The San Luis Obispo Children's Museum was honestly one of the unexpected highlights of our entire…read morethree-day stay in Pismo Beach. My 5-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter both had a great time, which is not always easy with that age difference. There are three floors with so much to do. The first floor has science activities, and the second floor was probably our favorite, with a fire station, medical station, theater stage, police motorcycle, dress-up costumes, building activities and plenty of hands-on exhibits. The third floor has a train station and more activities geared toward younger kids and toddlers. There's also a small outdoor water-play area, which was a nice bonus. One thing I really appreciated as a parent is how thoughtfully the museum is set up. There are bathrooms on every floor, so you don't have to drag everyone up or down the building every time someone needs to go. It's also very accessible and clearly designed with families in mind. It was educational, interactive, affordable and kept both of my kids entertained for a long time. If you're staying in Pismo Beach or anywhere nearby and looking for something fun to do with kids, I highly recommend making the drive to San Luis Obispo. We would absolutely come back.

This museum is so neat! As you enter and pay for admission, you'll find a craft area, a small gift…read moreshop, and the museum's first floor, which includes an outdoor water table and some play-and-explore areas. Then there is a second floor with all the make-believe establishments, where kids can explore different jobs, etc. There is so much to do and discover for kids! We took our 5- and almost-3-year-olds here, and they both loved it so much! They were a little sad when it was time for us to go. It is also worth noting that there are a couple of single-room bathrooms on each floor, which is great for kids, as they can easily access them and then go back to exploring! The bathrooms were maintained well and kept clean.

This place is adorable and perfect for kids to discover, imagine, and explore. There are so many…read morehands-on exhibits where kids can pretend to be a banker, chef, grocery store clerk, astronaut, veterinarian, and more. They can also play in themed areas like kayaking, the beach, fishing, and the Wild West. There's a huge arts and crafts section with tons of materials to create with, and kids can even plant a small plant to take home. The museum also has an air station and an outdoor play area with water chutes, which adds even more fun. The price is very reasonable, and the snacks available for purchase are affordable as well. A thoughtful bonus was that they even offered free formula. Overall, it's a fantastic spot for families with young kids.

Kids had a great time! Ages 1.5 and 3... so much for them to do and see! We will definitely be…read moregoing back soon. And what a great deal, only $7 per person!

Such a cute spot! Kids got to play and get their energy out. Lots of different things that are…read moregreat for smaller kids and toddlers. And very unique that it's all housed in a former fire house. We spent a good few hours here and kids were entertained the whole time. May not be as entertaining for older kids though. We'll be back whenever we're in the area.

This is going to be our new go-to spot whenever we visit Paso. My almost two-year-old had so much…read morefun. So many creative spaces to explore with two levels and an outdoor space; we could have stayed for half a day. Very friendly environment. The floor staff supervisor, Aleah, was kind enough to give us a tour and make us feel welcome. What a unique community treasure!

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.

This is a little gem near downtown San Luis Obispo founded in early 2000s and is continuously…read moreexpanding their inside exhibits full of train artifacts and history as well as restoration of authentic train cars displayed outside on the train tracks. We came on a Thursday without realizing that the museum is only open on Saturdays, however, all the train restoration crew including the cofounder of the Museum warmly greeted us and gave us plenty of train stories and history behind what they had on display. It is a great stop by visit for train aficionados and children where you could spend as little time or more to immerse yourself in all that they have to show. There's also a cute little gift shop. They rely on donations to keep going, so make sure to stop on by to support this local museum.

Our family was just looking to kill some time and ended up really enjoying this museum! It's great…read morefor kids -- there's a train driving simulator that captured our 11 year olds attention, and train play sets for younger kids. There's old timey animatronic guys and model trains and a dining car you can walk into and explore. We spent around 2 hours just wandering! It's not a huge place but lots to see, and the docents there are easy to talk to and very knowledgeable. There was an old typewriter our toddler got oddly obsessed with, too. Entry is $6 for adults, free for 3 and under. Verdict: worth it!

Great place, educational, worth the trip. I go every time I'm in town. And I spend a ton of money…read morein the gift shop because I want to support the museum. Don't miss this opportunity to learn and have fun doing it. Great for the whole family.

A neat little museum to stop in when passing through. I would plan on spending about half hour…read more Entrance fee is $3 per adult.

This is a great museum to visit when in Paso Robles…read more There were so many military vehicles and aircraft to see up close. They were parked outdoors and it was cool to be able to walk up to the planes and tanks that our military used in different wars. There was also an enclosed area with antique cars. There was a gift shop with souvenirs for purchase. This museum was impressive and well worth the time to visit.

The BEST museum honoring those who have defended our security. And, the greatest cars, trucks and…read morehistorical items.

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.

I haven't been in a while but I make it a point to go every few years. I'm a big nerd but going to…read morethe museum of natural history is always a blast. New exhibits old ones it's all great!

A tiny small history museum that is run by volunteers. It's free but they accept donations. Might…read morebe hard to spot but it's pretty much a house with viewable things inside. You will probably be done in 10-15 minutes, it's that small but still enjoyable if you're in Santa Maria looking for things to do.

We stop here in our way back from The red forest park. It…read morewas a nice stop and the art and pieces of architecture where Amazing!

We were in the area and decided to stop by the mission. There's a sign outside the gate that says…read morehours they're open there's a lot of parking. The structure from the outside is beautiful. They have a beautiful garden with a wishing well. The inside is gorgeous and very well kept up. If you're in the area great place to stop by.