One of our favorite places to visit when in Santa Barbara. The butterfly pavilion is a must stop during the right season. Very friendly workers and tons of exploring to do down in the creek. My boys always have so much fun here. Keep up the good work guys!

Cant wait till its fully open again to all the indoor exhibits. Very peaceful surrounding

One of our favorite places in SB! The staff is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. The museum store is a true gem! They have set up fun outdoor activities with social distance being maintained at all times. From the butterfly pavilion to outdoor stories to learning about owls with Dr. Feather, we always have a wonderful time.

They go out of their way to make sure kids have fun!! Very nice, friendly and knowledgeable staff!! Great time for whole family!!

One of very few museums open in southern California. The butterfly pavilion and some outdoor exhibits are open.

Many of the exhibits were getting ready to open back up from the vid. The kids enjoyed their time there.

Great place to visit with young kids for a day of adventures..Alot of exhibits to look at, very educational and hands on. Outdoor water stream is cool feature, in warmer weather I would pack a change of clothes for little ones..It looked like some locals took in lunch to eat in picnic areas. If we had more food/water we would have stayed at least 3 hours but after 2 hrs kids started to get hungry.

Ehhh nothing really to see here During the pandemic really excited to go when they open up the exhibits though. Will update.also it seemed like the guy selling the tickets at the front desk had an attitude; hes really not a good person to have in customer service.

Great place to visit, family had a great time. Museum is small but has great artifacts, great environment and great parking. We went on Easter and it was free, we didnt know that so we donated the money for entrance. Cozy place and people were overall pleasant.

Fun times. The butterfly enclosure was interesting and there is plenty of stuff to do socially distanced.

Very unpleasant experience. Rude employees, only outside exhibits are open, they make you wear a mask, and a lot of other reasons that would be too long too list.

Great museum for the family. We went on a school field trip, and we will be back soon to spend more time and see all the exhibits. Easily take a day or two to get through everything. Nice outdoor and indoor exhibits.

We visited the butterfly pavillion. So many beautiful butterflies. Everything was well organized. They kept people six feet apart and a chime would ring for people to move to the next part.

The museum is small, but very informative. It is 50% off right now, as they are doing renovations and nearly half of the exhibits are currently closed. But I do like what they have. It is clearly a small local museum and the exhibits are mostly older diorama models, but they are extremely detailed. The open exhibits include the Native American, geology and paleontology, marine life, minerals and gems, and the astronomy center. The curiosity lab is also open. Highlights for me were the American Indian Basketry exhibit, the Marine Life hall, the fluorescent rocks (loved this, see photos attached), and the Chumash garden. No time for the planetarium show on this trip; next time!

Pretty decent for a small museum. All the indoor stuff was closed due to COVID, but they were really pushing hard with outdoor activities.

We drove up from Los Angeles and among the many things to do and see, the museum was a highlight of our journey and a very nice facility. Including outdoor gardens and a small planetarium to enjoy. Affordable and well worth the trip!

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is set on both sides of Mission Creek and houses an extensive collection of specimens from birds to mammals to marine life. Recent upgrades make this a must visit place for all ages. Highlights include the butterfly pavillion, interactive exhibits, and the Blue Whale skeleton on display at the entrance. The Museum also hosts the Santa Barbara Food and Wine Festival every June which brings together local wineries and food purveyors for one of the best events of this kind anywhere!

We recently moved to the area and have found this local gem. It’s just the right size for our family to traverse, but never to get bored with. Even when you go once a week, like us. They had butterflies and dinosaurs outside in the summer and we’d go straight there, but they have quite a good selection inside as well for the wetter weather now.

Great museum and reasonably priced. Friendly & helpful staff. Dont miss the new Butterfly sanctuary and new Dinosaurs in the back park area.

Wonderful museum! If youre interested in the native animals to Southern California or California in general. I highly recommend going to that museum!! Also they will be opening a butterfly exhibit soon where you can go into a greenhouse and hang with butterflies. (They also have a giant blue whale skeleton out front, whos named Chad, made out of real and fake pieces)

Great museum!! A lot of fun and educational!

