Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center Located on historic Stearns Wharf, this highly interactive regional aquarium offers you close encounters with marine animals from the Santa Barbara Channel.
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In 1987, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History built the Sea Center on historic Stearns Wharf to communicate the biodiversity and ecological importance of the regional ocean environment. This small aquarium and marine education facility offers guests hands-on encounters with life from the Santa Barbara Channel, including Swell Sharks, rays, sea stars, sea urchins, and anemones. On the Wet De

ck, guests experiment like scientists by using oceanographic tools to sample the ocean and examine life below. Upstairs, guests can view mesmerizing jellies, a Two-Spot Octopus, and many other animals found in nearby waters. Life-size replicas of a Gray Whale mother and her calf preside over an unparalleled view of the coast towards East Beach, Montecito, and the spectacular Santa Ynez Mountains.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center exhibit interpreters help guests interact with live animals and demon...
08/20/2026

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center exhibit interpreters help guests interact with live animals and demonstrate scientific sampling tools. It’s a great way to learn about local marine life! This is open to ages 11 and up, with 5-month minimum commitment. Come learn more about this and other key volunteer roles during our upcoming Volunteer Open House on Tuesday, September 15, 10:00–11:30 AM at the Museum. Visit https://www.sbnature.org/visit/calendar/9278/volunteer-open-house for details and RSVP.

07/25/2026

Pycno party at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center on Stearns Wharf 🌟🌟

Two young Sunflower Stars (_Pycnopodia helianthoides_) from Sunflower Star Laboratory have a new home on exhibit, a shining opportunity to make starfriends out of the 100k+ guests who visit this regional aquarium annually.

The species was devastated by sea star wasting disease in the mid-2010s and is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Their absence from California’s kelp forests led to overgrazing by sea urchins. Sunflower Star Laboratory and partners raise the stars and work to restore the species to the wild and bring balance back to our degraded kelp forests.

These siblings from the Cupid Cohort—raised from eggs fertilized at Birch Aquarium at Scripps on February 14, 2024—currently have 18 and 21 arms, and were part of the first group of Sunflower Stars to temporarily return to California’s oceans this past fall. We’re excited to feed the bottomless pit and watch them grow into big strong urchin-eaters. 24 arms or bust!

The Sea Center is open daily, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. Plan your visit at sbnature.org/seacenter

Hey, is that a catfish on Leadbetter Beach? Thank you to David Bothman for sharing a photo of what looks like it could b...
07/22/2026

Hey, is that a catfish on Leadbetter Beach? Thank you to David Bothman for sharing a photo of what looks like it could be the Chuhuil Sea Catfish (_Bagre panamensis_) washed up right here in Santa Barbara. Although the fish is hard to identify in its decayed condition, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Research Associate Chris Thacker, Ph.D., replied to his query with her thoughts: "They are rare in Southern California and mostly known from Mexico. Given the ocean heat wave and the projected strong El Niño, it is not at all surprising that some warmer water fishes are coming up to our coast." Check out more details at
https://www.sbnature.org/collections-research/questions/category/11/vertebrates
Photo by David Bothman

Enjoy the Sea Center’s unique hands-on exhibits after the kids have all gone home! July 23 and August 13, 5:30-7:30 PM a...
07/15/2026

Enjoy the Sea Center’s unique hands-on exhibits after the kids have all gone home! July 23 and August 13, 5:30-7:30 PM at Happy Hour at the Sea Center, bring a date or friends and get your hands wet touching friendly Swell Sharks, anemones, and sea stars. Go upstairs to be mesmerized by our Moon Jellies, Two-Spot Octopus, and Mantis Shrimp. Cool off on the shady east-facing deck as you enjoy breathtaking evening views of Santa Barbara’s coastline. This special event is for adults age 21 and up with valid ID. General admission $30, Members $15. Ticket includes one glass of wine, fancy cheese from Cheese Shop Santa Barbara, and assorted light nibbles. Get tickets at https://tickets.sbnature.org/events/019edbdf-6c57-87ad-45ce-ae631faba029 while space lasts.

Stay cool and hydrated this week during the heat wave, everybody! ☀️ We’re hoping for good weather to hit the beach this...
07/14/2026

Stay cool and hydrated this week during the heat wave, everybody! ☀️ We’re hoping for good weather to hit the beach this Sunday, July 19 during our cleanup at East Beach, 10:00 AM to noon. 🏖️ Come be part of the solution to marine pollution, gain community with fellow ocean-lovers, and earn community service hours if you need them to graduate. Anyone is welcome. Participants under 18 will need a waiver signed by their parent/guardian, and children under 14 must be accompanied by their parent/guardian. The Sea Center will provide some gloves and bags, however, we encourage you to bring your own supplies to reduce waste. 🧤 Details and RSVP at https://www.sbnature.org/visit/calendar/8950/beach-cleanup

Happy Independence Day! The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center on Stearns Wharf closes at 3:00 PM today ...
07/04/2026

Happy Independence Day! The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center on Stearns Wharf closes at 3:00 PM today due to holiday street closures. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is open 10:00 AM–5:00 PM as usual. Plan your visit at sbnature.org

07/03/2026

Thank you Toothy the Shark for enlivening our quarterly staff meeting 🦈 He’s not usually this talkative.

Basking Sharks were abundant off the West Coast of North America before increased fishing activity and targeted eradicat...
06/30/2026

Basking Sharks were abundant off the West Coast of North America before increased fishing activity and targeted eradication devastated the regional population. The last formally published sighting of this understudied population was in 2018. Join us Monday, July 13, 6:30–8:00 PM at Dargan's Irish Pub & Restaurant for Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Science Pub with Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Aquarist Olivia Cleek, P.S.M. 🦈 In a novel attempt to address the region’s Basking Shark data deficiency, Cleek collected social media posts featuring Basking Shark sightings from the past 15 years. The results provide new insights into the present-day distribution and seasonal patterns of this species on the West Coast. No tickets or reservations needed, but note that Science Pub is a popular program. Early birds get good seats. More details at https://www.sbnature.org/visit/calendar/9178/science-pub-sharks-basking-in-online-attention

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...a fiberglass model of a Gray Whale?! Throwback to 1985: The Santa Barbara Museum of Na...
06/18/2026

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...a fiberglass model of a Gray Whale?! Throwback to 1985: The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History hired model-builders at Monterey Bay Aquarium to create a life-size Gray Whale mother and calf for the new Sea Center. Mama Bering and baby Baja journeyed down Highway 101 via flatbed truck to Santa Barbara Airport, startling motorists along the way. In an airplane hangar at Santa Barbara Airport, local artist Paul Fairweather painted Bering with markings and scars like those Museum curators observed on real Gray Whales in the region. Barbara Fairweather and Jim Kleeman assisted. Bering was too big to make the final turn to her destination on the shoreward spur of Stearns Wharf. Petroleum Helicopters gave her a lift, shocking many locals who thought she was the real thing. Bering was backed into the Sea Center and the building was finished around her. “It was a little like building a ship in a bottle,” wrote Curator of Exhibits Ruth Gebel. Over 40 years later, kids who marveled at the flying whale now bring their own kids to enjoy Bering and Baja at the Sea Center. Photos by Bill Dewey and David Collier, courtesy Gary Robinson and Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Archives.

Address

211 Stearns Wharf
Santa Barbara, CA
93101

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+18059622526

Website

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