I booked our tickets the night before for entry between 10:00 and 11:00, right after opening, and felt lucky they hadn't sold out. I'd forgotten that Santa Barbara is tiny, and things that would be crowded and hectic in L.A. are always eminently manageable up there. We ended up having the most pleasant, leisurely little visit, with free, easy parking in a wide open lot. We met up with our nephew and his parents, and also ran into a friend of mine who was there with her family. All of them are local and have SBMNH memberships to entertain children under five. My friend said they sometimes come just to have lunch sitting with the dinosaurs. We would 100% get this membership if we lived in Santa Barbara. Our boys are four and 21 months, and they both loved the museum. The butterfly pavilion was the definite highlight, an enclosed garden where 1,000 butterflies flew around, occasionally coming to rest on their human visitors. There were over two dozen different species, and they were pretty remarkable in their colors and variety. I'd never seen that many butterflies in my life. (In fact, there were a couple of spots in the pavilion where they were drawn en masse by oranges, and I found them unappealingly bug-like when they clustered like that.) Our toddler Wade B. was into butterflies to begin with, and he spent all his time in the pavilion shouting, "Ooh, butterfly! There's a butterfly! Look at the butterflies!" His older brother Leo B. was equally delighted, especially when a butterfly chose to land on his shoulder. He stayed as still as he could, only turning his head to see the butterfly better. He said he wanted the butterfly to stay all day. The visit lasted a good few minutes, and it was really kind of magical. We went through the butterfly pavilion twice (we did have to wait in line for this, but it was short both times), then took a walk through the prehistoric forest, a lovely shaded area filled with plant life and animatronic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs scared my four-year-old, but it was still a fun place for a quick stroll. There were several indoor exhibit halls in the museum, and we explored the mammal hall, the bird hall, and the Santa Barbara hall. The mammals and birds were cool, lots of taxidermied specimens in dioramic displays. We went to the Santa Barbara hall because that's where they had the racks of butterflies hatching out of their cocoons. Leo and his three-year-old cousin were really into those. Leo also enjoyed the various maps of the region. He's a map guy these days. We stopped by the store and bought books on butterflies as well as an almanac of California birds. They've all been put to good use already. The kids burned some energy running up and down a safe wooden walkway on their way out, and we greeted the giant whale skeleton before returning to our car. This was a wonderful way to spend a holiday morning. We're in Santa Barbara often enough that it might be worth getting a SBMNH membership. It's certainly a lovely, educational place to hang out with the kids.

Amazing place to enjoy with friends and family on the way to visit the city and see the beautiful city

Our family has been coming to the MoNH since my kids were babies, and we have always loved it. The staff are always very helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. The exhibits are well-curated, and I love that they offer volunteer opportunities for teenagers. Over the past few years, the museum has worked hard to update many of their exhibit halls, such as the Mammal Hall and the Gem Hall. We would love to see the same kind of update in their Paleontology Hall... it's been more-or-less the same for about 45 years!

This museum of art was stunning. The highlight for me was the butterflies and dinosaurs; everything looked incredibly realistic. It was heartwarming to see so many groups of children enjoying the displays. I particularly loved seeing the butterflies of all colors, which were all from Costa Rica. The staff were extremely kind and informative. It's a great place to take your children on a field trip.

Grounds look beautiful and there is ample shaded parking. We drive 90 mins with our two elementary aged kids as we had the winning bid on 4 tickets at a charity auction less than a year ago. We approached the desk and present our tickets and the guy says "sorry these expired 4 days ago". I look on the back and a light rubber stamp shows an expiration date. I asked if there's anything we can do and he said there's nothing he can do and points at the price list saying we could purchase tickets. His colleague next to him asks me where I got these tickets (not sure how that was important) and I explained that we bid on them at a charity event and named the charity. She said "nothing we can do - they expired four days ago. That's why we print expiration dates on them." I wasn't interested in spending $70 at a place that is so curt and ridged. There were pretty flippant and we left. Explored the mission next door and found a park for the kids. I should have looked at the back and read the expiration date but it left a bad taste in my mouth about the place so we won't be back.

Excellent and educational place for kids and adults to learn and interact with the history. The place is not too big and you can spend more than 2-3 hours or more there. Bring some snacks and enjoy eating at the picnic area. A lot of shades areas at picnic area. I enjoy the butterfly experience. Seeing those butterfly flying is interesting.

