It was my family's first time and I wish we went my toddler was a baby. This place was so cute and…read morehad a lot of activities for kids and adults too. My 4 year old loved the different zones and kept jumping from one section to another. While we were there we joined the science activity and my toddler made an interesting airplane. It was a little busy in the afternoon on a Saturday mainly due to birthday parties. They only have one bathroom so be aware that you might have to wait in line especiallyif theres a party. Other than that, for $10 my kid had a great time for a couple of hours. We'll come when we visit Santa Cruz again.

My kids love this place! It's in the Capitola Mall and easy to get to with plenty of parking. There…read moreis a lot of variety here and plenty of chances for the kids to use their imagination. There were plenty of things to do - a play kitchen, arts and crafts, dinosaurs, cars - it really tailors to a wide range of children. My daughter (6) and my son (3) were never bored - with a daypass, we had access to the facility all day and we actually came back later in the afternoon! I would say one con was that there was only one bathroom (not stalled bathrooms), so depending on how busy it is there may be a wait to use. We were there Saturday morning and it wasn't too busy but when we came back in the afternoon, there was a birthday party and it got busier. The museum closes at 5pm. Definitely a must-visit for when we visit Capitola again!

Located at Tyrrell Park with a $5 admission fee for adults (free for kids), and no charge for entry…read moreon first Fridays of each month. Museum permit parking on Pilkington if you're lucky to find a spot (you do need to obtain the permit inside). A nature walk to explore and learn about the tide pooling at Scott Creek is among various programs and workshops offered by the museum regularly. And the lady at the front counter was friendly and shared interesting stories behind some of the items on display. There were a few live critters on site like the rosy boa near the fake snakes, and guests could even touch the sea creatures in the tide pool. Also, see and learn about plant and animal fossils and the history of paleontology in the Santa Cruz area. The animal displays were creatively set up, as well as a redwood tree ring. Lots of bird species, ducks, owls, and the golden eagle, even an interactive exhibit where guests could hear the bird calls of the song sparrow, hermit thrush, and pacific slope flycatcher, among others. My favorite exhibits were the banana slug display describing the importance of being slimy, and of course the black-tailed jackrabbit, cuz I like all things "rabbit". I also checked out the gift shop before leaving, with a variety of cute and creative products and souvenirs for sale, a great way to support the museum.

Forgot to review this place! We had been wanting to see this place for years and finally went. It's…read morea mile or so from the Boardwalk. Long walk or fast drive. They'll give you a parking pass for the street. It's very small but really a neat visit. Perfect for smaller kids especially!

We stumbled upon the museum by accident when we attended a car show on the neighboring fairground…read more What a true gem! The volunteers welcomed the kids and encouraged them to take part in the bean bag toss, throwing horseshoes, the sack races, pumping water the old fashioned way, riding tractors, milking fake cows, going for a real hay ride and more. The children not only enjoyed every minute and couldn't stop talking about it on the way home. It was a nice reminder of how simple times use to be and how we don't need fancy thing-a-ma-jiggers for entertainment. Sometimes simplicity can be the most fun. If you have little ones, this is a must do. I think that they called the event Second Saturday. Check it out and add it to your "must do" list. Just make sure to pack a little cash to make a donation to keep this exhibit going.

This place is amazing!!! The people that volunteer/work here are the salt of the earth and a wealth…read moreof knowledge. We went with a school group and they were so accommodating. They were so good with our Littles and had so many fun activities and hands-on learning activities. I plan on visiting again soon! You can just tell all the people here really care about the museum and sharing all it has to offer- which is a lot!

Adj: marvelous marine center…read more This is the UC Santa Cruz's marine research center. We've been here several times, but I keep forgetting to write a review. It's a gem, maybe I'm secretly and subconsciously gatekeeping, who knows lol. Anyways on this latest visit, only the little one wanted to go with me so the two of us had some mom and son bonding time. We both had a great time, we share a same fascination with natural wonders and laugh at silly things, so it was a terrific time. Most of marine center looks about the same, but they added and changed some things. We looked at the long timers in their aquarium tanks and enjoyed and marveled at how interesting and unique they look and took lots of pictures of them. We also spent a good amount of time learning about the sea creatures in the touch tanks area where you're allowed to gently touch sea stars, sea urchins, anemones, and sea snails, as well as non animals like sea weed, (empty) shark eggs. All fascinating! Afterwards, we went out to the back and this time there were no tours to join, so we just walked along the trail and enjoyed looking out at the Pacific Ocean, at the native plants growing all over, and listened to the waves crashing against the rocks. Overall, another lovely visit to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and a wonderful time of bonding for my son and me as we discovered and discussed the various different marine creatures who call this place home. Please check out my pictures to include the gift shop ones.

