The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center is a hands-on aquarium perched on historic Stearns Wharf, offering visitors an engaging window into the marine life of the Santa Barbara Channel. Featured exhibits include the Dive In: Our Changing Channel gallery, showcasing moon jellies, California moray eels, two-spot octopuses, and kelp forest ecosystems, while the popular Wet Deck provides interactive ocean research tools. A marine mammal mezzanine highlights a life-sized gray whale model. The Sea Center actively participates in the White Abalone Restoration Consortium, contributing to endangered species recovery. With free admission for museum members and a range of educational programs, the Sea Center is a family-friendly destination combining hands-on discovery with meaningful marine conservation work along the central California coast.
