Beautifully kept, nonprofit, little aquarium. They have a nice selection of sea life with how…read morequaint this place is. They had spots where you were able to interact with some of the animals (we got to pet a shark!) and play a seek-and-find checklist game. Their souvenir shop was cute and we got a magnet and some stickers. Definitely worth a visit.

I was raised in this area and never went to the aquarium so I'm sure you can imagine how excited I…read morewas to take my toddler here for both of our first times visiting this place! The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable! They were so patient with my baby touching a starfish for the very first time. This place is special and I'm so glad we got to experience it together while visiting Avila beach.

Absolutely the best and most knowledgeable fish guy around. Always helpful with a lifelong span…read moreof experience even if your just shopping around and trying to figure out the hobby. Good local guy always helping his local community.

Very unkempt place, with very dirty tanks, extremely needing cleaning. The selection is poor,…read morelighting inside is very poor. Most All tanks have severe infestation of Aiptasia's and Sailor bubbles, alge. I checked a tank with a 6-1 test strip and I did not like what I saw. It's seem like a 2nd hand store for old/used equipment. It's seems he does maintenance programs, and I have seen 2 tanks he does and they were so gross I would be embarrassed to have a tank looking like that. If they are knowledgeable in salt water reef, they should know better than keeping tanks in that ugly condition, as a marie hobbyist I find it embarrassing that this is their way running a business, stopped at his place 1 time before and he had no power due to his nonpayment of the Pge bill. I would never buy anything here, and tell my other friends to be very careful buying livestock for here. I would highly recommend WET PETS and or FINS N CRITTERS they have a great, clean, healthy looking selection .

The staff are the best! Always very helpful, and incredibly intelligent. They certainly know their…read morestuff. It's not a huge aquarium, but you can learn a lot and view a variety of sea life creatures in a small space. Great for adults and children. Always excited to go back!

Went to Santa Barbara for a bachelorette weekend and of course walked Stearns Wharf after brunch…read more Super cool that you can drive onto the pier, with lots of little shops and restaurants. We stopped at the aquarium, and regular tickets felt pretty pricey for how small it is, but thankfully CalFresh/WIC tickets are only $5. We spent about 20-30 minutes inside, mostly touching the sharks and starfish, which was honestly my favorite part even as an adult! If you were to take your time, maybe you could spend an hour in The older gentleman at the ticket counter was also super friendly. Cute little experience with a great view right on the pier!

We have been coming here for years. Our kids LOVE the Moxi!…read more Especially our son who is a big STEAM kid. My only complaint is the water section on top floor, that exhibit in particular seems like it needs some maintenance. Some oil added or something like that as it is very hard to push the levers. Also some additional shade up there would be nice! It is super bright and VERY sunny (almost blinding with the white paint)! Highly recommend people bring sunglasses up there. It's nice because it is a very spacious museum that offers a lot. Often it is very clean too!

Pros: Close to the train stop…read more Lots of interactive activities Sensory cave to help battle overstimulation Cons: Not good for infants and toddlers. The lactation pod was super loud and not a great place to pump, luckily had the sensory cave. Their infant and toddler room is for walkers only because they don't close it off and make people take their shoes off so definitely not okay for babies like they claim who need a clean environment. Also very little toys. Better if you can already climb and walk. Expensive! They have a 90 mile rule for using reciprocal kids museums and Pasadena's Kidspace is 89 miles away. $25 an adult is not worth it for the parents of a non crawler.

Yay! I like the look of this place! I hope it will meet my expectations! But I think that maybe I…read morecould live near this place and go there all the time!

From the owner: Aquarium Science is a family owned business that provides residential and commercial aquarium…read moreservices including, custom aquarium installation, fish tank maintenance, aquarium supplies and aquarium livestock for Santa Barbara County. The owner Craig Gutshall is a Santa Barbara native and has extensive knowledge on saltwater aquariums, reef tanks, planted aquariums and freshwater aquariums. Aquarium Science has friendly professional services at competitive rates.

