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The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is located just behind the Old Mission and offers visitors of all ages a wealth of things to see and do. Walk right up to a life size, 74-foot Blue Whale skeleton. Enjoy informative exhibit halls about birds, insects, mammals, marine life, fossils, and Native Americans. Contemplate the beauty of nature and the confluences of nature, history, science, and the arts in the Maximus Art Gallery. Browse and read in the beautiful Museum Library, including its excellent children’s collection. Wander and explore the Nature Trail along Mission Creek. Experience the wonder and excitement of space exploration in the Space Lab and Gladwin Planetarium. Purchase mementos and unique gifts at the Museum Store. Enjoy our changing exhibit offerings.
Owned and operated by the Museum, the Ty Warner Sea Center is located on Stearns Wharf. The Sea Center features interactive experiences and exhibits to introduce visitors to the marvelous diversity of ocean life in the Santa Barbara region and how we can help protect it for the benefit of future generations. Touch sharks in the shark pool and sea urchins in the touch tank. Help Sea Center staff and volunteers collect samples of ocean water and examine it for tiny and strange looking plankton. Crawl through a 1,500-gallon tidepool tank to see ocean life from a different perspective. Enjoy our changing exhibit offerings.
| LOCATIONS (ADDRESSES & PHONE NUMBERS) |
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Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History*
Located just beyond the Old Mission
2559 Puesta del Sol
Santa Barbara, California 93105 USA
805-682-4711
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Ty Warner Sea Center*
Located on the pier
211 Stearns Wharf
Santa Barbara, California 93101 USA
805-962-2526
View Larger Map |
* NOTE: The Museum and Sea Center are pet-free and non-smoking campuses.
Please, no food or drinks in the exhibit halls and areas. |
| HOURS OF OPERATION |
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Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History*
- Open Daily 10:00 AM–5:00 PM, except for these holidays and special events.
- Closed All Day: New Year’s Day (Jan 1), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday of November), Christmas Day (Dec 25), and the last Saturday in June for the Santa Barbara Wine Festival™.
- Closing Early at 3 PM: Christmas Eve
(Dec 24).
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Ty Warner Sea Center
- Open Daily 10:00 AM–5:00 PM, except for these holidays.
- Closed All Day: New Year’s Day (Jan 1), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday of November), and Christmas Day (Dec 25).
- Closing Early at 3 PM: Christmas Eve
(Dec 24).
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* NOTE: The Museum is CLOSED to the general public on Saturday, June 30, 2012 for the annual
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| ADMISSION & PARKING |
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Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History*
- Planetarium Tickets: Members free; Non-members $4/person with paid admission.
- Parking is Free
* NOTE: During the summer season (generally between mid-May and mid-September) Museum admission rates may increase by $1. Please call the Museum at 805-682-4711 to get the most current admission rates.
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Ty Warner Sea Center
- Members FREE (except for special events such as the annual Sensational Seafood)
- Adult (18-64 years) $8
- Senior (65+ years)$7
- Teen (13-17 years) $7
- Child (2-12 years) $5
- Child (less than 2 years) Free
- SB Nature Pass
- Public parking on Stearns Wharf is free for the first 90 minutes with ticket validation by a wharf merchant.
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Get a Museum Membership and visit both the Museum and Sea Center for free.
Plus Museum Members get free planetarium tickets for daytime shows.
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| DIRECTIONS |
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Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
- From the North: Take U.S. Hwy 101 south to the Mission Street exit. Turn left (towards the hills) at the offramp stop light.
- From the South: Take U.S. Hwy 101 north to the Mission Street exit. Turn right (towards the hills) at the offramp stop light.
- After exiting the freeway, proceed on Mission Street to Santa Barbara Street.
- Turn left on Santa Barbara Street, proceed two blocks to the first stop sign at Los Olivos.
- Turn right on Los Olivos and continue past the Old Mission which will be on your left.
- Stay to the left on Los Olivos at the "Y" beyond The Old Mission. You will cross a stone bridge . . . you are nearly here!
- Turn left onto Las Encinas and then left again onto Puesta del Sol.
- Proceed to the first parking lot driveway and turn right. Parking is free.
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Ty Warner Sea Center
- From the North: Take U.S. Hwy 101 south to the Garden Street exit. Turn right (towards the ocean) at the offramp stop light.
- From the South: Take U.S. Hwy 101 north to the Garden Street exit. Turn left (towards the ocean) at the offramp stop light.
- After exiting the freeway, proceed on Garden Street to Cabrillo Blvd.
- Turn right onto Cabrillo Blvd.
- Turn left onto Stearns Wharf at the intersection of Cabrillo Blvd. and State Street.
- Drive onto the pier, and the Sea Center is to your left as you drive onto Stearns Wharf.
- Public parking on Stearns Wharf is free for the first 90 minutes with ticket validation by a wharf merchant.
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* TRAVEL TIP: Take a vacation from your car and go car-free in Santa Barbara. The MTD Bus Line 22 drops you off right in front of the Museum. Plus, right around the corner is the Old Mission
and just up the hill is the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. |
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