Beautifully kept, nonprofit, little aquarium. They have a nice selection of sea life with how…read morequaint this place is. They had spots where you were able to interact with some of the animals (we got to pet a shark!) and play a seek-and-find checklist game. Their souvenir shop was cute and we got a magnet and some stickers. Definitely worth a visit.

I was raised in this area and never went to the aquarium so I'm sure you can imagine how excited I…read morewas to take my toddler here for both of our first times visiting this place! The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable! They were so patient with my baby touching a starfish for the very first time. This place is special and I'm so glad we got to experience it together while visiting Avila beach.

Absolutely the best and most knowledgeable fish guy around. Always helpful with a lifelong span…read moreof experience even if your just shopping around and trying to figure out the hobby. Good local guy always helping his local community.

Very unkempt place, with very dirty tanks, extremely needing cleaning. The selection is poor,…read morelighting inside is very poor. Most All tanks have severe infestation of Aiptasia's and Sailor bubbles, alge. I checked a tank with a 6-1 test strip and I did not like what I saw. It's seem like a 2nd hand store for old/used equipment. It's seems he does maintenance programs, and I have seen 2 tanks he does and they were so gross I would be embarrassed to have a tank looking like that. If they are knowledgeable in salt water reef, they should know better than keeping tanks in that ugly condition, as a marie hobbyist I find it embarrassing that this is their way running a business, stopped at his place 1 time before and he had no power due to his nonpayment of the Pge bill. I would never buy anything here, and tell my other friends to be very careful buying livestock for here. I would highly recommend WET PETS and or FINS N CRITTERS they have a great, clean, healthy looking selection .

The staff are the best! Always very helpful, and incredibly intelligent. They certainly know their…read morestuff. It's not a huge aquarium, but you can learn a lot and view a variety of sea life creatures in a small space. Great for adults and children. Always excited to go back!

Went to Santa Barbara for a bachelorette weekend and of course walked Stearns Wharf after brunch…read more Super cool that you can drive onto the pier, with lots of little shops and restaurants. We stopped at the aquarium, and regular tickets felt pretty pricey for how small it is, but thankfully CalFresh/WIC tickets are only $5. We spent about 20-30 minutes inside, mostly touching the sharks and starfish, which was honestly my favorite part even as an adult! If you were to take your time, maybe you could spend an hour in The older gentleman at the ticket counter was also super friendly. Cute little experience with a great view right on the pier!

The family and I spent a terrific day exploring and experiencing all the fun, interactive, STEM at…read moreMOXI. We had a 4 year old and a 7 year old in our group, but I think their dad had the most fun of all! The activities were designed to be developmentally appropriate to include all the members of our group in their range of engagement. Parents interacted with their children and staff was on hand to make suggestions, monitor, and prompt us to better delve into the "science" we were playing with. They seemed well-trained on how to lead us to deeper learning without slowing our explorations. Thanks to the staff and designers who allowed us to spend such a beautiful family day!

Fun, hands-on museum in Santa Barbara, but I think it's better suited for school-aged kids than…read moretoddlers and preschoolers. We visited MOXI with our 4-year-old and under-2-year-old. The kids had fun exploring, but I personally found it a little underwhelming for their ages, especially considering the price. There are definitely some great interactive and creative spaces, but I think older kids would get much more out of the experience. One thing that was pretty disappointing was finding out after we arrived that the entire third floor was closed for a private event. We had driven about 70 miles to get there, so it would've been nice to know ahead of time, especially since admission wasn't exactly cheap. Parking was also a little confusing, although there is some street parking and public parking around downtown Santa Barbara and the transit area. There were definitely some highlights. They have a craft/building area where staff were helping kids with projects and doing little workshops. The current theme was marble runs, but kids could also draw, color, build, and make whatever they wanted. Staff were really hands-on and supervised things like glue guns and scissors, which I appreciated. I can see this being a really fun and worthwhile area for older kids who are creative and enjoy building and STEM-type activities. For younger kids, there is a small crawl/play area on the second floor, plus a quiet "cave" or calm room where kids can take a break if they get overstimulated. I thought those were nice additions, especially for families with toddlers or sensory-sensitive kids. We went on a Monday and it wasn't very busy, which made for a pretty relaxed visit. I could see the experience being much better for our family in a few years, so I wouldn't completely rule out coming back when the kids are older. If your kids are school-aged and enjoy interactive, hands-on learning, building, and STEM activities, I'd definitely say it's worth checking out. For younger toddlers/preschoolers, though, I would temper expectations--the admission price felt a little high for what we were able to do. One thing that could make it a much better value is the ASTC Travel Passport Program. MOXI participates in the program, which can provide free general admission at participating science and technology museums around the world if you have a qualifying membership. There is a 90-mile restriction, though--the museum you're visiting generally needs to be more than 90 miles away, measured "as the crow flies," from both your residence and the museum where you have your active membership. Overall, a nice museum with some genuinely fun interactive spaces. I'd recommend it at least once, but for our family, I think we'll wait until the kids are a little older before making the trip again.