Definitely worth the little road trip. We came to visit the museum yesterday and I am so thankful we did. We found parking easily and it was not too crowded. It was raining on and off but that did not bother us at all while seeing the Prehistoric forest. We practically had it to ourselves. There are quite a few exhibits and they are all different and provide so much learning regardless of age. My favorites were the Chumash Land, Prehistoric forest and Wild Things. We will definitely come back one day. The souvenir/gift shop was great.

Santa Barbara local here. I have been coming to this museum since I was very young. Like 5 to 6 young. And even with coming that many times I can never get tired of it. It's such a great museum in Santa Barbara. So many things to see. They do yearly events like butterflies alive which is fun for the whole family not just little ones. Three of us (grow adults) went and we had a blast. The dinosaur section is new for me but it was very cool to be able to walk through the back with that addition. All in all 5/5 recommend to all ages. Not just children.

I decided to pop into Santa Barbara while staying in Solvang, and this was one of my day trips. I actually found it accidentally, as I had driven past the mission (looking for a turn around) and saw the directional sign to here. I did a drive-by and was intrigued enough to check them out on-line. It is a small campus, yet set among a nicely wooded location, and composed of several buildings and outdoor areas which makes a nice ambling journey between exhibits and offerings. Some areas are closed for COVID reasons or rearranging exhibits, but what is open will keep you busy. After the large whale skeleton that greets you, there are several galleries that feature different areas of the local and natural histories. The path is easy to follow, and the displays in all the galleries are very nicely and [professionally done, and were better than I expected! I took my time, and soaked in the lessons and examples of life and geology and culture. Eventually I made it outside, and wandered into a land of dinosaurs! These were really cool, and are animatronic, which the kids there loved. I was impressed as well . . . I stayed a while, and enjoyed watching the reactions of kids and adults as they encountered these denizens of our distant past. I then crossed the bridge again (a creek runs through the property) and made it to the butterfly exhibit. This is a large outdoor enclosure, in which are many species of butterflies. Inside was an exhibit which shows where the new chrysalises are kept until they hatch and are then brought here. It was spacious and beautifully landscaped, and fun to watch the many butterflies feed, fly and rest. The ground is divided into 9 "zones" (if I remember correctly) and a single person, or couple or family, are each allowed in when there is room - we then advance a zone at the sound of a bell, and this allows us time to observe while being socially distanced. Docents are inside as well, to answer questions that arise. It was really great. And of course, for the end of a nice visit, I made my way back to the gift shop which is well stocked, and I found a couple of items to bring home for the grand-kids. Entrance is currently through assigned times on-line, to help with spacing visitors throughout the day, so don't wait until the last minute to arrange a visit - you'll enjoy a morning or afternoon here!

The Santa Barbara Natural History Museum will always quench the thirst for knowledge! With wonderful rotating exhibits like the yearly Butterflies Alive! Pavilion to the Rare Earth Minerals exhibit, there's always something new to fascinate young and old. The established exhibits include incredible Chumash history, artifacts and language, a presentation at the planetarium on Planets, Asteroids and Comets, and prehistoric specimens from the Channel Islands like the Pygmy Mammoth and species that live in the channel and intertidal zones of the Central Coast. The docents are a fabulous asset to the museum, very helpful for visitors, and with a marvelous gift shop with snacks to boot! I was especially pleased to see the clear effort to make the museum grounds more accessible for the disabled! Highly recommend one and all visit this gem of a museum we have here in Santa Barbara!

This museum is way too small for an adult to enjoy in peace when there are classes with screaming and running children. I spent $19 to basically retreat from one room to the next while dozens of kids in blue shirts took over the place. The only impressive hall to see in this establishment is the bird exhibit. Everything else is very tired, stale, and small in terms of presentation. After visiting the Los Angeles Natural History Museum , this museum seems worth $5 admission at most. While the grounds are kind of pretty, this museum only takes about 1/2 hour to see it all. I usually would never ask for my money back visiting a place like this, but the experience was so bad I tried. The solution that the nose ring girl at the admission posed was that I come back 2 hours later when the kids should be gone. She said she completely understood my complaint, yet absolutely could not give a refund. I was handed a business card for director of relations and told to call. My advice for the director is to empower your staff to give refunds to those whom express having a bad experience. Instead I feel I wasted my time and money.

Great little natural history museum. They have a Peruvian Markey happening right now and that was cute. Adorable planetarium. Loved the mammal zone most which is ironic because I nearly skipped it in favor of the art and bird exhibits. Did not see the live birds due to rain and my knee being bad at the moment. Whole grounds looks nice.