We just went and realized a lot of galleries are closed. Call before you go and use groupon for tickets, $12 for two. If buying tickets at the counter, its $12 per person.Overall, its a small cute well-maintained museum. A volunteer/ an instructor, Glenn, is doing a great job showing us how different ocean animals live. Might be because many exhibits are closed, we ended up spending around one hour there.

For the price a must do if you are in Santa Barbara. Great overall information, especially about the central coast of California. If you pick a warm sunny day, the butterflies will be abundant and everywhere. Be ready to see some amazing things, especially for a small natural museum.

Great Santa Barbara location with newly remodeled exhibits and a permanent living Butterfly Exhibit in final stages of construction. A wide variety of exhibits and a small planetarium make this a must see spot for groups, familys, and everyone else. Beautiful walking paths in the back as well as live bird showings.

The default dance is truly a masterpiece. Never, in all of history, has such an artistic masterpiece ever been created. The choreography is possibly the most beautiful sight ever beheld by the human eye. The sharp sound of the SLAP when the player’s hands collide perfectly with the beat of the song sends a bone chilling shiver down my spine, every single time I hear it. I find my self watching my in-game avatar performing this phenomenal dance ritual for hours on end. The beat of the song is without a doubt the most amazing musical composition in history, one to rival, if not surpass the complexity and beauty of Mozart’s classics. The default dance has truly revolutionized the future of music, and how artists should aspire to create. Some would describe the default dance as a meme, or just part of the game it is appearing in, however I would strongly disagree. These people simply do not understand that the default dance is the center of existence. The universe, science, and evolution are purely myths, as the default dance was the first life form to roam the Earth. Everything; human beings, nature, everything that defines this planet, has originated from ‘the building blocks of life’, the default dance.

Wonderful summer activity! The new butterfly enclosure has more than 200 butterflies.

Im sure its normally just ok. But other then the butterfly exhibit, it was a nice walk. Butterfly was great. The other staff was less then knowledgeable. They had to call a supervisor to get the wifi password. Wait till all the covid19 stuff is back to common sense. Dont see where I can respond to your reply so added here.A) the WiFi was named guest. Why would that be available if it wasnt for guest?B) the price of admission was high to do almost nothing. You had spiders, butterflies and a lot of really silly walking in circles.I realized that Covid19 and the state has made it difficult but you opened and charged a high amount. I wont be back.

Wonderful museum in Santa Barbara with thoughtful exhibits that helped me reflect on the delicate balance of life on our planet.The Mammal Hall was newly renovated and reopened this year! National Geographic has an excellent travelling exhibit that is currently at SBMNH highlighting the stories behind some of their famous photographs. Some of the stories brought tears to my eyes. Its wonderful what some people are able to show us with their work.

We were very surprised with this museum is very close to the mission of santa barbara and have a small planetarium with interesting exhibitions. Of great interest to all and the children too, they have to see the library that has

Alas, but that day it was closed without any sign on internet in advance. Management should pay more attention to web advertising

Excellent Butterfly Exhibit & wooded areas for education & hands on kids fun outside and Sea Center videos.

Butterfly pavilion is great. Nice grounds, very Santa Barbara.

Small but really nice. Love the dinosaurs they have on display

The Star Party we attended is magical and free. Thank you to the volunteers who donate their time and telescopes.

Another fabulous S.B. Museum of Natural History Food and Wine Festival. More than 50 local wineries from S.B. and the tri-counties showcased their wine and alcohol. Once again, the local food vendors brought their best and tastiest treats for all of us to enjoy. This is a wonderful annual event, that we have attended for the last 6 years. Great location, fantastic food and incredible selection of wines from top local vintners.

Great place. friendly staff. very interesting. living butterfly pavilion. unforgettable. unbelievable. dont miss this place.for adults and for kids.

Great place, very educational and lots of exhibits to explore, including the Dinosaur and Butterfly Exhibits. We are glad we paid for an annual membership and we are looking forward to another visit.

