Museums & Culture

Santa Barbara’s cultural landscape features world-class art collections, regional natural history, and preserved Spanish-era architecture. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art anchors the downtown district, while the Museum of Natural History focuses on the area's unique ecology. Specialized institutions include the Art, Design & Architecture Museum on the UCSB campus and Casa Dolores, which showcases Mexican folk art. The city’s heritage is further preserved at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and Casa de la Guerra, the 19th-century adobe residence of the Presidio’s commandant.