Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Tours and Tickets

General admission to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History costs US$20. Slight discounts are available for kids and seniors, while children under 2 get in free. Tickets include all permanent visiting areas, but special exhibits may incur additional costs. Note that the Sea Center requires a separate ticket.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History displays more than 3.5 million objects related to the region’s natural history, from ancient meteorites and a pygmy mammoth skeleton to handmade Chumash baskets. Exhibits cover space sciences, land and marine animals, and native plants. The popular butterfly pavilion returns every summer.

Yes, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is great for kids, as its interactive exhibits let them touch space rocks and walk beneath a giant blue whale skeleton. Kid-friendly outdoor areas include the Prehistoric Forest with animatronic dinosaurs and a play area with a creek, aviary, and reptile clubhouse.

Yes, most exhibits in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History are wheelchair accessible. The museum has parking for people with disabilities, ADA-accessible restrooms, and wheelchair-friendly paths throughout the exhibits. Visitors with limited mobility can rent manual wheelchairs from admissions and access outdoor areas via a free electric cart service.

No, you don’t need a reservation to visit the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. While you’re able to book timed-entry tickets online, you can also buy them on-site. Be aware that reservations don’t apply to the butterfly pavilion, a popular summer-only exhibit that may have a line to enter.

Yes, you can visit the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and Sea Center on the same day—though they both have a lot to see. The sister campuses require separate tickets, but they have the same visiting hours (10am–5pm daily) and are about 10 minutes apart by car.