MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation image

MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation

Tourist attraction Museum Childrens museum

One of the Top rated Museums in Santa Barbara


Address

125 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States

Website

moxi.org

Contact

+1 805-770-5000

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (1.2K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Monday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Tuesday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Wednesday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Thursday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Friday: 10 am to 5 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: kids (24) museum (10) time (10) water (8) floor (8) exhibits (8) interactive (7) play (7) building (7) explore (7)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Renee G. 9 months ago on Google
    Moxi is the best museum and interactive play space for kids. It can be rowdy and loud, and I recommend supervising your child. But it is absolutely incredible and totally inspiring. The ability to touch and play with everything scores many points. Bring your snacks for an upstairs outdoor patio visit if needed. Watch out for street parking because the hours are subject to change.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Matthew P. 2 years ago on Google
    Best time a grown up can have water ching children enjoy knowledge. There are so many wonderful things there on all three levels. Not going to spoil alert but check out my phone's and video. This is definitely a place to visit with you girl or or family.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Cara S. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a dream of a museum, built for kids to play and discover. From the sound waves made visible on the first floor, the power of air on the patio, color and light discovery, aerodynamics, to the brilliant solar exhibit on the glorious rooftop.. This museum is less "look" and more "do"! Hands on learning at it's finest. Make sure to buy tickets online ahead of time, don't be afraid to call to ask what their slow times tend to be! I did that and we were thrilled to really be able to walk right up to most exhibits and play! The kids only had to really wait for a few things. 10/10, will be back
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Patrick D. 11 months ago on Google
    This is a playground for kids, not a museum. Parking is hard to find but there is one next to the building if you want to play. We stayed for 2h30 minutes and you can probably stay longer since there is many things to do. It is also very crowded and you will have to wait in many stations. We went during the week,any school bus full of kids with more or less supervision. The result was a lot of crossing the line. But, it was great. Both my 4y and 7y really enjoyed and would have stayed more. You won't learn much there but you will have fun.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Yele 8 months ago on Google
    Fun Exciting and alot of exhibits for the kids. Three levels of different learning exhibits to experience. Had plenty of bathrooms and water stations and fountains. Benches to sit. & had snacks with designated place to sit down and enjoy your snacks. Clean and organized. Staff was friendly and helpful when we arrived. Clean bathrooms. Alot of space for kids to explore.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Wook C. 2 years ago on Google
    For ANYONE with kids or toddlers, this place is it. And prepare to spend hours. Yes this is a science museum but never have I experienced such interactivity. It's almost like a science camp crammed into 3 floors. The topics range from AR to sound to gravity to brick building to car racing, etc. And each station will entertain and teach kids for a long time. Had we lived anywhere in the 30 min vicinity, we would've gone for an annual pass. Oh did I say the price was also very reasonable? Again, simply no competition in terms of interactive museums for kids. Perhaps even camps don't come close. Double thumbs up!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Elliot S. 8 months ago on Google
    This place is not your normal museum. Everything is hands on interactive its a great place for kids. Tons of things to do would highly recommend to anyone. There were all sorts of things from playing a game with your mind to building a car for a race. So of my favorites included the mind game which is a game where you try and make yourself the calmest and who’s ever brain is calmest wins. Another is a game that measures how high you can jump and then it shows your jump in slow-mow. Finally there was a wall that you put pegs and a track on and try and make a little wooden ball make it all they way to the end of the track you designed.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 K K. 8 months ago on Google
    Great meseum for kids. Tons of interactive exhibits spread across three floors with plenty of activities for all ages. There is a beautiful rooftop as well offering panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Parking is a bit tricky as it is a busy area of the city.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sheena M. 2 years ago on Google
    Everything is interactive and so much fun. My kids 3 and 5 had an amazing time and so did we adults. A couple of hours is enough time to see the exhibits, and not be totally overwhelming. We skipped the building lab. The terrace is beautiful with views of the mountains and the beach and more exhibits. Going on a non-holiday Monday in October meant there weren't too many people around - maybe only about 5 other kids in any large area at any given time. With masks and some completely open areas, it felt very safe.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Esther L. 1 year ago on Google
    An excellent little kids center. Three floors with the roof, every single one is packed with good quality, inventive, well maintained, and highly interactive exhibits. It’s really amazing actually. Beautiful space, and kind staff :) We had a great time. On a Saturday morning it was very busy but not overwhelmingly slow. Many people wearing masks but not mandatory.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 momo 1 year ago on Google
    Several floors of mind stimulating activities for the kids to explore. The place is pretty convenient in between the pier, hotels and a bunch of places to shop + eat. The facility is very clean and the top deck is a plus. The kids had a great time and didn't want to leave.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 G P. 1 year ago on Google
    Great place for all ages. Everyone from the 10 year old to the 75 year old had a blast. We were able to spend over an hour, walk the city, grab lunch and ice cream, and then go back and do the exhibits we enjoyed one more time. I would definitely recommend this place if you are coming to Santa Barbara.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kris R. 1 year ago on Google
    Awesome experience for the whole family. There are a bunch of fun things for kids (and adults) of all ages. We went with an almost 3 year old, and she loved it. We jumped around and did different activities over the course of about 2 hours and didn't do everything. It will be nice to come back and be able to still keep it fresh. Highly recommended destination for some safe fun!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Brenden B. 8 months ago on Google
    We really enjoyed our time here! Definitely recommend checking this place out if you’re in the area or planning a trip to Santa Barbara. Parking is pretty tricky, especially on the weekend.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Wenbao Z. 2 years ago on Google
    Great location, next to beautiful Santa Barbara streets, eatery, railroad, and beach! Seemed small building but TONS of fun for the entire family. We really enjoyed creating and making our unique Xmas toy "GB" together.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Julie Ferrari B. 2 years ago on Google
    I'm visiting and we have a children's museum in our area, but this one truly has something for everyone. I will challenge adults to take a child and not try something yourself. There are so many hands-on options. Moxi is impressive and I highly recommend.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Elaine C. 2 years ago on Google
    This museum surprisingly has quite a lot for kids to do and I would definitely recommend it. My son didn't want to leave. The huge Lite Brite like wall was really cool. My son really enjoyed building the cars to race down the track. He especially loved the two video games (tetris and a game like Tron) that requires you to move your body to control the game. The water play area on the roof was really awesome since there are quite a few levers and contraptions for the kids to manipulate for the water to squirt out or move in some way.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 M. S. 2 years ago on Google
    This was the most fun interactive children's museum! It was even fun for us adults. Very educational and very cool. Our 7 year old had a blast. Masks required and there is sanitizer on every floor. They will ask you to cover your nose if your mask is a below it, I saw that so plan to wear it right. I think our favorite part was the water powered machine on the roof and my other favorite was all the different types of telescopes up there and the GORGEOUS view up there. It's worth going just for the view. Visit you won't be disappointed.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jennys J. 2 years ago on Google
    Great place to bring young kids, they'll definitely be kept busy here. My son was so excited to check everything out. There's an arts and crafts room, a water play area on the roof, and different telescopes. It's fun for parents too. Priced reasonably as well.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Andrew G. 5 months ago on Google
    If you have kids then this is a must visit! The MOXI is three floors of hands-on, exploratory learning, but in the most fun way possible. The first floor explores sound with a gigantic guitar, a sound meter to test your quiet walking abilities and recording studios where you can become a foley artist. There’s also an outdoor area that tests pressurized movement, where parachutes get launched in the sky and soft balls zip through pipes. The second floor has race car building, a giant light bright, Lego walls, drawing projection, and a slow motion camera to test your jumping ability. Finally, the third floor is set on the roof with a beautiful view of Santa Barbara. It also offers a variety of unique instruments and a giant water table with hand pumps. You can also shoot giant balls of air from the air cannon. Overall, the MOXI will have you learning about science without you even realizing it and will give you memories that will last a lifetime… and plenty of insta-worthy pics.

