The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center, formerly known as the Ty Warner Sea Center, is a museum located on Santa Barbara’s historic Stearns Wharf, owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The museum focuses on the marine life and the related conservation of the Santa Barbara Channel.

History

The museum reopened in 2005 after the building of a $6.5 million facility. The new building's major donor was businessman Ty Warner, also a local resident.

Exhibits

• Living Beach: An interactive tide pool.
• BioLab: Depicts the biological life cycle of marine creatures, including sharks.
• Wet Deck: Focuses on oceanography and includes the "moon pool," which is an open well that allows access to the external seawater. A theater features videos about the Santa Barbara Channel and the area also features an interactive science lab.
• Mammal Mezzanine: Examines 36 species of marine mammals found in the area, including an exhibition about marine mammal language.