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Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 E Cliff Dr
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 420-6115
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 420-6115
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Don't expect a huge building with tons of exhibits to explore around here. It's very small, but for the price of only 2.50 it's a quaint experience. Personally, I loved looking at the Ohlone exhibit and the animals that inhabit the area.
Oh, and the little petting area for starfish and other small tide pool creatures was so interesting. My family and I kept looking through the pool to find all the animals that they had on their information display. We just couldn't find the small shrimps in the pool.
Definitely worth a look when you're in Santa Cruz, and it's not out of your way.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
I love this little museum! If you are into local wildlife, you'll go, well, *wild* over the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. Its small, you can do the whole thing in 30 minutes, but its packed full of furry, naturey awesomeness.
The museum was Santa Cruz's very first, established in 1905. It is essentially divided into four parts: 1) An impressive collection of wildlife dioramas (read taxidermied critters) including a Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Fox, mice, snakes, probably a dozen different kinds of local hawks, and much more, 2) An ocean focused area about local ocean critters and whales, complete with a hands-on tide pool where you can touch the urchin, starfish, sea slug and the like, 3) some exhibits on the Santa Cruz region's geology, and 4) an Ohlone history area that is a little more static and a bit of a yawn but a great educational vehicle for kids to learn about Santa Cruz's *original* locals. There's more, too; a live honeybee colony, a giant whale, plus there's a neat gift shop full of local ecology related books, posters, gifts, etc.
At only $2.50 for adults and free for under 18, you've run out of excuses not to come down to this little gem of a museum and get yer Bobcat on!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (2)
This place is phenomenal! It may be small but is packed full of a wealth of information about our area. It is a must to take your children to, as it is so important that they learn about all the wildlife on our planet, and what we can do to keep them in our environment. They have an incredible shell collection in this place as well. The whale sculpture out in front of the building is just too cool for little ones to climb on and take a photo op! The docents that work here are very knowledgeable, and if your child has research or a report to do this is a great resource. It is really great that this place is here and made available for all of us to learn from.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Cool (2)
This is a very SMALL museum, yet the kids still had a good time and I don't think it was very pricey, it's right next to the water which is a plus too.