Santa Barbara Area Family Fun Attractions
Below is a list of family-friendly museums, public gardens, farms, historic
places, and zoos in the Santa Barbara area (Santa Maria to Carpinteria, including
the Santa Ynez Valley). Due to COVID in 2020, the museums may be closed until further notice. Please check their websites for the most updated information.
Art Museums:
Art, Design, and Architecture Museum at UCSB
http://www.museum.ucsb.edu/visit
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
https://mcasantabarbara.org/
Santa Barbara Museum of Art^
https://www.sbma.net/
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
http://www.westmontmuseum.org
Wilding Museum^
http://www.wildlingmuseum.org
Gardens:
Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens (Santa Barbara)
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/horticulture/alicekeck.asp
Santa Barbara
https://www.santabarbarablueberries.com/
Open during the summer
Fairview Gardens (Goleta)
http://www.fairviewgardens.org
Folded Hills (Gaviota)
https://foldedhills.com/the-farmstead/
Lane Farms (Santa Barbara)
http://www.lanefarmssb.com/
The produce stand is open year-round. The actual farm is open during select weekends during the summer for strawberry picking, every October for the pumpkin patch, and during the holiday season for Christmas Trees and various holiday-themed items.
Lotus Land^ (Montecito)
http://www.lotusland.org
Miraflores at the Music Academy of the West (Montecito)
http://www.musicacademy.org/about-us/campus
Mission Rose Garden (Santa Barbara)
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/horticulture/acpostel.asp
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden^
https://www.sbbg.org
Historical Museums and Places:
Carriage and Western Art Museum
http://www.carriagemuseum.org/
Casa de la Guerra and El Presidio^
http://www.sbthp.org
Casa del Herrero^
http://www.casadelherrero.com
Tours for children age 10 years and above.
Hans Christian Andersen Museum
http://www.solvangca.com/museum/h1.htm
La Purisima Mission
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=598
Mission Santa Ines
https://missionsantaines.org/
Old Mission Santa Barbara
http://www.santabarbaramission.org
Ranchero La Patera and Stow House^
http://stowhouse.com
Santa Barbara Courthouse
http://www.sbcourts.org/gi/loc/sbcourthouse.shtm
Santa Barbara Historical Museum
https://www.sbhistorical.org/
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum^
http://www.sbmm.org/
Santa Ynez Museum^
http://santaynezmuseum.org/
South Coast Railroad Museum
https://goletadepot.wordpress.com
Natural History and Science Centers and Museums:
MOXI^*
http://www.moxi.org
Santa Barbara Natural History Museum^*
http://www.sbnature.org
Ty Warner's Sea Center^*
http://www.sbnature.org
UC Santa Barbara REEF (Marine Science Institute's touch tank)
https://msi.ucsb.edu/reef
Zoos:
Santa Barbara Zoo^*
www.sbzoo.org
^Has a membership option. For more information, please check the website.
*Requires a reservation
