Ty Warner Sea Center, 211 Stearns Wharf,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101, 805-962-2526
www.sbnature.org
If you notice a
line of kids and adults heading into a big building on
Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, it's not a restaurant
with a waiting line formed to dine. It is the Ty Warner
Sea Center, operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of
Natural History. Sitting atop a wharf that's
mounted in place on dozens of sea legs (pier pilings),
the building can be viewed from the main entry of the
wharf, and is accessed from that entry point by going
toward the end of the pier, then turning left.
This sea center
includes aquarium tanks, displays and educational
exhibits the teach about the local sea environment. As
you enter the facility you'll notice a giant, 30-foot
whale dangling overhead. The whale is not real, but
offers a visual display showing just how massive these
animals are.
The museum offers
opportunities to adopt real sea creatures, too. How
would you like to become a mom or dad to a lobster, sea
cucumber or octopus? You can do that if you want.
Open daily except
major holidays, the museum charges a fee (under $10 as
of this posting), with less charged for students, youth
and seniors.
So when you out
touring Santa Barbara or the California coast, you'll be
glad to know that there are several such sea center and
aquariums on piers that you can visit. Two additional,
similar facilities are located on the
Santa Monica Pier and on the
Manhattan Beach Pier.
The Santa Barbara
pier museum is located across the street from several
hotels. See map for location.
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