Very relaxing place to go. Lots of things to look at and learn about. Be ready to walk around as there are little walks to take to explore.

Having grown up in Santa Barbara, I have visited this museum a multitude of times and I absolutely love it! My most recent visit was last Saturday, the first day of the Butterflies Alive exhibit this year. This was my third year visiting the exhibit and it is absolutely beautiful. We waited 45 minutes in line and you are in the exhibit for 18 minutes (2 minutes at each station). The other exhibits are wonderful as well and they even had an owl out with his trainer. Admission for adult nonmembers is $18 and you could spend hours there exploring and learning :)

Nice museum. They have a good exhibit on the local Chumash Native Americans. There are plenty of things for kids so they would like it. Small gift shop too.

When I was looking for things to do in SB, a museum was NOT on my list. We had checked out of our hotel and decided to do one more activity, then hit the wharf and drove back home. We chose the museum because the butterfly exhibit sounded interesting. It was such a treat to see such a beautiful collection of butterflies floating around you. The cost was $15 and that was just for access to the woods walkway that has plants with historic information of how the Chumash Indians used them. There was 2 "sea" displays, one was of a taxidermy otter and then a live sea urchin and mollusk tub your could touch with your hands. And then there was the butterfly exhibit, the highlight of the visit. It was worth the 15 dollars. You got 25 minutes to be in the butterfly exhibit and the staff was very good about making sure guests were in their designated butterfly # until the bell chimes for them to move to the next section. Masks were a must for everyone.

Beautifully done exhibits. We loved the Native American photography exhibit, never having seen such a thoughtful portrayal before. This small museum is a perfect place to spend two hours with a two and a four year old and plenty of outdoor space to crawl around and be adventurous. An even bigger plus is that they are part of the ASTC reciprocal museum program!

The exhibits that are open are nice, but it's a small place and felt even smaller because a number of galleries were closed on the day we went. On top of that they told us the Planetarium schedule was on the weekend schedule due to MLK day, but we waited for the first show to start and it never started. We wasted 30 minutes just waiting outside the Planetarium. They later swapped out the Planetarium schedule at the front desk for the weekday one but didn't bother to notify or apologize to anyone they gave incorrect information.

I loved all the exhibits. They have a really cool library. They also have dinosaur animatronics. Amazing for kids all ages. It is awesome when the butterflies come, because they have a huge area filled with all types of love butterflies and plants.

Wow the most amazing taxidermist must've worked here to stage each exhibit. Amazing how vivacious each animal looks. So carefully planned and so creative. So grateful that this was part of the so cal free museum day today. Beautiful trails and running brook. Nice combo of outdoors and indoors exhibits. Learned more from the Chumash area here than from kids projects st school! Love that they have quick 15 min live presentations at the planetarium starting at 11 am. They have a different show at the top of each consecutive hour. Really friendly staff. Place is clean and ample free parking. Cute store. Next time will see if the observatory or the sea animal exhibit is viewable!

We have to very young kids - a 2.5 year old and a 9 month old - and this museum is the perfect size for our little ones. We specifically came to visit the butterfly pavilion and it was a wonderful experience. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our oldest was totally into everything that the museum had to offer, running from exhibit to exhibit with enthusiasm. He loved looking at all of the birds. We will definitely head back for a second visit the next time we are in Santa Barbara.

Had a lovely time with the family at this museum! Brought our kids (ages 7, 5, 3 and 1) and they all enjoyed it! The butterfly exhibit is amazing!! We didn't get through the whole museum, just the gems, butterflies and animatronic dinosaurs but we'd like to go back and see the rest. Our tickets got our kids into the sea life center on the pier as well, which we also enjoyed. Would definitely recommend seeing this place!

I gotta say, the Butterfly exhibit and the Prehistoric Forest exhibit are amazing. Imagine being in an enclosure with 1000 butterflies flying all around, magical is one word to describe these ancient insects. Did you know butterflies evolved from moths and moths are a type of butterfly? Was so fascinating to be able to get up close and photograph the details of their gorgeous, delicate wings. The dinosaur's in the prehistoric forest are quite life like. Many move and make realistic sounds, making the experience even more enjoyable. Each dinosaur is labeled along with a few facts about their lives. Both exhibits will be at the museum until Sept 2, 2019 so if you haven't been there yet, take advantage of the remaining few weeks, you'll be glad you did. Tickets are available on line or at the door. Ample free parking.