Yay! I like the look of this place! I hope it will meet my expectations! But I think that maybe I…read morecould live near this place and go there all the time!

From the owner: Aquarium Science is a family owned business that provides residential and commercial aquarium…read moreservices including, custom aquarium installation, fish tank maintenance, aquarium supplies and aquarium livestock for Santa Barbara County. The owner Craig Gutshall is a Santa Barbara native and has extensive knowledge on saltwater aquariums, reef tanks, planted aquariums and freshwater aquariums. Aquarium Science has friendly professional services at competitive rates.

I like this zoo because, while much smaller than the LA zoo, there are fewer crowds and you have…read morethe opportunity to see more animals up close. There's also a petting barn area, and you can pay extra to feed the giraffes. It takes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours to see everything. Admission is $39.95 for adults, $29.95 for kids, and $11 for parking. Or, if you're lucky like me, go with a friend who bought an annual membership that lets you bring additional people to the zoo for free, and parking is free too! There are different membership prices and levels depending on the number of people in your family. Cost ranges from $139 to $299. There are also places to buy drinks and snacks and a large play area for kids!

Visited the Santa Barbara Zoo and I thought it was a decent size. It wasn't too small or big. There…read morewas a good variety of animals. I thought most would be hidden or tired because we went on a hot day, but surprisingly a lot of animals were pretty active and visible. My favorites to see were the flamingos, frogs, kangaroos, and giraffes. There is an area where you can walk along the kangaroos on a path. The staff is in the area, should you need assistance, but I thought that was pretty cool. The zoo has a small train ride that takes you around the zoo for about $6 per person. There is also food and beer sold throughout the zoo, and if you want a fun souvenir, they have some photo booths with cool backgrounds for your photo strips. Parking is $11 but if you have a handicap placard, parking is free.

I can't say enough positive things about our experience with Avila Beach Whale Watching. The…read morebooking process was a breeze and directions to the boat super clear. The boat was extremely comfortable and super easy to get on and off. Only 6 people so everyone is able to see the show. Captain Mark is personable, experienced and safety conscious. While you can never be guaranteed as to what you will see, the experience we had totally exceeded our expectations - lots of whales breaching and showing off their flukes and dolphins accompanied us for a while playing alongside the boat. This was my first trip with this company, but it won't be my last!

Truly an amazing experience! We saw countless whales, and at times it felt like there were whales…read moreeverywhere you looked. We saw multiple groups of whales lunge feeding, with whales, sea lions, and tons of birds all feeding together. We also saw lots of dolphins and had a chance to cruise alongside them for a while. Our guide, Mark, was fantastic. He clearly knew the whales and their behavior, always kept us informed about what was happening and where to look, and was happy to answer all of our questions. The highlight came when Mark spotted a whale away from where we were watching and decided to head over to check it out--even though we were already seeing some incredible activity. We're so glad he did. Shortly after we got there, the whale breached right in front of our boat! An unforgettable moment that we never would have experienced without Mark's knowledge and instincts. Our original trip had actually been canceled the day before because of bad weather. While that was obviously disappointing, it was completely outside their control, and we really appreciated how they handled it. They added an extra third trip the following day so they could accommodate us. We also brought our three-and-a-half-year-old along, and he had a great time. He was comfortable throughout the trip and really enjoyed the experience. It may not be for every three-and-a-half-year-old, but it definitely worked great for ours! It was the best whale-watching experience our family could have asked for. It truly couldn't have been any better!

I have been going to this store since I Moved to the central coast. The owner knows a great deal…read moreand though I am no Beginner in the reef keeping hobby I will often bounce ideas off Paul or Ricky as I know i can get a second opinion that is trustworthy. I prefer not to buy Fish online and Paul will work hard to get the specialty items i am looking for. I am grateful they are in the area! Thanks again to the staff at Tropics

Honestly I don't know where to start with my experience here…read more I've been here only once and that was enough to ruin my experience. As I was looking at the fishes I noticed that the tanks were filthy. I told the staff and they lied to my face telling me they cleaned the tank recently. I swear if you could touch the inside of the tank your finger would be covered in algae. I asked about clown fish and they were obviously over charging me for the fishes, the tanks, equipment, and other items. I should have know that considering how filthy the inside of the shop was. The staff here obviously didn't care too much about this place since all they did was just pretend to clean the area they were at. Hell there was so much tripping hazards on the floor that it felt like Saw puzzle. I swear a homeless person can come in the front door and immediately walk away due to the condition of this place. I spent too much money here for stuff to break as well as my fish being incredibly sick. 1 star is still too high for this review

I love the AquaDoctor! If you are in need of aquarium set-up or maintenance, or the same for a…read morepond, this is your guy. This company is amazing. The AquaDoctor will visit your home or office to attend to the needs of your fish. He is polite and knowledgeable. With over twenty years experience, I trust the care of my fish to The AquaDoctor and am never disappointed!

From the owner: We specialise in all aspects of tropical fish care,maintenance,design and installation of aquariums…read moreand ponds.