Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s outdoor spaces open to public

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History's outdoor spaces have been open for the past few weeks for members, but will now open to the public with advanced reservations starting July 8.

These spaces include the wooded area across Mission Creek, the Museum Backyard, and Butterflies Alive! in Sprague Pavilion.

Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the indoor galleries, Curiosity Lab, planetarium, library, and Museum Store remain closed at this time.

The Museum's educational staff has created fun and engaging self-led, contact-free outdoor activities. There are signs placed throughout the Backyard to direct visitors.

There are new guidelines in place to protect the health and safety of the public, including one-way flow of movement from the Admissions Office to the outdoor spaces, through or past the Butterfly Pavilion to the Backyard, and exiting past the observatory to the parking lot. Visitors should note that once you have passed a location, you may not go back. 

Masks are mandatory for anyone 3 years and older. There are also increased cleaning protocols, hand washing and hand sanitizer stations, and limited attendance per hour.

For a full list of our new procedures and what to expect during your visit, click here.

If you would like to reserve tickets, visit sbnature.org/tickets.