Love this place. Today they hosted The Independent backyard brunch in their wonderful backyard. The area is so picturesque and the weather was perfect for an outdoor event. I have taken the granddaughters to the museum as well and it is an event with plenty to see, feel and experience. But the grounds for me are the winner. Lots of space to play and picnic. The backyard brunch was organized and delicious. Many of our local restaurants, breweries wineries participated. Everyone offered the best of the best to try. The bites, tastings and samples were plentiful. I must mention the Goleta Red Distilling Company. Known for their gin and agave nectar. They were serving a really tasty (nice and spicy) Bloody Mary. If The Independent has this event again next year, a must attend. In the mean time be sure to make time to visit the museum.

We took a quick little trip to this museum a few days ago. The kids had a blast running around in the creek area. And the butterfly Pavilion was amazing. The indoor exhibits were informative. Parking is limited, we drive around the lot a few times before something became available.

This is a really nice museum with a surprisingly large amount of things to see. They have the few remaining artifacts from the Native American woman that lived on San Nicolas Island for approximately 20 years. Along with a large exhibit of Chumash history. It was very educational and interesting to see it all. They also have a fantastic display of local birds of the area. Being a birding fan, I found this to be the most exciting exhibit because there were just so many different types of birds. These are not living by the way, they are like taxidermic or replicas. They also have a number of rescued living large birds outside and their own enclosures. We skipped the butterfly enclosure because we went on a weekend and there were so many little kids in strollers waiting to see the butterflies so we knew it would be way too long of a wait. Definitely a good museum to come and spend a few hours and learn more about our surrounding land and it's history and the original settlers, both human and animal.

The Butterfly Pavilion was worth the trip ... Enjoyed my time here ( first visit ) , I will definitely Return soon !

This museum is further away from the downtown area. It's behind the old mission. Plenty of parking spaces. The outside area is well kept. It was a perfect place to meander about. The exhibits were great. My favorite was the rare earth minerals. Soo much too see! It was a beautiful day to experience the pavilion!! We were given a specific time to spend in each section before proceeding to the next section. There were butterflies flying about and a couple landed on a shoe a hat. There were many varieties of butterflies fluttering around. It was magical!

For being tucked away in the hills in a small town this place was a pleasant surprise. The dinosaurs were a huge hit and this was a pretty great hidden gem.

My two young toddlers loved this museum, and mom and dad did too! My son is only 3 but a major dinosaur/animal enthusiast. Needless to say, he had a blast. The dinosaur exhibit was so neat, but the highlight of the day was definitely the inside exhibits. The animal displays were absolutely incredible. So life-like and detailed that we honestly enjoyed it more than the zoo. We didn't get the full indoor experience due to Covid-19, so we'll have to go back once everything has reopened. Can't wait to see more! Check out our visit here: https://youtu.be/-0_Ag7aDliI

There are just a lot of other ways to spend time in Santa Barbara and this is a stop I suggest you skip. Maybe if you have some kids they might find this interesting... I don't know a lot about kids. But I suspect today's kids are into video games and probably work their iPhones with more skill than I do - so I don't see this museum, which seemed to be a collection of basically dioramas that I might have made for a junior high school science fair, being interesting to anyone except - maybe taxidermists? We had a Groupon for admission ($11.99 for two). I was interested in the Planetarium but when I asked about the 3 PM Saturday show I was told it was "a Q & A only - driven by audience questions...". I had seen the audience as we were waiting to enter - lots of kids... I wanted a real planetarium experience, not a bunch of questions about whether the moon is made of cheese. So we passed. Lots of stuffed animals. Fake "scene" exhibits. And some fossils for animals that I could have seen about a mile away at the beach (scallops, crabs). Boring. Beyond dull. I will say the grounds are gorgeous. On a weekend they are overrun with kids and so maybe this is a good place to have a kid party... I loved the scenery and the lovely creek. But as a Natural History museum, this is not impressive. If it's on your schedule for a Santa Barbara visit, you could give it a pass.

Cute museum! We (3-year-old, 6-year-old, two parents) spent nearly two hours cruising around the exhibits on a rainy day. Highlights included the planetarium, insect station with live insects, bird room, and room dedicated to early life in the SB area. A pygmy woolly mammoth was discovered on a nearby island! I also realized that one of my favorite books as a kid, Island of the Blue Dolphins, took place for realz around here. The building and grounds were also lovely. Yearly membership is only $85 and that also includes the marine center on the wharf.