I like this zoo because, while much smaller than the LA zoo, there are fewer crowds and you have…read morethe opportunity to see more animals up close. There's also a petting barn area, and you can pay extra to feed the giraffes. It takes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours to see everything. Admission is $39.95 for adults, $29.95 for kids, and $11 for parking. Or, if you're lucky like me, go with a friend who bought an annual membership that lets you bring additional people to the zoo for free, and parking is free too! There are different membership prices and levels depending on the number of people in your family. Cost ranges from $139 to $299. There are also places to buy drinks and snacks and a large play area for kids!

Visited the Santa Barbara Zoo and I thought it was a decent size. It wasn't too small or big. There…read morewas a good variety of animals. I thought most would be hidden or tired because we went on a hot day, but surprisingly a lot of animals were pretty active and visible. My favorites to see were the flamingos, frogs, kangaroos, and giraffes. There is an area where you can walk along the kangaroos on a path. The staff is in the area, should you need assistance, but I thought that was pretty cool. The zoo has a small train ride that takes you around the zoo for about $6 per person. There is also food and beer sold throughout the zoo, and if you want a fun souvenir, they have some photo booths with cool backgrounds for your photo strips. Parking is $11 but if you have a handicap placard, parking is free.

My girlfriend and I had an incredible experience with Avila Beach Whale Watching! Captain Mark was…read moreabsolutely fantastic. He knew exactly where to take us, and we ended up seeing 12+ whales up close, along with dolphins and seals. It was truly an unforgettable experience. What made the trip even better was how knowledgeable Mark was. He clearly knows the area, the wildlife, and his industry extremely well. He was able to answer every question we had and gave us a ton of interesting information throughout the trip without taking away from the experience. If you're considering whale watching in the Avila Beach area, I can't recommend Captain Mark and Avila Beach Whale Watching enough. 10/10 -- we would absolutely do it again!

Overall, this was a wonderful experience…read more It was scary in the beginning because the waves were a little rough. We sat in the front and experienced "flying boat" - as in the boat was rocking so hard it left the water for a bit. Lesson learned for me - in choppy weather make sure to always ride in the back. The Captain was extremely knowledgeable and customer service was flawless. He knew the ocean very well. When he realized we were getting pretty nervous he made sure that the boat stayed in a position that limited the rocking. He kept checking on us to make sure we were doing ok. We saw whales, otters, birds, sea lions, and porpoises. It was amazing seeing them in the wild and they were beautiful. Make sure to dress in layers. It was cold in the beginning but warmer when we were heading back to the dock.

I have been going to this store since I Moved to the central coast. The owner knows a great deal…read moreand though I am no Beginner in the reef keeping hobby I will often bounce ideas off Paul or Ricky as I know i can get a second opinion that is trustworthy. I prefer not to buy Fish online and Paul will work hard to get the specialty items i am looking for. I am grateful they are in the area! Thanks again to the staff at Tropics

Honestly I don't know where to start with my experience here…read more I've been here only once and that was enough to ruin my experience. As I was looking at the fishes I noticed that the tanks were filthy. I told the staff and they lied to my face telling me they cleaned the tank recently. I swear if you could touch the inside of the tank your finger would be covered in algae. I asked about clown fish and they were obviously over charging me for the fishes, the tanks, equipment, and other items. I should have know that considering how filthy the inside of the shop was. The staff here obviously didn't care too much about this place since all they did was just pretend to clean the area they were at. Hell there was so much tripping hazards on the floor that it felt like Saw puzzle. I swear a homeless person can come in the front door and immediately walk away due to the condition of this place. I spent too much money here for stuff to break as well as my fish being incredibly sick. 1 star is still too high for this review

I love the AquaDoctor! If you are in need of aquarium set-up or maintenance, or the same for a…read morepond, this is your guy. This company is amazing. The AquaDoctor will visit your home or office to attend to the needs of your fish. He is polite and knowledgeable. With over twenty years experience, I trust the care of my fish to The AquaDoctor and am never disappointed!

From the owner: We specialise in all aspects of tropical fish care,maintenance,design and installation of aquariums…read moreand ponds.