All the updates were wonderful. The butterfly pavilion was really lovely.

Our daughters class (1st grade) had a field trip to here from Rio Plaza Elementary School in Oxnard. My wife and I were chaperones. Pretty nice, but I have NO idea about the parking lot since we rode the school bus. Be aware that the ground, although mostly paved, is uneven. Wasnt a big deal for me and my cane, but it may be for folks using a walker or wheelchair.

Great,but most inside exhibits closed .

Beautiful well maintained with very knowledgeable docents . Many Chumash artifacts and history. Lots to do and see

Our family was delighted to visit the butterfly tent and the kids had a blast in the backyard Creek.

Fun and very informative exhibits of local history and nature. Kevin Genovese was helpful and knowledgeable of all the museum had to offer.

Great day with the family. Saw 2 live owsl, red tail hawk, falcon Chumash Indian exhibit. Ocean habitat and life under the ocean. Too many things to remember. What an adventure.

Great place to take your family . A great learning and indoor outdoor experience.

Im looking forward to taking my gf there for the butterfly exhibit

This is a great small natural history museum. A must see if you make that second trip to Santa Barbara. The building and the grounds are beautiful and cool even on the hottest days, of which there arent many in Santa Barbara.They have a regular butterfly exhibit which is very interesting and beautiful. We also saw a bunch of very well set up and designed animatronics dinosaurs in their dinosaurs exhibit. Kids would love it.Stroll along the woodlands trail outside the museum.

I love this museum. They do a fantastic job in bringing education to our community with workshops, new exhibits. I especially love the rescued wild hawks and owls that you can view at certain times of the day.

Great educational place. And just fun period and Im 27.

Small but affordable. Always something to look at.

Kids absolutely love it. There’s an amazing butterfly enclosure. Outdoor dinosaur garden is fantastic, when it is not too hot. All the indoor exhibits are great. We keep coming back to this fantastic museum.

Outside exhibits are very well done. The employees in the butterfly exhibit are friendly and knowledgeable

Loved the place. Our first time there and we enjoyed it very much. Lot to see and learn.

I hadnt been here for several years. It brought back many nice memories. Our grandchildren loved the dinosaur exhibit & we all enjoyed butterflys alive. I was the lucky one to have one land on my shoulder!! ️

Edit - This is a cute little place and definitely entertaining. Just be aware that your entrance fee does not cover all costs. Disappointedly, the cost of entrance did not include the video that was available. This was not made clear to me at the time we paid to get in, thus the three stars instead of 4...

I love this museum so much. So much awesome things to see. I actually prefer it over the natural history museum of LA.

Very nice butterfly exhibit.

Absolutely love the Museum, a great place to bring aspiring young Naturalist and future scientists! Love my Museum FAM BAM!

I loved this place as a kid. I remember constantly being amazed and begging my family to take me there more often.Now that Ive come back after 12 years, Im sad to say that I was a little disappointed. There was only one other person touring the museum that day, which seemed odd because I remember the museum being crowed when I was a kid.I do know that they are renovating certain wings, because they were closed off when I visited, so hopefully the museum will be a little more exciting soon.

Gorgeous and responsible following health protocols for covid

Beautiful museum on beautiful grounds! The collection of birds is incredibly extensive! There were many collections of local animals, minerals and cultural history. My 10 year old son and I enjoyed a leisurely self guided tour for about 2 hours, there were also planetarium shows, beautiful gardens and areas for young children to play. It was a very enjoyable morning for us, and wasnt overly crowded near opening time.I would suggest this for families with children.

The tour of the museum that was made by the teen interns was informative but was not very clear and it didnt seem as the guides werent very enthusiastic about guiding the tour. The museum is small and informative, time spent there was around one to two hours. The exhibits are old and you won’t see anything that doesn’t exist in the big museum, the Jurassic Park prop adds something unique to the museum. I would recommend visiting here only if you have a lot of time to spend in Santa Barbara and I wouldn’t choose this location for a 1-2 day time in the area as there are better things to do that would be more interesting, overall it’s a thing of taste but usually I really like Natural History museums and this museum did not live up to my expectations.