  • 5/5 Anna S. 4 months ago on Google
    I would suggest coming earlier as the tickets might be sold out. The technology meets curiosity in MOXI. Kids can explore, learn, and touch. I liked their big guitar, the “sock” ice skating ring with fake snowballs, and rooftop water projects. Their second floor is worth spending another hour -> so many experiments to run. It was one of my son’s favorite places to be in Santa -Barbara

  • 5/5 * d. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a fantastic family oriented experience! You really must see it to believe it. They have so many wonderful things for the children and you to explore. My favorite was the suction tube maze, which is hard to describe you just have to see it to believe it. Definitely a must visit for any family with children.

  • 5/5 Keisha B. 1 year ago on Google
    Great tactile museum for kids. My children are ages 10,6 and 4 and were very engaged and preoccupied. Lots to do in a somewhat controlled environment. We'll definitely be going back and don't skip the 3rd floor!! Probably my kids favorite floor!

  • 5/5 Joseph S. 1 year ago on Google
    A great place for the whole family. There are a lot to explore and enjoy. The experiment are new and different. They have three levels of fun to explore. Overall a great experience. It can take from 3 to 4 hours to explore the whole.

  • 5/5 Senthil 1 year ago on Google
    If you have children, this is a must-see stop. There are numerous creative and innovative projects, arts, and games. There are also many workshops, but check the schedule before going. Allow at least 2 hours to thoroughly investigate all of them. There are three levels of fun and science experience. Parking is only available on the streets, which may be difficult to find given the location on Main Street.


Call +1 805-770-5000 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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