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!

You need a whaling of a good time... This is the place to go…read more Pro tip: it's past past the butterflies Parking is free in weekends but there are plenty of park to pay machines around Things to touch, yes! Walking paths, yes! Gift shop, yes! Super friendly staff, yes! Support science! Highly recommend!

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.

Wasn't able to go due to a schedule conflict and had to cancel the day before. Sandy, their Senior…read moreGuest Relations Host, not only got the tour canceled and refunded, but she emailed me right away to let me know everything was handled. Appreciate the wonderful customer service, looking forward to being able to go visit sometime!

I have come here for the Halloween special and their regular guided tours…read more For their Halloween event, I highly enjoyed it! They make a lot of effort to decorate and set up a spoooky ambiance. The cast were really into character and it was really fun. I also enjoyed their Halloween styled drinks - it truly set the mood! For the regular tours, I was pretty disappointed. For the following reasons: - tour was WAY too big (could not hear and it was hard to follow along) - tour content was a bit lacking. I came in with a rough idea of who Sarah Winchester was and didn't learn much beyond that. Might be different if you don't know anything about the area though - tour guides were kind of cranky. Our tour guide seemed pretty annoyed throughout the whole thing and I saw multiple other tour guides (ours included) yell at guests which was super awkward Nonetheless it is amazing to have such a historic landmark nearby. The staff do an amazing job of preserving it and it is very well maintained. You can tell they all take pride in working their and in conservation of the house, which was nice to see

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!!

A fun place to visit if you have some time before hitting the Boardwalk or pier! Located right…read moreacross the street from the pier, know that it is FREE to visit! This is not affiliated with the Monterey Bay Aquarium but it is tied to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). The docents/volunteers here are friendly and engaging and it is fun to learn about the oceans surrounding Santa Cruz. Great for kids, it's a quick 30 minute visit kind of place to pop in and learn something new!

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.

Very nice Staff, the tour inside of Air Force ONE it was amazing…read more All the airplanes in very good conditions, my favorite Black Bird

It was pretty nostalgic coming here with my kids. I lived in Merced for a few years as a kid during…read morethe first Desert Storm War back when this was Castle Air Force Base and they were flying b-52 bombers over Merced everyday that would shake the windows of my house. We were driving up the 99 from Fresno to Manteca and I thought it would be a fun detour for my kids to see. They were pretty pumped to see the SR-71 Blackbird and one of the old old Air Force Ones. I wish there would have been more planes available on public display without having to pay to get into the museum since we were there after hours and couldn't see any of the other ones except for through a chain link fence. Still a pretty cool experience though and worth the short detour.