Great for kids and adults alike. The campus and architecture are fantastic in their own right, and there is a good variety of exhibits.

Great exhihits and interactive activities for the whole family.

A must visit location. The atmosphere is Serene and the architecture is beautiful. The church had a very calming and humbling effect. Overall a very satisfying experience.

This is a wonderful Santa Barbara gem. Exhibits inside the museum are beautiful, engaging, informative and everything that they should be. You can return again and again and learn something new. The backyard is an incredible resource for kids and families...allowing kids to be kids...climbing, playing, digging and getting dirty. Dont wear your Sunday best, get prepared to get dirty and have fun. Brings your kids, pack snacks and food and prepared to have a great time.

My Wife and two kids (under 4 yrs old) visited here a few weeks ago. It was an amazing time. My kids LOVED IT. At the entrance they have a huge display of a whale that my kids were in awe over. They loved seeing all the different kind of animals and displays from around California. They have a really cool kid area where they can play in a stream. Bring a change of dry clothes!

I came on the day Sue was being boxes up and shipped away. It was very quiet and the backyard was nice to walk around and explore. I was getting ready to leave when I was invited to go behind the scenes to where the research takes place. It was so fasinating and educational. We were allowed to see things that the general public misses out on. They have this feature once a month and its a must see!

Very nice time here. Went for the butterfly exhibit and loved it. Totally cool!

The exhibits are really interesting especially the Chumash life exhibit. Great place for the whole family to enjoy.

We have 2 under 2 and I cant tell you how awesome this experience is for both them as children and for adults. We just visited the dinosaurs and butterfly exhibits and it was spectacular. I couldnt believe, and neither could our 2-year-old, how real the dinosaurs looked and sounded. We are members which is nice because we can make it a short trip if one of the kids is inconsolable.

I have been going to this museum since I was 10 years old. I am impressed on how the kept the old nature scenes from my days and integrated more modern info. It also makes more sense now that Im older. Love the interactive mineral room, fossil room and mammal room.

We love stopping by when they have the birds and docents. Always something interesting happening. And today we watched a butterfly emerge from its cocoon!

No fun,no animals really simple and pricey do not RECCOMEND!!!

Its good to visit butterfly exhibit and listen the scientists telling all about butterfly. Place is good to take kids to learn knowledge and have a little picnic. Teenagers are probably not excited about it.

This is one of Santa Barbaras best museums! Its been remodeled and has various sections. Everything from Sea Life to mammals to birds and Chumash Indian culture. it sits on a beautiful piece of property on the edge of Mission Creek. They have a wonderful seasonal butterfly garden. You can let the kids explore the nature area. Its a must go when visiting Santa Barbara.

So much fun! Totally exceeded our expectations. Some areas were under construction during our visit but what we did see was so exciting. The taxidermy is the best Ive ever seen, the exhibits are beautiful and informative, and the history of the museum itself is so fascinating. Did you know the museum used to only feature eggs? I highly recommend this place for a day out with the family. We sure enjoyed it and I think you will too.

This is a local treasure. We took our 18 month old grand daughter recently, and we all had a blast. The grounds are spectacular, with old oaks and a well flowing creek. And we got to visit with Raptors, including owls, a hawk and a beautiful kestrel. Highly recommended.

Great interactive exhibits for kids (and adults) build an earthquake proof house & test it! and many more.

Great place for the entire family! Some of the sections need to be remodeled but still great! Love the fact that a small river passes through.

Surprisingly big museum with sections for gems/minerals, Santa Barbara habitats, marine life, birds, mammals, and space. Also a curiosity room with lots of learning activities for children. The spacious back yard has a big animatronics dinosaur garden and a butterfly pavillion. Only thing is no A/C, so dont expect a nice chilly place on a hot summer day.

