March 29, 2024 Date

Museum Events

When Smuggling Sailors Met the First Angelinos: Material Messages from forgotten Pimu, Santa Catalina Island
Monday, April 1
Presented by the Santa Barbara County Archaeological Society
This free public lecture by Pax Environmental Senior Archaeologist Austin Ringelstein, M.A., examines material...
7:30 PM–9:00 PM
Star Party
Saturday, April 6
The Palmer Observatory will open its doors and its roof to share a remarkable view of the wonders of the night sky through our state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope.Join Museum Astronomy...
8:00 PM–10:00 PM
Free Astronomy Talk: The Race to Find Life in the Universe
Friday, April 12
A few decades ago, scientists mostly treated the idea of searching for life in the universe as a slightly disreputable field only pursued by a few iconoclasts. Now, the search...
7:30 PM–9:00 PM
Splendid Plumage Exhibit Opens to Public
Friday, April 26
Feathers are evolutionary marvels: aerodynamic, insulating, and beautiful. Birds of paradise, herons, toucans, and hummingbirds have evolved an amazing diversity of feather form,...
10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Southern California’s Other Avifauna: Trends, Traits, and Troubles of Our Naturalized Bird Species
Thursday, May 2
Having lived in the “outdoor aviary” of Los Angeles County nearly all his life, Kimball Garrett learned early on that non-native (“exotic”) bird species...
7:30 PM–9:00 PM
Archaeological Perspectives on the 19th-Century “Illegal” Slave Trade along the Rio Pongo, Guinea, West Africa
Monday, May 6
This free public lecture by University of South Carolina Professor Emeritus Ken Kelly, Ph.D., is presented by the Santa Barbara County Archaeological Society. 
In the early nineteenth...
7:30 PM–9:00 PM
Star Party
Saturday, May 11
The Palmer Observatory will open its doors and its roof to share a remarkable view of the wonders of the night sky through our state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope.Join Museum Astronomy...
8:30 PM–10:00 PM
The Backyard Bird Chronicles: An Evening with Amy Tan
Thursday, May 23
Presented by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Amy Tan, acclaimed author of many celebrated books including The Joy Luck Club and...
7:30 PM–9:00 PM
Butterflies Alive! Exhibit Opens
Saturday, May 25
May 25 through September 2, 2024
The extremely popular Butterflies Alive! exhibit returns to the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion every summer. Featuring a dazzling variety of more...
10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Star Party
Saturday, June 8
The Palmer Observatory will open its doors and its roof to share a remarkable view of the wonders of the night sky through our state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope.Join Museum Astronomy...
8:30 PM–10:00 PM