Museum of Natural History

Worth a stop. Well curated state park museum. I spent an hour with the incredible interactive exhibits. Be sure to go to the classroom in the back to check out the eggs and feather displays. Admission is $3. I would have paid more.

Tucked away, this free museum is easy to miss. It is definitely worth a stop if you have kids (or if you'd like to learn more about the area). There are lots of hands-on, interactive displays & gorgeous views of the bay.

This is a fun little museum filled with ecological and history facts. It's especially great for kids, they have a lot of kid activities. There are great views of the ocean and Morro rock from the museum. They have a huge whale skeleton on display that was really cool. Their gift shop is cute and has some cute souvenirs. The museum is normally $3 but I went on a free day. Parking is free.

It is a nice little museum in a great location and offers a lot of information on nature. We visited on Dec 22, 2021, during raining.

The museum is a wonderful place to learn about all the beautiful nature in and around Morrow Bay. The entrance fee is great for most families, and the displays are perfectly formulated to keep young children engaged and excited. I had a wonderful time there with my family and plan to go back next time I'm in town.

A great place to learn about the natural history of Santa Barbara, strongly recommend!

$3 entry fee is a great price point for this kid friendly museum. Staff is friendly and plenty willing to answer questions. There are many taxidermy birds and skeletons of sea creatures. You are literally just on the edge of the estuary. There is a small parking lot attached to the museum, but you could park in many other close spaces. Go ahead and climb all the way to the top of the rocks near the museum, as there are good views and a couple great benches. This whole area seems very dog friendly, too.

Spent the morning walking around this absolute gem. Educational and fun for the kids. Beautiful views. Gift shop was perfect.

What a super terrific resource ! Our 2 1/2 year old grandson, his mom and this grandmom were totally engaged by the hands-on exhibits about the Moro Bay geology and ecology. Brooklyn and Paula welcomed us with "you can touch everything that doesn't have feathers and fur" and "we've got an Osprey and a Heron in the scope, would you like to see it?" We will have to go back when we have more time, but some highlights from our time there today include: -The microscope where kids can focus and adjust the magnification to see 6-8 specimen is great. -Behind the microscope is huge window is an actual skeleton of a Minke Whale! -The views are spectacular! -There is a mini reading nook with all sorts of Moro Bay animal hand puppets! -The prices is $3 per person, but kids were FREE! -Parking is plentiful and free!

Such a perfect small museum that provides the best views and educational experience that perfectly showcases Morro Bay. Only $3 for adults and kids are free! We camp right across the street at the State Park Campground and have been several times. Always a nice place for our littles to explore. Stunning views to observe marine life. The staff are always helpful. Cute puppets and story area, as well as hands on learning activities. Interactive displays that provide historical and environmental info. The gift shop has nicely curated souvenirs and nature items. The museum is worth a visit if you are in the area.

10000% worth a stop. $3 for adults and kids are free. Great views of the bay. Fun interactive kids spaces and lots of info for adults too. Everything is hands on. Kids puppet and coloring areas. Cute gift shop with great stuff! Not the usual tourist spot stuff. Highly recommend stopping here. Maybe an hour hour 1/2 adventure

I could skip the natural history museum, it's more for younger kids. I enjoyed the pop up virtual reality experience however

Loved loved loved it!!!! Staff was super friendly. My kids enjoyed the whole experience and mainly the microscope. The view to Morro Rock is amazing from here as well. My kids learned many cool things. Definitely great place for kiddos and even for adults to visit. FYI kids 17 yrs and under go in for FREE. :D

I love these sea turtle cotton socks I bought @museum of natural history, in Morro Bay! We had such fun with the interactive buttons, levers and wheels. We played puppets by the bay window, scanning the whole ecosystem that gives habitat to fish, fowl, mammals and vegetation there. Warning, stuffed animals about!

