Santa Barbara Area Family Fun Attractions

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 Blueberries (Gaviota)
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