Santa Barbara Botanic Garden reopens to general public

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - After about seven weeks of reopening to members only, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden began welcoming the general public back to the grounds on Friday.

All areas of the Garden are now open as well. No reservations are necessary.

The Garden is reducing capacity to about one-third of normal, allowing 80-100 guests in at one time. After that point, only members would be allowed in until groups begin to leave.

There is a strict mask policy in place with masks available for purchase at the entrance. Certain paths are one-way only and distancing policies are in place as well.

The Garden is partnering with Cottage Health to ensure safe protocols for guests. There are now additional hand sanitizer stations throughout the grounds as well.

“It is a huge relief to be able to share the Garden again with the general public,” Executive Director Steve Windhager said. “It feels like we are coming through this. I know that Santa Barbara County is experiencing an uptick in the [coronavirus] cases that are going on. So we’re gonna be watching this very closely. We want to make sure that we can do this as safely as possible.”

The Garden is still allowing members to enjoy the grounds from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the general public can enter.

Currently, the Garden is open Friday through Tuesday, but Windhager says the plan is to extend operating hours to seven days a week sometime this summer.