This place is a must see for adults and children. Kids under 17 are free, adults were $3 while we were there. There are so many things to spin, pull open, hear etc, it's truly an interactive museum. There's a small stage with felt items that can be arranged. If you have younger ones, this is an excellent place to learn a few things. And if you have little ones with extra energy to burn, there is a path that leads to the top of the hill . It's not stroller friendly due to all the rock steps. There is a wonderful view from the top. This museum is small but stuffed with activities and things to see. The marine mammal mural has the cutest seals and otters. Don't miss it!

First of all, this place is more of an interactive ecology-based educational center rather than a true museum of natural history. That being said, the exhibits are very informative on local history and the various natural environments, such as the beach and the estuary. I think is a good way to spark interest in preserving the natural environments in younger children. It is an advantage that they have friendly state rangers working there. The location is ideal because of its high vantage point, which allows one to panoramically view the estuary, the bay, and the famous Morro Bay rock (when not fogged over). We visit often and intend to do so again soon. Recommend that you hike up the "small Morro Bay rock" that they have right in front of the center. It provides an even greater view of the whole area, and last time we did we saw a sea otter!

This place is right on the waterfront in Morro Bay and is a state park. Really incredible interpretive science exhibits in the museum. It cost 3 dollars to get in and is well worth the money. I really like how it honors indigenous cultures first thing. As you enter, there are welcome messages from the two tribes whose ancestral territory is Morro Bay and beyond. Everything was well thought out and really addressed issues with ocean plastics and how to be more thoughtful with our resource use. The interpretive exhibits were interactive with physical components that kids would really like. Also a great classroom where I am sure local schools come to learn about their local Environment. And both the State Park and volunteer interpreter were very knowledgeable and fun to talk to. Great for birdwatching!

Super cute small museum with amazing views of Morro Bay! Very interactive and staff was friendly. Reasonable $3 admission fee for adults, kids are free. Parking is easy and plentiful in their private lot. The gift shop is a great place to pick up some souvenirs!

Fantastic little museum right on Morro bay. It tells the story of everything you've wondered about standing on the Morro Bay shoreline. This is a must see for first time visitors. And if you've been here a dozen times and you've never visited this museum, you've missed out. The museum has its own small parking lot.

This is the museum right next to Morro Bay Park. They got some cool interactive displays inside as well as some nice park rangers to help guide and explain about the history around the area. I enjoyed walking around, reading the info displays and stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling.

We finally went to the Museum of Natural History today and had so much fun! Our kids, both young teenagers, said they loved it, which I think speaks volumes. The museum was set up with engaging, interactive exhibits, and we learned a ton.

This museum is very small, but packs a Big Bang of information and entertainment. Parking is plentiful at the state park at no charge. The museum is $3 a person. There is a nice gift store with super cool gifts for all ages. The museum tackles the topic of how Morro Bay rock was naturally formed and has interactive learning stations that are child friendly. There is a movie viewing area and museum staff are there for questions. This is definitely a must do family trip stop. You can see everything in approximately 45 minutes. Great Value.

An awesome place to visit for kids and adults!!! Beautiful views of the bay and surrounding areas. I learned a lot when I was in there. I didn't know plastic straws could last to 200 years! My little girl spent most of her time playing with magnetic sand and opening little draws to learn about birds in the area. One thing that surprised me was the ticket's price. Only $3 for me!!!! My children got in for free! We decided to buy some items at the gift shop to support the museum, and to my surprise again, all money from the sale goes to education. We spent about 2 hours there. If you have little kids, it's a great place for them to explore and play. Adults can relax and enjoy the view of the Morro rock and the bay.

I am blown away by this little treasure. $3 entry for adults. Kids are free. My kids LOVE it and have been here 2 hours and don't want to leave yet. Ages 8, 6, and 2 enjoying so much hands on learning, cause and effect...

The Museum of Natural History is the biggest little museum in Morro Bay. This museum is part of the Morro Bay State Park located at the top of a small hill across the street from the golf course. Free parking is available for museum guests. The museum showcases the history and present of Morro Bay and the Rock. It is a nice overview of the area and a great value for admission. The exhibits are small, but they pack a big punch with information for both kids and adults. I learned some interesting facts and enjoyed the views. It's a bit surreal to see all the nuclear siren warning signs around, but the Museum of Natural History shows the much less radioactive parts of the region. It's a little dated, but still pretty interesting. You can quickly breeze through the interesting museum then continue your exploration.

