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Things to do in Santa Barbara with kids

Museums, tours & cruises and historic sites — 34 places to go with kids in Santa Barbara, California. 3 free to enter · most admission $15 to $45. 7 have a verified saving right now.
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Indoor things to do in Santa Barbara →

Museums in Santa Barbara13

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Tours & cruises in Santa Barbara12

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Historic sites in Santa Barbara2

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Farms & pumpkin patches in Santa Barbara2

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Escape rooms in Santa Barbara2

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Zoos & aquariums in Santa Barbara1

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Adventure in Santa Barbara1

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Parks & beaches in Santa Barbara1

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What’s on in Santa Barbara

Within 25 miles of Santa Barbara. Dates and wording are each venue’s own.

Free in Santa Barbara

3 attractions in Santa Barbara get you in for nothing, in the venue’s own words.

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Places with deals in Santa Barbara

See each venue's offer wording and ticket conditions before choosing.

Santa Barbara offers a diverse mix of museums and water-based attractions suited to different kinds of trips. Museums dominate the scene: the interactive hands-on exhibits across three floors of MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation appeal to younger children, while the Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library, housing over four thousand items displayed in one hundred fifty cases, draws collectors and families. The Old Mission Santa Barbara, established in 1786 and the only California mission under continuous Franciscan guidance since its founding, invites self-guided tours through its Mission Museum. For water activities, Santa Barbara Adventure Company operates sea cave kayak tours at Channel Islands National Park, and Condor Express Whale Watching operates boat tours on the Santa Barbara Channel where visitors observe marine life. Downtown attractions include escape rooms at House of Clues and the outdoor mystery challenge Downtown Detectives Santa Barbara, which combines elements of an escape room and scavenger hunt. For a full day with teenagers, consider Land Shark's 90-minute narrated adventures that combine land and sea exploration.

What this list covers

Santa Barbara has 34 places to go, mostly museums (13), tours & cruises (12), historic sites (2).

26 of them publish an admission price, 28 publish opening hours, 6 have something dated on now, 7 are running a verified saving.

Every figure here was read on the attraction’s own website, most recently on October 14, 2026.

How we know these are real

Savings here are quoted from the attraction’s own website, word for word. This one, for example:

“Museums for All (Snap EBT): $3”

Quoted from santabarbaramission.org · checked on

Common questions

How many attractions in Santa Barbara are running a deal?
7 of the 34 attractions in Santa Barbara currently have a verified saving, covering 10 offers in total. Each is quoted from the attraction’s own website. Examples include Moxi, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Adventure Company. Check each venue’s offer wording and eligibility conditions.
How much do things to do in Santa Barbara cost?
Most admission in Santa Barbara runs $15 to $45 per person, and 3 places are free to enter. Published prices run from $35 to $125 — $35 at Celebration Cruises of Santa Barbara, $125 at Couture Pattern Museum, across 3 attractions in Santa Barbara that publish their own. Each figure is that venue’s own price line for what it names, which is not always plain admission, and each attraction’s page carries the rest of its rates.
What’s on in Santa Barbara right now?
6 attractions in Santa Barbara have something dated running, 14 listings between them. Each carries its own dates and the venue’s own sentence, and nothing is listed once its dates have passed.
Is there anything free to do in Santa Barbara?
3 attractions in Santa Barbara say on their own website that admission is free. We only say free when the venue does, unqualified — a child rate priced at nothing is not a free attraction. Examples include Casa Dolores, Reagan Ranch Center, Santa Barbara Historical Museum.
What kinds of attractions are included?
museums (13), tours & cruises (12), historic sites (2), farms & pumpkin patches (2), escape rooms (2), zoos & aquariums (1), adventure (1), parks & beaches (1).
Are these deals guaranteed to still be available?
No. Every deal here carries the date it was last checked on the attraction’s own website and a link straight to the page it came from, so you can confirm it before you travel. Prices and offers change without notice.
What's best for a toddler on a rainy afternoon?
Old Mission Santa Barbara offers self-guided tours through its Mission Museum where children explore artifacts and the site's history indoors. The Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library displays over four thousand dolls and teddy bears in one hundred fifty cases throughout its galleries. Both provide sheltered activities without time pressure.
What can we do on the water?
Santa Barbara Adventure Company operates sea cave kayak tours at Channel Islands National Park, paddling to sea caves and coastal formations. Condor Express Whale Watching operates boat tours on the Santa Barbara Channel observing marine life. Double Dolphin Cruises operates a 50-foot sailing catamaran departing almost daily from Santa Barbara Harbor.
What suits a full day with teenagers?
House of Clues escape rooms challenge players to solve puzzles and escape a locked room within 60 minutes. Downtown Detectives Santa Barbara combines escape room and scavenger hunt elements as a team-based outdoor mystery. Land Shark offers 90-minute narrated adventures combining land and sea exploration of Santa Barbara.