In the mid-1990s, many individuals came together with the hope of establishing a maritime museum. After six years of negotiations, perseverance, and tenacity, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum opened its doors in July 2000. As SBMM celebrates its 25th anniversary, the museum remains a beloved community treasure and vibrant touchstone along the Santa Barbara waterfront.
Today, when you walk through the doors of the museum, you embark on a journey of discovery, interacting with exhibits that engage your curiosity around local maritime history and human interactions with the sea. SBMM is an interactive museum – a place where individuals and families can experience and explore exhibitions such as the Point Conception Lighthouse First Order Fresnel Lens; Dwight Brooks ship models; Whales Are Superheroes!; deep sea commercial diving; the Santa Barbara Channel Islands; Daughters and Wives: Keepers of the Light; and more.
View our 25th anniversary video to learn more about our history, education programs, and how we remain anchored in the community.
SBMM’s educational programs provide students with unforgettable experiences emphasizing California’s maritime history and human interactions with the sea. Students find it thrilling to embark on exciting and investigative experiences close to their homes and schools. Programs such as Maritime on the Move (a national award-winning program), Girls in Ocean Science Conference, and Marine Science provide students with a sense of adventure as they think about maritime connections in the natural environment. And with the museum’s Tall Ship Program, students learn what life was like for merchant sailors of the 1800s, receiving a unique experience that cannot be matched in any classroom. Just last year, SBMM provided 183 programs to nearly 5,000 students in 14 cities.