Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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As a volunteer at the Sea Center since 2020 I want to share my experience with the amazing animals and staff. First of all it's open for all, children and olders including people using a wheelchair (there is an elevator inside just ask for it) 🙌 Purchase the ticket on-site. The price for adults (18-64) is $12, Senior (=>65) is $10, teenager (13-17) is $10, child (2-12) is $9 and free for child under 2 years old and members. Open daily from 10 am to 5pm. There is a parking on the pieer (Stearns Wharf). Free for 90 minutes and then $2.50 per hour. $20 daily maximum. But it can be crowded, you can also find nearby city lots that also offer the 90 first minutes free. Volunteers and staff keep the mask but if they don't it's because they are vaccinated for the covid and choose to not wear it in that case they will wear a badge "vaccinated" 𝟭) Downstair you have all the touch tanks with awesome animals that you are allowed to touch. (Good moment to teach your children to be gentle with the animals !). You will be able to touch very friendly sharks, stingray, starfishes but also sea cucumber, sea urchins, anemones, sea snails. There is also the "wet deck" where you will learn about all the scientist tools used for studying the ocean and the animals. All the time you will be accompanied with volunteers and staff that teach about the ecosystem, the animals and to answer all your questions. 𝟮) upstairs you will find more animals in aquariums (no touch), with an abalone and marine mammal stand. Very beautiful and interesting, always with explanations along the way. There are no public toilets available inside. So use the one just outside the building before entering. Think to bring a jacket in case of wind, and short sleeves for touching the animals in the water. I can tell that all animals are very well fed and in a very good health (and beautiful !). They all do a very good job 👏 I think you have all you need now to enjoy your day at the sea center 😁 Welcome in Santa Barbara !
Marlène Da SilvaMarlène Da Silva
30
The place has some good information and stuff. There is staff explaining cool facts about the sea creatures you can touch in the tide pool and the shark/sting ray tank, which are their main attractions. My only complaints are: 1. This place is extremely small and in my opinion, their should re adjust the admission fees they currently have based on the size of the place. We saw the entire place twice in about 40 minutes, after my kids spent most of the time touching the sea stars, sea cucumbers, swell sharks, and rays. 2. They advertise themselves as National History Museum, so you would expect more information about sea creatures that used to live in the area and even fossils of them or so, but there isn't. Also in their website, they refer to the place as an aquarium, if it is an aquarium, is probably the smallest in the world.
Nancy DircksNancy Dircks
10
This is such a neat aquarium! Right off the bat there's a large touch pool of nice lil sharky bois you can pet. It's very kid oriented and encourages them to be curious about sea life. There's one room where they pull sand off the ocean floor so you can sort through it and find any shells or lil living critters, I found a tiny sand dollar and lil mussel. The tanks upstairs are beautiful and well kept with a neat whale info spot. The gift shop is filled with so many treasures it was hard to resist. Definitely one of my favorite aquariums.
Elana KelleyElana Kelley
10
It was so cool to touch all the different sea creatures! The kids as well as the adults loved it! The staff was so friendly and knowledgeable, they interact with the everyone and asked the kids questions to get them involved. You can try and pull sea creatures up from the ocean yourself and the staff will tell you all about anything you find. There's also an upstairs which we almost missed but there's even more to look at up there. I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you're in the Santa Barbara area
Michelle PerksMichelle Perks
00
Located on the North end of Sterns Wharf this Sea Center has a nice variety of exhibits including a touch tank for small sharks and small tide pool critters. There are several tanks with a variety of sea life, and a tide pool display. This is a great place for visitors and locals to see some of the local sea life. There is a well stocked gift store as you exit. The staff is friendly and helpful and families with children should enjoy the interactive nature of the exhibits. There is a modest admission fee.
Joseph Dandona Jr.Joseph Dandona Jr.
30
My husband and I had our wedding at the Sea Center and it was incredible! A truly beautiful location with stunning views of the mountains, beach and ocean. If you're thinking of a venue for a wedding or a special event, this is the best place in Santa Barbara. You can't beat the setting or the price. We had our ceremony on the wharf, cocktail hour inside the sea center, and then back to the wharf for dancing. Thank you staff at the Sea Center for making this the best day of our lives!
Andrea DransfieldAndrea Dransfield
00
Nearby Attractions Of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center
Pier Santa Barbara
MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation
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Nearby Restaurants Of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center
Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
211 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Map
Phone
(805) 962-2526
Call
Website
sbnature.org
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(502 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
educational
family friendly
Description
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center, briefly known as the Ty Warner Sea Center, is a museum owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and is located on Santa Barbara's Stearns Wharf.
attractions: Pier Santa Barbara, MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, The Eagle Inn, Chase Palm Park, Beachside Inn, Hotel Milo Santa Barbara, Harbor View Inn, Villa Rosa Inn, Riviera Beach House, Santa Barbara Sailing Center, restaurants: Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, Brophy Bros., Santa Barbara FisHouse, Chad’s Cafe, Finney's Crafthouse - Santa Barbara, Moby Dick Restaurant, Santo Mezcal, Loquita Santa Barbara, The Lark Santa Barbara, Bluewater Grill Seafood Restaurant Santa Barbara
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