This is probably my favorite place in Santa Barbara. There is something for everybody. For the nerds: I learned so much about Pygmy mammoths, aquatic animals, the Chumash (Native Americans, and gems/minerals. As a native of California, I was shocked to learn about mammals like the ring-tailed!!! For the kids: The docents in the museum are so friendly and informative, and will readily explain everything in their display to the curious kids. There is an exhibit called Curiosity, which is basically a learning playground for children. For the outdoorsy folks: The museum has a beautiful backyard overlooking little creeks. The trees provide shade on a sunny day, and the garden is well-maintained. For those who love taxidermy: They have an extensive collection of birds and mammals native to California. Speaking of birds, there is currently a special exhibit on extinct birds (passenger pigeons, Carolina parakeet). Overall, this museum is appropriate for humans of all ages. If you love fossils, animals, and history -- this place is for you. Expect to spend about 2 hours soaking in lots of knowledge and appreciate the beautiful gardens!

BEST of Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is not family friendly, at least when matched up against other Coastal California Cities. That being said, make sure you put the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on your "Must Visit" list. Found this place through Groupon and was an amazing find. Each room was very high quality, nothing was skimped on, and the specimens that were on display here are rarely seen in museums of this size. A lot of generous contributions went into this place. - A Kids room with higher end activities - The hands on rock and mineral room was cool - The Bird room has some spectacular specimens - Check out their "Back yard" / "Nature Trail", plenty of places to walk around. You can also walk across the creek. Hopefully you get a map because the rooms are kinda spread out and you might accidentally miss something. Note - There is also a Sea Museum and you can buy a pass for both museums at a discount price. If you;re savvy with money, you can figure out how to leverage the 2 day pass and Groupon to save a few bucks.

This is a very clean, neat, and large museum. It has lots of things to keep your interest or throw it into different directions. Lots of activities and things to check out for kids and adults alike! Note: Lots of walking. Might want to bring some water. Ample parking lot spaces. The restrooms are very clean. Our niece wanted a printed penny. BTW, they have a penny press machine, so bring some pennies and some quarters if you might want a cheaper souvenir. Lots of hands-on activities that encourage exploration, creativity, and promotes social interactions. Definitely an extremely sensational visit for our niece as well as ourselves.

Took a trip to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on a Friday afternoon. Purchased tickets off Groupon - $12 for two admission (50% off). There wasn't too much foot traffic while we were at the museum which was nice. We took our time browsing each dimly lit hall. My favorite? Definitely Mammal Hall - The mammals were large and the background scenery behind each reflected their living environment perfectly. We stopped by Curiosity Hall.. Initially I felt out of place since it seemed geared towards kids, but the docent inside was very welcoming and showed us a few areas we should check out. He also didn't discriminate by age and told us we could draw with the little kids if we wanted - LOL! Once we walked through all the exhibits, we took a walk to the Museum Backyard. Getting there is a neat experience for kids walking through the boulders. Little water stream and a few picnic areas located in the backyard.

Wonderful collections, great materials, and a perfect environment. We came to the museum after visiting Painted Cave, the enlightening exhibit on the Chumash history was really valuable after visiting the archaeological site in real life. The museum does a great job laying out the idea of long term geological time in the Santa Barbara area. My father and I are greatly inspired and spent the rest of the weekend exploring in the Santa Barbara area and recalling what we had learned. A perfect museum visit.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History stands on its own as a worthwhile place to visit. We were there to see the National Geographic Photo display: a collection of their most famous photos complete with explanations of how the "once in a lifetime" photos were captured. Very worthy of your time should you ever get the opportunity to see this traveling exhibit. The standard attractions at the museum are the "stuffed birds and animals" that one expects to find in a natural history museum and collections of fossils unique to Santa Barbara: whales, mammoth's from the channel islands and lesser creatures like saber tooth tigers, dire wolves and such extinct animals that give one pause in considering life in California 40 million years ago. At 470 pounds, the saber tooth tiger would make the present feared mountain lions we worry about seem like kitty cats. There is a mineral exhibit of impressive rocks; even for me who is not really impressed by rocks. There is a room of hand drawn pages by naturalists attempting to record the appearance of specimens before there were cameras. The details and coloring are impressive. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History also has an exhibit on planets, stars and a planetarium. Check the hours of the planetarium. The area of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is within walking distance to different parks that are good for picnics and walking.