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.

This has to be one of our favorite places to visit in Santa Barbara. I've personally been coming…read morehere for over 25 years, and I still love it every time. It's peaceful, relaxing, and the nature is absolutely beautiful -- minus all the poison oak during the summer, LOL! Whether you have little ones, teenagers, or just want to take a relaxing walk with your partner, this is a great place to visit. You don't need to spend the whole day here either. A couple of hours is perfect to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and unwind. Definitely one of our Santa Barbara favorites. Highly recommend!

What a fun little add on to a trip with kiddos to Santa Barbara. Enough places for learning but…read morealso for the kiddos to get some play in the day as well. I have a 4.5 yo and 22 month old and they both had lots of fun. Random but I do wish the gift shop was a bit more stroller friendly.

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!

Really lovely museum. Currently under construction, but had some great exhibits open. I got a…read moredocent tour which I was very happy about. The pieces of art were beautiful, and the docent was able to go into shocking detail about each one. On top of all that, the price was really reasonable for what you get here. If I lived in the area I'd absolutely become a member, huge fan!

Summer in Santa Barbara is beautiful...and absolutely overrun with tourists. I mean, they had every…read morerestaurant PACKED, every parking space TAKEN, every dessert shop FULL, and every sidewalk OVERFLOWING. Ironically, as tourists ourselves (LOL, sort of), we needed a break from THE TOURISTS! My best friend Catherine suggested we duck into the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and I'm glad she did. It's not a massive museum. Just two floors. But hear me when I say it punches above its weight. On the day we went, there was a thoughtful and curated mix of Southeast Asian and Indian artifacts, contemporary works, digital installations and enough classic pieces to keep serious art lovers happy. There were also funny art pieces that reminded everyone that art is allowed to have a sense of humor, too. I appreciated the balance. One of my favorite exhibits there let us enter our birth information and it generated our birth charts. Whether you believe in astrology or not, it was fun to interact with the art instead of just looking at it. I learned some cool stuff about myself looking at my birth chart. Hey...If you need a break from the crowds, this is the place. It's peaceful, cool inside, has clean restrooms and it's just the right size to explore without feeling overwhelmed. You won't lose your whole day here. You'll simply enjoy the bit of time you dedicate to visiting. Sometimes the best attraction in a tourist town is the one that gives you a break from other people. Consider.

I hadn't been to the Mission in years. This year I went to the Madonnari Chalk Festival - what a…read moregorgeous time. My mom and I had the best of times! Art, Music, food and just sooooo much fun! I danced so much and got to meet many wonderful artists. I def will be back next year and make a whole weekend out of it. I live nearby but I think, next year I'll stay a few days in SB. My mom is already looking forward to it!

Mission Santa Barbara is a historic California landmark that also doubles as a museum. They even…read morehave actual mass in the mission, as well as Sunday service. It is a beautiful space filled with so much historic value. It was founded in 1786!! We got there around 3pm and purchased the Self Guided tour for $17 per person, which was a little high in my opinion. You walk through the museum and Mission grounds at your own pace and enjoy it on your own time. There are QR Codes that provide information to go along with your tour. We checked out the museum, garden, mausoleum, and even sat in the church for about 30 minutes just enjoying the beauty and peace. There is a gift shop you exit through that sells some lovely items such as shirts, sweaters, magnets, artwork, sculptures, candles and so much more. We bought a nice sweater with Santa Barbara written on it, a beautiful candle in a glass, and a small bookmark with a prayer symbol on it. They even have snacks/refreshments. They close at 5pm but sell their last ticket at 4pm. Parking is also free, which is always a plus. This was our third time here over the last 2 decades, and I'm not sure it's necessary to come back again. Once you've seen it, you've seen it.

Love love love! Easy to spend the day here and I recommend…read moreit. But also fairly easy to get to, so it's perfect for a meditative reset time in the middle of a busy day. This space is so special. Lots to explore. Lots to learn. Lots of care and love here. Don't want to say too much. Just go and see and be surrounded by the trees, flowers, rocks, peace, and magic. Fantastic gift shop too!

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a neat activity to check out if you're ever in the area. You…read morecan kill 2 hours here depending how long you take to observe all the different plants and trees. Before you enter, I recommend taking a map with you. If you visit in the summer, I recommend dressing cool, wearing a hat, comfortable shoes, and some sunscreen. There are areas where there is limited shade so the sun can feel rough in those areas. There is some incline in certain areas, but nothing crazy. The red woods were beautiful, and I loved that there were some areas where they provided some seating areas near cool view spots. There were even some hammocks and some areas that were kid friendly. There's even a small nursery where you can purchase pots and plants near the entrance.

Fascinating place but fewer exhibits than I'd have liked. We got first timer + student…read morediscounts(ticket price ended up being $7). Can be somewhat expensive otherwise ($15) for the short visit

I took my daughter here to check it out because I heard it was new and we needed something new to…read moredo. It was pretty interesting but a really small exhibit. It was $15/adult and $9/child. They had 9 little exhibits open that you could touch and see. It was fun but just wish it was a little bigger

What a great hidden gem of a museum! Family and I stumbled here by accident because my son needed…read moreto find a restroom after shopping at Warbler Records across the street. It's somewhat off the beaten path as it's few blocks away from Downtown Santa Barbara. That's probably why the place was fairly empty during our visit. I love the adobe architecture of the building. It almost looks like a small mission turned into a museum. The front entrance to the museum faces De La Guerra Street but we entered from the side entrance through its beautiful courtyard. It was empty on the day of our visit but I can see this place getting busy if people rent the courtyard for weddings and events. The museum isn't that big but there were enough exhibits to keep us busy for about an hour. It was great seeing the history of Santa Barbara through its regular exhibits as well as some special ones. Admission is free but my wife and I felt compelled to make a donation because we loved the place so much. We saw a glass donation box by its gift shop so we put some cash in there to support the museum. Will try to make this a regular stop on our future visits to Santa Barbara.

My partner and I were looking for something to do on a lazy Saturday in town. We have already…read moreexplored much of what the Central Coast has to offer so we decided to revisit an attraction. The Santa Barbara Historical Museum came to mind after noticing their Project Fiesta exhibit was going on. It also just so happens that Yelp's "Travel Like A Local" campaign is going on simultaneously, so the timing was impeccable. This museum is a hidden gem somewhat off the beaten path. It is a few blocks from downtown State Street and two from the historic Presidio. Most tourists unfortunately miss it. Yet, this beautiful adobe building with a humongous boat anchor in front is worth visiting. Heck, there's no reason to not enter since it's completely free to the public (donations appreciated)! Upon entering, to the left is a gift shop with many local books and souvenirs. Yet it's easy to be distracted by the gorgeous central courtyard with a water fountain as its focal point. This is a popular venue for weddings, dances and other celebrations. Be sure to get a photo of an original Camino Real Bell, the marker used to connect the California Missions. There is also the Glenhill Library here. Many don't know that if you sneak out the back gate, you can step back into time with dirt ground, lush fruit trees, and La Casa Covarrubias. The museum also features a permanent exhibit called The Story of Santa Barbara. It's the perfect introduction to the Central Coast's long history of the native Chumash people, the influence of Mexico and the Spanish, the 1925 Earthquake and more. Upon my most recent visit was an unexpected discovery, an exhibit on Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community. I knew of the historic Mattei's Tavern, Inn and Stagecoach Stop after it was recently renovated and became part of a new luxury Auberge Resort in Los Olivos. Little did I know that he became a well-known artist. His first free-sketch was of Leutze's 1851 painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware at only 15 years of age! Prominent guests of the Tavern recognized his skill and sponsored his studies in San Francisco and New York. To this day you can see his art on the walls of the Tavern, but also here. Another current temporary exhibit is of Old Spanish Days/Fiesta, Santa Barbara's pride and joy. 2023 is its 99th anniversary! I had no idea that Fiesta was originally started to celebrate the opening of the Lobero Theatre. To this day, it remains the oldest running theater in California. The photos of almost a century caught by camera and shared at this exhibit are spectacular. All in all, whether it's your first visit to Santa Barbara or you're a life-long native, a visit to this museum is a must!

My husband, 3-year-old granddaughter and I really enjoyed this museum. There is something of…read moreinterest to all ages. We adults learned so much about Santa Barbara's maritime history from very well presented exhibits and really enjoyed the interactive experiences like the simulated deep-sea fishing. We were there for two hours and had to practically drag our granddaughter out when they closed. She really enjoyed the activities in the Children's Gallery, especially fishing and exploring the kelp. However, even at her young age she learned a lot from the exhibits. We can't wait to go back!

Very underrated museum, in my opinion. We used a Groupon and paid $10 for two adult tickets, but…read moreeven at full price ($12 for adults, $6 for kids ages 6-17, and free for 5 and under), it would still be worth it. The museum is really beautiful and interactive, with a few activities that are great for little kids, and it takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to go through. I learned a lot about Santa Barbara's history, and my 5-year-old really enjoyed it. The virtual fishing experience was especially fun and actually feels like you're trying to catch a real fish. The harbor views from the 4th floor are amazing too, and that area is free to the public. Parking is free for 90 minutes, but depending on the time of day, you may need a little patience to find a spot since it can get crowded. Staff and volunteers were also very friendly and welcoming.

I had the pleasure of visiting both the Hermitage Museum and the botanical sculpture gardens…read more It's unbelievable that all of this is on one man's property in the hills of Santa Barbara. The museum is filled with fun pieces of art, some of it interactive. The giant sculptures on the property are remarkable, with the sheer quantity of them amazing. I loved the themed areas like the zoo. The vegetation is also a wonder, especially seeing rare specimens, some of them hundreds of years old. I can't wait to go back and spend more time appreciating all the detail that went into the place!

One of the most interesting and numerous place to visit. Vigorous walking up and down the hillside.read more