Santa Barbara Historical Museum — Attraction in Santa Barbara

I thought it might be helpful to future bride and grooms who may be considering getting married at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum to hear about this space from a different perspective than what you may typically read about in reviews. I would love to offer the light and lines perspective of how the Santa Barbara Historical Museum unfolds from a wedding day experience and how it presents in photography.

As someone who sees spaces in terms of light and composition, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum captures the authentic rustic elegance that Santa Barbara is known for. The property first unfolds and presents itself first with the more intimate of the two courtyards. The pergola archway with green foliage crawling throughout the thick wooden beams is the focal point to the space and makes for a beautiful ceremony location. The layers of green photograph incredibly well under this archway in either direction. I’ve photographed weddings here where the guests face the pergola and also weddings in a rotated orientation where the guests line either side of the pergola with the couple at the far end. The sunlight at this location moves in the direction of the larger courtyard, so either ceremony orientation looks spectacular.

There are so many fun layers of Spanish themes to layer in to my photographs; from the fountain in the entrance courtyard, to the Spanish overhangs and architecture, to the succulents and landscaping that runs throughout the property. One of my favorite spaces to photograph couples for golden hour is just around the corner to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. You can see the wall textures and architectural layers in the photos I posted. Everything about this space photographs Santa Barbara’s rustic elegance. I absolutely LOVE photographing at the Santa Barbara...

Nice museum, informative exhibits and beautiful space, but my low rating is for one reason only, the nearly complete absence of information and exhibits of the original people of the Santa Barbara region, who would become known as the Chumash.

On my visit there were only two small exhibits of the Chumash, showing a few baskets and stone tools. These were people who were here thousands of years before the Spanish arrived (8,000+ years ago, it’s estimated), developing one of the most populated regions of native people in what is now North America. They developed advanced societies, trade, commerce and governance. They were master boat-builders, inhabiting the Channel Islands, and had an understanding of the natural environment, plant and wildlife far advanced from the Spanish colonialists. Unfortunately, the Spanish Imperialists saw them as primitive savages, vilifying their customs, belief systems and culture. Many of the Spanish sincerely believed theirs was good intent, though many were outright opportunists. They enslaved many native people, justifying it in order to “save” them, and brought diseases that killed over 90% of the native people.

None of this is conveyed in the museum that, based on it’s name, exists to tell the history of Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, just a few miles away, does a far better job of providing a truer depiction of the role the original people here played in Santa Barbara’s history. There are countless books they do so as well (Thrown Among Strangers by Doug Monroy is highly recommended).

I understand that many in Santa Barbara have historically chosen to tell only the portion of its history from a Spanish perspective, but it’s time a truer...

If it's free, it's for me! You can come visit this museum for absolutely free but donations are highly appreciated. This beautiful compound currently consists of a historical representation of Santa Barbara's Fiesta! Hanging from the walls are facts and photos about Fiesta! from the 20's to today. Complete with over 7000 photographs of postcards from this and the last century, an old horse drawn buggy, and a beautifully handcrafted saddle (please don't touch)! The grounds consist of handicapped ramps to assist in visiting the different sanded levels. At the bottom is a beautiful small courtyard with a fountain, grapevines, and beautiful trees bearing fruit. Come check it out, enjoy for a lifetime!

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