Celebrate Earth Day in Santa Barbara

Venture to Santa Barbara this April for a family travel weekend filled with fun and educational activities in celebration of Earth Day. For the first time ever, Santa Barbara County will launch Impact: Climate Change & the Urgency of Now. This collaboration brings together more than a dozen public gardens, museums and historic sites with special environmental exhibits to shed light on climate change. The Environmental Alliance of Santa Barbara County Museums will plan and host the entire event, with an array of exhibitions and activities for visitors to take part in.

At the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, guests can explore the “Whales Are Superheroes!” exhibition to understand the essential roles whales play in minimizing the impacts of climate change. This immersive experience will take visitors underwater, as well as present different lessons, exhibits and lectures on the role of whales in our world. This exhibition opens April 14.

© Blake Bronstaf

Learn more about the land surrounding Santa Barbara in its Take a Hike, Save the World series. May 20–Sept. 30, this exhibit shows visitors the local trails and public lands at Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The museum will feature photographs and art of the natural landscape of the region and encourage visitors how to help preserve the land for future generations.

Head to the Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation to experience SuperArtificial, a life-sized garden made entirely of upcycled plastic waste. This exhibit will also showcase the changing conditions around the world. Visitors can use recycled materials for activities relating to climate change impacts to further understand the role of recycling.

Don’t miss the unveiling of the new Earth Day mural at Paseo Nuevo on April 23. The unveiling will be revealed during the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival.