We had so much fun! Downtown Detectives Santa Barbara was like an escape room without the…read moreclaustrophobia and with FABULOUS scenery. The clues were interesting and just the right level of challenge to keep us engaged and excited. We finished the last one just under the wire. It was a delight - thank you, Shannon and John!

My husband and I had such a fun afternoon solving puzzles and trying to piece together this pirate…read moremystery! It was kind of like a combination escape room, scavenger hunt, and stroll up and down the Santa Barbara wharf. We did it in a group of two, which was totally doable, but I bet it would also be fun in bigger groups where you split up and compete against each other. Also super affordable. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to spent an afternoon solving puzzles together in a beautiful part of town.

We love this little neighborhood park. The play structures all work and are clean. The swings were…read morerecently replaced. Basketball court with a low proof is super fun for kids. Is usually not too busy.

Took the kids here today and it was 100% worth the 1.5 hour drive from LA. MOXI is super hands-on…read moreand perfect for kids to just explore and play without getting bored. Every exhibit actually keeps them engaged not just looking, but doing. The interactive tables (like the spinning drum and dice games) were a hit. My kids didn't want to leave and kept going back to the same stations. It's also really clean, organized, and easy to navigate even with little ones. Pricing was reasonable for what you get abbout $25 for adults, $20 for kids, and under 2 is free, which is nice. Staff was friendly and everything felt well-maintained. You can tell they designed this place with kids in mind but adults still have fun too. Definitely a solid family day trip spot from LA. Would come back again

Pros: Close to the train stop…read more Lots of interactive activities Sensory cave to help battle overstimulation Cons: Not good for infants and toddlers. The lactation pod was super loud and not a great place to pump, luckily had the sensory cave. Their infant and toddler room is for walkers only because they don't close it off and make people take their shoes off so definitely not okay for babies like they claim who need a clean environment. Also very little toys. Better if you can already climb and walk. Expensive! They have a 90 mile rule for using reciprocal kids museums and Pasadena's Kidspace is 89 miles away. $25 an adult is not worth it for the parents of a non crawler.

We had an absolutely fabulous time. Everything is displayed with loving care and incredible…read moreattention to detail. There are toys from our childhood, dolls and bears representing historical and fictional figures, tributes to California history, etc, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are lots of commercially produced dolls and bears, but then there are also plenty of unique, artist-created pieces. If you are planning a trip to Santa Barbara, you should definitely reach out to them and schedule a tour! It's very affordable, and I think adults and children of all ages would be charmed by it.

I came here with an LA based doll-club and we had a really great time seeing all the displays. I…read moredidn't really know what to expect before coming in, but it was different and more interesting than I had imagined it would be! I pictured teddy bears lined up in cases like you might see in a natural history museum, and while there was some of that, most of it was really a mix of the dolls and teddy bears together, so the bears seemed more like an accessory project and not overwhelming. (as a doll collector I appreciated this, if you are a teddy bear lover it might be less appealing to you). I liked how the first room was dedicated to California (dolls and artists) and had a progressive history of dolls going back to indigenous people and working up to modern day. I was also surprised to see large collections with themes, such as fantasy dolls, dolls whose characters started in books, and similar. There were displays for Harry Potter and LOTR dolls, and two very impressive Avatar dolls, as well as a log of vintage and antique dolls. The woman at the front desk was SUPER nice and gave our group a brief tour not only once but at least 2 or 3 times as our members showed up at various different times. The museum also has a gift shop full of interesting doll stuff, and for the most part it's not modern new stuff but older stuff, and the pricing was all very fair. Not your typical downtown SB pricing craziness. Reasonable admission price (which is currently half off as covid-related time) and there is a little area in the front with tables and chairs to sit in (if you bring someone who isn't coming into the museum with you or like us some of us toured the displays and then waited in front for the rest of our group to tour (not due to limitations on size, just due to some of us being late lol). There were stacks of doll magazines on the tables and the proprietor let us know they were free if we wanted to take some. We enjoyed flipping through the books and getting ideas for our own doll projects. Some of the dolls in the magazines were dolls present in the collection too! Proprietor was VERY knoweldgeable about the collection and I got the impression it was her own collection, so it was very cool to talk to her and share doll stories and information and listen and learn from her!

Came here for a free watch party for the World Cup. Love the idea! It was very family friendly. The…read morescreen obviously is huge and so great to watch the game on. Full concessions and bar was open. We ate dinner around the corner at the Santa Barbara public house then walked over for the game. Such a unique experience to watch the game in a historical theater setting with other football fans

You have read enough about live performances in this space. I am sorry to say it also sucks as a…read moremovie theater. It smells. Like somebody else's storage unit. The stage curtains can no longer be fully retracted for a widescreen movie. Super Mario Galaxy, of all things, had about 3 feet on each side projected onto the curtains. Abandoning the beautiful entryway and its kiosk is unforgiveable. Instead you are to buy your tickets in the box office, which bears no resemblance to the rest of the building. It looks like a pop-up version of the office at your middle school. It's beautiful inside, and the unpleasant smell is faint enough you'll forget it once your popcorn and red licorice ick int. But be sure you sit in the front 10 to 20 rows if you want to actually feel you are watching a projected film on a big screen. My negativity is here to apply what small share of pressure I can contribute to what should be one of Santa Barbara's iconic landmarks. The theater is worth visiting anyway. On a certain level it is wonderful. But boy does it need a lot of work.

Intimate setting and many fascinating shows. Come and see for yourself. It's important to keep the…read morearts alive and support local theater.

You know...I liked it here. I was there supporting a choreographer friend and her dancers for a…read moredance festival. Cool, cool. I mean, The audience chairs could use a lot of work (bolt those bad boys down to the floor so they don't move around and stand up when I stand up), but other than that, the space is very large and airy. Full of room. The acoustics aren't that great, but it is still a nice spot to get away and see a performance. The person who gave directions here really tried, but he gave me the "scenic route" all around the outside of the shopping center instead of just telling me to cut straight through the shopping center (since I was already there) to the back and find any staircase that will lead me up to the second floor. So I'm telling you now: Cut through the Paseo Nuevo shopping center straight to the back and find any staircase to lead you up to the second floor. Once I got there, I realized I had been here before. It's directly across from the museum entrance on the second floor. Anyway, I enjoyed myself. Maybe we can come together to donate to the theater and get these chairs bolted down to the floor!

Brought my daughter to the park after a day out with alpacas . My daughter loved this park and…read morecouldn't get off the slide .

This is such a fun place to take your kids! So many things for them to do. Play on the dolphins, go…read moredown one of the four slides, hide under the huts, go over the bridge, or sit in the boat. Lots of imagination was used to build this fun playground. I wish there were bathrooms that were closer.

A gorgeous, state-of-the-art theater for seeing professional talent in an intimate setting.read more

Amazing lavish productions and professional acting in a unique and mediterranean setting near…read moredelicious restaurants. I still remember the project of Macbeth's ghost at the performance my seniors went to.