I like this place because there is not a lot of walking. Everything is linked together and well presented. Parking is also free. I m editing this review because museum team is good enough to ask for the improvement. The first thing you can do is put signs for the ticket office. We came on 2nd which was a rainy day and got wet in the rain looking for the ticket office which is all the way on the other side from the parking. 2nd thing to do is improve the map. Try to locate the doors which leads from one section to another. Include the water fountain on the map and definatly put a trash can at the entrance of each section because no food and drinks are allowed and people need to throw it somewhere. I didnt get receipt for my ticket. I was only given tickets. I dont know why. I didnt need it so I didnt bother but it should have given to everyone without asking. I have few more things but then the review will be too long. If you guys are interested in serious improvement then you can reach out to me and i can in detail.

Great place for families and kids.. takes a total of 3 hours and paid entries available. Best time to visit is between 12 to 4 PMThe timings for this museum is 10 to 5 pm. I loved the love bird exhibit that is done everyday between 2 to 4pm.

Amazing space to take your family! So many places to explore, discover, & learn. Pack a lunch & stay the whole day to get all you can out of the experience!

Set up really well. Very nice displays and artifacts. Great place to go while in Santa Barbara.

Nestled near the Mission hillside, this museum has a lot to offer. Great for kids, botanists, bio scientists, ornithologists and anthropology fans. Some of the exhibits are showing their age a little bit which makes the price a little steep. Staff is helpful and parking is free.

Oh my God, I love this place. I had to leave to pick up my car but I am coming back soon. There was so much to see!

Everything is closed and patrons should be notified prior to entry

Great place for kids

Grew up going here and it’s still a gem. It’s small, but a fantastic environment with great exhibits. I loved it as a little kid, and it still holds my interest 10 years later.

Very cool exhibits, not too pricy, and its interesting!

Beautiful indoor exhibits. Gorgeous campus and gardens. Bring a picnic lunch, and enjoy a delightful day of outdoor paths, short hikes, kids can follow a little wooden boat down a river. Moderate sized museum that can be enjoyed.

Wonderful butterfly expo on during my visit, otherwise there is an incredible wealth of knowledge contained in this museum!

A hidden gem in Santa Barbara. Folk & Tribal Art Show in December is incredible.

Very nice and surprisingly good little natural history museum. The creek garden area and the live raptors are a plus

A small yet well appointed touch and feel museum. A really great choice for a kid friendly outing. The grounds are peaceful and gave me a sense of ahh relax and drain stress (Im not kidding, drained right out). That makes the museum worth a trip sans kiddos. The grounds have lots of fun things for kids yet its not (at least for me) overly kid centric. A fun dinosaur experience I saw (or rather heard) from a distance in the garden.Further on from the butterflies is a building with a lot of fun hands on for kids. Theres a staffer there who helps guide visitors. I have to say she might be a little gem. I overheard part of a conversation a young (20s) visitor had with her. He told her because of her he chose his field of study and career path. Dont underestimate the power of places like this that open up possibilities for youth.Saw the bird house (where birds are kept) and it was empty, I was bummed. Turns out they were all with handlers under a big tree. (How did I miss them? I dont know.) The handles shared all kinds of tid bits about, gosh I think they were all birds of prey. Owls of several kinds, a little guy who is one of the smallest birds of prey, and falcons. This was yet another way to add to the experience for such a small facility.Oh yeah the butterflies. They have a really cool butterfly enclosure to get up close to these tiny beautiful winged creatures. Its big and theres a lot room to explore.The exhibits dont disappoint either. Lots of information about geography, native tribes (Chumash) and of course animals. One exhibit showed animals and where they are on the spectrum of healthy population numbers to endangered (and for one specie of bear, extinction).The gift shop is small yet has a very good selection of goods.

Not a lot to look at but was still fun and engaging, made more for a younger crowd. You can pet sharks though

Museum is always amazing but changing exhibits and events like their Tribal Arts fair mean theres always a reason to go. Fantastic shopping!

Lot of kids activities and for curious minds. A must see in SB.

Great value for the exhibits, friendly staff, and cute gift shop! Their Butterflies Alive was the most beautiful butterfly walk exhibit I have every visited!