Keep it Reel Marine…read moreScience Center is run by the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and is located right on campus. They focus on the education of ocean research and the conservation of our oceans. The Good: * Good place to bring young kids as it's not very large, and you can see the whole thing in way less than two hours. * One-mile loop trail along the UCSC campus if you want to add a little hike to your visit. * Guided tours available, as well as self-guided. * Hands-on experiences--they currently even have a shark in the touch tank! * Picnic areas outside with an ocean view. * The whale skeleton outside is pretty "bitchin'." * EV charging available. * Bike rack. * Buy tickets online or at the door. * Very affordable at $12/adult and $9/student. The Meh: * Hours and days change depending on the season. The Ugly: * Paid parking during the week, but free on weekends. Conclusion: Great little museum located right on the coast, but don't expect it to be an all-day affair.

We were in San Jose for Labor Day weekend 2026 and looking for something to do. I googled what to…read moredo in San Jose and the only thing that came up was the Winchester Mystery House beside shopping. They have some good shopping the Westfield Mall and Santana Row. We're good on clothing and other goods so we weren't really looking to go shopping. I've heard of the Winchester Mystery House, but have never been. This seemed like my best chance. My husband has been twice. When he has 12 and then again when he was 42 so it wasn't new to him. I looked them up on their website and was shocked to see how expensive it was to make a single 1 hour tour, but it's really the only thing to do in San Jose besides eating and shopping so we took the plunge and decided to go. I looked and there was plenty of tickets on Friday so we figured we could just show up and go. For some reason I was inspired to look Sunday night to recheck the ticket prices and ensure they were going to be open Labor Day. To my shock the 10am slot was sold out and so were most of the morning slots. There were tickets at the 10:05am tour time. I didn't want to commit so soon at the same time I didn't want to miss our opportunity to see the house. In the end I took the gamble that we'd be up and ready to go by 9am to ensure we would make it to the 10:05 tour time. It cost $92.22 for 2 people including taxes and fees. Wow!!! Steep. I'm glad there were tickets left and I was able to snag 2 for the early time as we needed to make the journey home afterwards. We arrived at around 9am and thankfully found parking. On their website they said they were under construction and parking was limited and you may have to park at Santana Row. I didn't want to have to walk that far so we my husband humored me and we arrived extra early and were first in the parking lot. Good for us. We hung out in the car till 9:40am and then headed to the gate to get in line. There was a crowd forming, but no actual line. They opened the gates at around 9:45am to get everyone through security. They inquired if we had any weapons including pepper spray and inspected our purses. Good thing I left the pepper spray in the car lol. After entering in the court yard we were directed to the gift shop. We were informed that the most important room of the house, the bathroom was though the glass doors and through the inner courtyard. Also look for the green and red sign as that is where you go for your tour. At 10am sharp they called the first group in. They scanned your ticket and then took your picture agains the side of the house and give you a card to look at your picture after your tour. In addition after your tour they email you a link to your picture in addition to being able to look up your picture via the QR code on the card they gave you. I didn't look at the pictures till I got home as I took a really good one of us in the garden. When I got home I used the QR code to look at our pictures and I was shocked that they looked so good. They superimposed a picture of the house behind us. It was a super fun pose and my husband actually smiled in the pictures. They are only $35 for the set of digital prints. I'm not sure how it works if you get the printed copy at the gift shop, if they also give you access to the digital prints as well. I sure hope they would as these days everyone wants it digitally so they can post it on social media and send it to friends and family via email or text. I'm still tempted to buy the picture set. We'll see how long they leave it up. We just look so good in the pictures. I'm a total picture person and a real sucker for photo ops, especially photo booths. To add to it they did have a Photo Booth in the gift shop that looked fun, but as I said we did take some really cool selfies so we really don't need more pictures. The first cool thing you see is the door with the stairway that goes nowhere. So cool. Excitement from the very start. I got a cool picture of the staircase. The house is huge, but the room inside are tiny and I mean tiny. It's like you're walking into a closet. You are walking in and out of a room before you realize it. We visited I belive 110 rooms in 1 hour. After the tour we took a tour of the gardens. I am so glad that we did as you can walk around to the front of the house and grab a. Great pic in-front of the house. A totally instagram worthy shot. The grounds are beautiful. With lawns, hedges, and flowers. In addition in back was one of the workers quarters, a really nice house out back. When you walked by it talks to you and tells you a bit about life working for Sarah. There is also a fruit cellar where they dried fruit and that talked to you too about the process.

