Our 8 & 11 year old granddaughters loved it. There are many interactive activities for children and adults alike. It's right at the marina and a good place to spend a couple of hours if you want to be indoors. Our girls didn't want to leave.

This is a small but nice museum. My son greatly enjoyed it. Very good history of this great area. You can go to the top deck for free so most folks skip the museum and just use the look out but the museum is worth a look. Not for small kids.

Very interesting and educational. Found this by accident when we were looking for a restuarant. Really enjoyed our walk thru.

Good history of the area - there is a good collection here but nothing that really caught my eye. The way everything is presented is a bit cluttered and there is lots to read. Most enjoyable - the interactive boat driving game on the second floor.

Visiting seaside villages is a favorite pastime. The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is not only clean and well designed, but it is always maintained with up to date information and history of this bewitching seaside community. Drenched in maritime history, it is a must see for anyone interested in a sweeping study of the Central Coast of California.

Interesting sections on the oil spill, surfing, and the Honda Disaster. (Not part of the museum -Go to the top floor of the building for the view.) You could definitely spend several hours here. Also walk the pier and take in the views from there. We saw several pods of dophins. We just happened to pick up some vacation type... More

If you are into boating, Santa Barbara maritime history (remember the oil spill?), and surfing, you will enjoy this museum. There is a great view of the harbor from the 3rd floor.

My daughter and I were walking the pier and stumbled upon the museum. We spent several hours looking at the exhibits and listening to the audio on how waves effect the coastline, how the early ships discovered the area and balancing on the surfboard where you can get a feel for surfing and take a picture. A great little discovery.

Surprise, surprise .... You never know what you can learn in a museum that focuses on local water/ fishing stories. There seem to have been some very capable fishermen, deep sea divers and inventors in this region! Topics of displays include the development of diving equipment, exploration of the coastline and sunken vessels, maritime tales.... Quite a variety. If y... More