Exhibits mostly white shaming. Very friendly workers. Great views and windows. A few natural exhibits and taxidermied animals. A few things about unique or interesting features of the bay.

Pleasantly surprised with with this state park museum!!! Good for kids and adults! Coming from an area with only state beaches, the Museum of Natural History at Morro Bay is very nice. They have many interactive displays as well as good information on the local area's wildlife, ecosystem, and history. They have a nice whale skeleton as well, impressive! Friendly staff, nice gift shop. We spent an hour in the MofNH easily. They also have videos playing in the back room. Highly recommended for the nominal fee they ask for to visit. You can then (if you haven't already) take walks around the marsh area or visit the other state parks. We really enjoy this area of California.

We came to the museum today and it's closed due to Covid. So sad because my family are vacationing and was looking forward to it :/ but did enjoy the outside trail and view of Morro Rock.

Always Love this Place as a Kid Small with a Hiking Trail Right on The Beach I took The Love of My Life Along with Her Grand Son It was so Nice and Special Even though she Passed Away Years Ago I still Drive from The San Fernando Valley to Go Hiking in Big Sur I Always Stop Here and go inside. Then Smile and Think of You Love you Princess.

Really nice small museum with gorgeous views. Take a walk around the back of the museum up to top of the rock to see a gorgeous view of the bay and Morro Rock. The docent put in a seven minute film of the origins and history of the rock. Very nice people, good interactive displays for kids and adults.

Cool small Museum to visit when in Morro Bay. Fee: $3 donation/ adult, and kids are free. There is a cute shop upon entering Museum. Some learning and interactive play for kids. Little puppet area where kids can put on a show. Watched the sea otter movie, then we were told where we could find them by Morro Rock. Plenty of parking space.

This museum was great, although I will mention that I don't frequent touristy attractions like this. As most other reviews already mentioned, it was quite impressive for such a small space and it was only $3. I enjoyed the educational walk (free) that the volunteer did with us. After visiting the museum, I did brought my SUP out in the water and walked around the park. Nice place.

Took my 2 & 4 year old here on family vacation it was the perfect interactive experience for them. The staff were helpful and very friendly even with our wild kids. Awesome gift shop as well.

This is a great place for the family The lady and the old man are very helpful and information Very relaxable I am sure I will come back

The museum of Natural History is a great stop if you have kids and are passing through Morro Bay. What I liked most about this museum was its prime location over the water and the "build in" interactive wall displays. Go outside on the balcony and watch the sailboats get stuck in the sandbar. While in Morro Bay check these places out. - Shine Cafe http://www.yelp.com/biz/shine-cafe-morro-bay - The Shell Shop http://www.yelp.com/biz/shell-shop-the-inc-morro-bay - Giovannis http://www.yelp.com/biz/giovannis-fish-market-morro-bay

This museum is a wonderful resource for children adults and families. The exhibits are excellent and the Staff is very helpful.

This place is definitely geared towards children, and offers little to nothing by way of stimulation for adults. That being said, many of the interactive child-like exhibits either didn't work very well or weren't very entertaining, even from a child's perspective. However, you can learn about the estuary and the ecology of Morro Bay. It was kind of interesting to check out once, and the periphery of the museum offered some great views of the surrounding Morro Bay, but I probably won't be a repeat customer. In fact, I would probably come back just to check out the view, without having to go inside!