Had been wanting to go visit ever since I was in 3rd grade. Was so excited to go, even though it's…read more$50, but was deeply put off by a gift shop full of junk that has nothing to do with the beautiful house and the shooting game attraction. Signed on for the optional self guided attic and basement tour and I'm so happy I did. Got to speak with a guy named JT who works there and he was so full of knowledge regarding Sarah and the house. He really gave such a new perspective to the designs I had never thought of before. I understand the tour guides have a script and they like to lean into the paranormal but Sarah is such a character, just like her house. It almost felt disrespectful walking through and hearing they had 'ghost' noises playing in part of the basement. This woman was highly intelligent and did so many great things just to be painted as a crazy woman. Winchester needs to do better. Major shout out to JT, if he ran that place I just know it would be spectacular.

I absolutely think this Santuary Exploration exhibit by Monterey is amazing, fun and educational…read more Here's a secret......it is totally FREE!!!!! If your in Santa Cruz area and need a cool off and a break for the young kids take them here. Lots to see, touch and explore. Even a coloring area where they display your picture. You can use a under water diving machine. You can watch a movie on the ocean. So much more. Time to explore!!

For an overview of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and its sea life this was a great…read moreintroduction for both adults and children. It was located just across the street from the Santa Cruz Wharf with nearby street parking or private lot parking. The center was a two stories with the gift shop and restrooms on the first floor and all exhibits on the second floor. It was free to enter. Staff were very welcoming when we first arrived and engaged with us as soon as we entered the second floor. Very helpful and informative information about the sanctuary (didn't realize just how large it was), sea life and the center. Various movies ran continually throughout the day and repeated itself every hour. The hands on ROV was a hit with visitors out all of the interactive exhibits. Worth a stop.

This is unfortunately apostrophe review apparently because I see that this place has closed too…read morebad. My daughter went to Santa Cruz and I tried for years to get in. Finally, I saw it last year. I'm glad I made it. It was a wonderful place and the proprietor those Bigfoot personally.

Just a fun little stop while passing through Felton on Highway 9 near the Henry Cowell Forest. I've…read morebeen meaning to stop for a long time, and finally caught it when it was open. It is closing up soon, so time is running out on seeing it. It has some neat pictures and plaster Big Foot specimens. Articles from papers from years past. They have stickers and shirts, just a cool place to say you've been.

Drove ~1.5 hours to visit this museum for a solo birthday trip. The SR-71 immediately welcomes you…read moreto the museum. Tickets are purchased inside the gift shop (yes they take cards) and they have a paper map to provide you with the airframes and where they are located. 80+ jets/bombers/cargo/helicopters for you to enjoy. I was VERY surprised to see some specific jets/bombers there and surprised to see some very rare aircrafts. Being a son/grandson/nephew of Vietnam vets (I Corps, ARVN working alongside MACV), I'm biased in saying the Huey and B-52 were my favorites (besides seeing the F-15, which has been/always will be, my favorite jet). The weather was slightly wet then hot so bring a waterbottle with you as this is primarily an outdoor museum. The indoor museum was also nice to get cooled down and learn some history (which I very much enjoyed). Dropped a donation here before making my way to the gift shop to purchase a Postage Stamp Huey and a magnet. Would've loved to have taken my dad here if he were still alive. Forgot to mention, seeing a AV8B Harrier, a Vulcan and the Peacemaker...blew my mind. The sheer size of the bombers is just crazy.

What a fantastic collection of aircraft. They have some unique planes and has one of only two Avro…read moreVulcans in the USA. They are all outdoors and it was very hot when I went. Otherwise, I would have stayed longer. Give yourself a few hours at least.

Fun place. Our kiddo had fun. Good price. Street parking. They have a shop in the front and…read morerestrooms in the back. Something for every kid.

What a great place for kids.Lots of activities to do. They can learn how things work .Place is…read moreclean and friendly