Unless you're into this kind of thing, that being museums, galleries and such, the Natural History Museum, especially this one, would be easy to miss. Disguised as a rocky tor on the lower edge of Morro Bay State Park, unless there were signs directing you, this place would be an easy drive-past. This is certainly one of the best small museums on the Central Coast, and I have been to all of them. With an ever-changing series of family-friendly presentations, puppet shows (yup!) and a group of friendly and knowledgeable docents, this is a definite 'must-visit'!! Museums like this are not usually on the 'tourist trail' for many people, so the parking issue is a non-problem. The minimum entry donation is $3/person...cheap by any standard, and well worth it, and then some more. Its a great opportunity to learn some stuff you may not have known about, and to relearn stuff you once did. The entire area is worth a visit if nothing more than to see the awesome scenery of the lower Morro Bay area. The photo ops are numerous and beautiful! I had not been here in 20+ years, and this area is still as beautiful as ever. Definitely worth a return, especially now that we live less than 35 miles away!!

This is a great little museum with a lot of local information. It's small but has enough information and activities to keep elementary school children interested to learn more. The staff are really friendly and the gift shop is a cute place to get souvenirs.

I learned that an estuary has salt water and fresh water and that a sand spit protects the estuary from the pounding surf. I also learned that there are consequences to our actions and that the nickname of Morro Rock is Rocky. All kidding aside, this museum was a hidden gem. As Katie S. indicates, it's kid-oriented. I think that the adults in our group learned just as much, if not more, than the kids. The kids did a detective hunt through the museum; the detective hunt was geared to kids older than mine -- it would be perfect for the 10+ aged kids. The one docent that was working when we were there was a font of knowledge; he was an older gentleman who was obviously passionate about the Morro Bay area. I love that. Also great: the bathrooms open before the museum does (museum opened at 10 am; we got there around 9.45 am to find the bathrooms open). Do you sense that bathrooms are a big deal for my family? You try camping with kids, and you'll discover that they ARE a big deal.

I love small museums of all types. (and the weirder the better). with that said, this small museum of the local are is entertaining children and adults alike, informing them of the local birds and such and bringing light to the theme - Lets all take care of what we got! Please support the small museums. (they all need it!)

This museum is awesome! Highly recommended if you are in the area and have any interest at all in animals and the environment. There's a small $3 entrance fee, but it's well worth it for all the interactive exhibits available. You can learn about all the different plants and animals that live around Morro Bay, and also the science behind the different parts of the ecosystem. In the back of the museum there are some specimens you can see and feel, and a nice outdoor balcony overlooking the bay you can take pictures from. The docents here are super friendly and always ready to help. They were able to recommend some good places to see and the best times/places to view wildlife around the bay. This is a hidden gem worth seeing at least once!

One of our absolute favorite place to go in morro bay. Hands on interactive entertainment for kids and adults. Don't forget to climb the rock path out front of the museum to get a stellar view of the estuary. Lots of fantastic souvenirs in the gift shop. Very friendly staff eagerly answer any questions that you may have and are happy to share knowledge.

We had a wonderful experience here with our young niece. Beautiful views from inside the museum and plenty of fun for all ages.

What a great educational experience! My two daughters learned quite a bit about local history and ecology. There is a 7 minute video about sea otters that pup in the bay. They have many interactive displays that are educational, interesting, and fun. We participated in a treasure hunt where the "treasure" was hunting down facts in the displays; at completion the girls received bird calls as a reward. We also participated in a very informative nature walk given by Molly, a volunteer docent.

My preschooler loved this museum and chose to spend way more time here than I thought she would, given the small size of the place. The ambiance of it, rather dark and mysterious, caught her attention, as did drawers to pull open, big buttons to push, and lots of wheels to spin, wheels that made something happen in the different displays. She especially appreciated the displays where tiny balls of different kinds whirled in water or spilled in great quantities inside a display (that one represented erosion). We adults tried to sit down to look at the lovely view from the windows but couldn't stay seated because the petite one was off again (a mark of a great place to spend time). She wasn't much interested in the balcony that lets you step out to continue admiring the view (nice for older people), but all the taxidermy animals took some time to take in, and she liked the "tidepool" for little kids with stuffed animals in it (the toy kind). (There's also a place for kids to create their own puppet show here.) She even spent time rearranging the pieces of a photo cube puzzle with nature pictures that a thoughtful someone had created for kids to play with. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to leave the museum, so it earns a definite five stars from mom.

This is a really inexpensive and entertaining way to spend an hour or two in Morro Bay. There are a lot of interactive exhibits that my kids (7 and 4 years old) were into. There are also a lot of really pretty views of the bay and Morro Rock. The price is really reasonable, $3 for adults and free for kids under 16.

This is a wonderful little museum, with an amazing view of the bay, and very informative and educational for children. And at only three dollars per adult a terrific value! I find the stuffed animals very disturbing and probably won't be back for that reason alone but that's just me.

Made a plan to take the kids (5 and 8) out everyday during their spring break. Read the reviews in the morning, packed a picnic and we were on the road by 10:30. First thing we did was explore the outside, went up a stone trail that led to a beautiful panoramic view of Morro Rock and it's surroundings. Then checked out some of the outside exhibits, quick potty break, and we were inside. Paid $3.00 for myself and the kids were free. The place is bigger than expected, most of the exhibits are interactive and kid friendly about 3 1/2 hours later and we were done. Headed outside, had our picnic on a table overlooking the bay and we were done and headed home. Great place to bring the kids for both an educational activity and to get them out of the house. I highly recommend it.

This is small museum in the lovely town of Morro Bay. We took our 5 year old there and spent a good couple of hours. They had several sea creatures (starfish, etc.) that he was able to pet. For a Saturday in January, it wasn't packed which was nice. The cost was reasonable and the staff was very friendly. If you are spending a couple of days in the area and want to kill a few hours, this is worth your time -- especially with kids.

Wandered into this museum an hour before closing and will be heading back for more tomorrow! We never would have suspected that this tiny museum could be so chock full of fun and informative displays and exhibits that rival or surpassed those we've seen in Yosemite and Sequoias. Great for kids, but the adults learned a lot, too! Admission is $3 for adults and free for children. Also free if you're staying at the campground.

Very fun and informative! My 17 month might be a bit too young but I had a lot of fun. Beautiful views of the estuary are coupled with lots of information about it's history.

I fell in love with this Museum of Natural History. You take a short drive within the State Park to get to the museum. There is no entry fee to the state park and no charge for parking. The cost to enter the museum was $3.00 for adults and free for children 16 and under. This is a great place for young children to adults. My kids are ages 11 and 17 and I can honestly say we all enjoyed our experience at the museum. Once you enter the museum there are plenty of things to see, touch, hear, and it is totally interactive. The staff encourage you to play with all the exhibits and were extremely friendly and willing to explain any of the exhibits. The museum has a great view of Morro Bay and the Rock! From the observation deck we watched as kayaks passed below us in the bay. Once we were done in the museum we purchased a few items from the gift shop. One of the items my son bought was a bird call/whistle and the staff showed him how to use it properly. So needless to say once we exited the Museum he was playing with the bird call, sounding just like the birds in the area. After we exited the museum and just off the side of the parking lot is a little trail. My family and I walked along the trail which takes you up a little hill and gives you yet another splendid view of Morrow Bay. The State Park and Museum was a beautiful atmosphere. We will definitely be coming back. I already referred close family friends to bring their twins to the park and museum. Young kids would especially love this place!

Interactive and fun experience. Perfect for kids and those who want to learn about the Morro Bay estuary. The staff was knowledgeable and welcoming. Would suggest for families!

small but just as many interactive things to do as bigger spread out museums. Didnt think i would like it as much as I did. Great views too.

This is a great museum! Admission is free if you are camping at the state park which is across the street. My kids ( ages 5&9) enjoyed our visit. Most of the displays are for school aged children. Toddlers would most likely be bored. The views from the museum are beautiful! The lady at the front desk was very pleasant and made us feel welcome. Plan to spend between 30 and 45 minutes when you visit.

I grew up in Morro Bay and had never been to the museum. I can say that I'm pretty impressed with what they do for the kids. Displays are very interactive and entertaining for the little ones. Also, it's incredibly cheap and offers a new view of the rock and bay! Worth checking out