Join us in making observations of an owl pellet and exploring its dissected contents as we celebrate the closing of Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Rooted in Remembrance. Acompáñanos a observar un egagrópila de búho y explorar su contenido disecado mientras celebramos el cierre de Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Enraizados en el Recuerdo. Join...
Looking for locally made, nature-inspired gifts this holiday season? Join us for the Museum’s Holiday Sale and Art Market, featuring a curated selection of art, jewelry, home décor, prints, and more from over 20 local artists and makers whose work celebrates nature and natural history, including Kiwi Cyr, Hannah Caisse, Kylene Gilmore, Donna Thomas, Sarah...
SOLD OUT! Contact info@santacruzmuseum.org to join the waitlist Celebrate the season with creativity, craft, and sustainable spirit. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the basics of printmaking and design and carve their own natural-history-inspired printing blocks using soft-cut linoleum. Use your custom stamps to print beautiful, one-of-a-kind tea towels perfect for holiday gifting. You’ll...
Every third Saturday of the month, we invite volunteers to come together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. During this volunteering event, you'll get your hands dirty assisting with the maintenance of the park, our pollinator garden, and Pilkington Creek, while gaining insights into local ecology, native plants, and...
SOLD OUT! Contact info@santacruzmuseum.org to join the waitlist Join us for this 2-hour program exploring some of Santa Cruz’s most vibrant tide pools! Guided by nature educator Anne Cassell, participants will join us for a winter solstice celebration focused on finding sea stars, which play a vital role in our coastal ecosystems. Using iNaturalist, participants...
Enjoy FREE admission to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History every First Friday of the month! Explore hands-on exhibits, dive into local nature and get to know the species that call this special place home. Plan Your Visit Explore Our Exhibits
Winter can be a wild time! Join the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History this winter break to learn about the seasons, the weather, and how plants and animals adapt to survive the wintertime. Explore nature, make art, and play with new friends while learning about local natural history. For K-2nd Graders (5-7 Years Old)...
Visit us at the Watsonville Public Library every second Friday. Each month, we feature a different Mobile Museum designed to inspire visitors to connect with the natural world through hands-on observation. We invite people of all ages to explore, ask questions, and engage directly with specimens through touch and close study. Visítenos en la Biblioteca...
Fungus season in Santa Cruz means celebration! Come to the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair to learn fascinating and fun facts about beautiful and diverse species of mushrooms! View remarkable mushroom arts and crafts, taste unusual and exceptionally good fungal fare, and experience FFSC's overriding mission: "We keep the fun in fungus!" This unique Santa Cruz...
LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) is a community science program that takes students to coastal ecosystems of California’s national marine sanctuaries, increasing awareness and stewardship of these critical habitats. You Will Get: A 5-unit curriculum aligned with NGSS and Common Core Hands-on training on all aspects of intertidal field science Tools...
Every third Tuesday of the month, Watsonville community members are invited to Arte del Corazón (ADC), where our team will contribute a guided and interactive activity alongside existing programming. Cada tercer martes del mes, los miembros de la comunidad de Watsonville están invitados a Arte del Corazón (ADC), donde nuestro equipo contribuirá una actividad guiada...
Come find us at Patagonia Outlet Santa Cruz! We will be sharing one of our Mobile Museum's designed to inspire you to connect with the natural world through hands-on observation. We invite people of all ages to explore, ask questions, and engage directly with specimens through touch and close study.
Join us for the member and volunteer exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at a recent whale rescue in Monterey Bay. Featuring powerful footage, this presentation offers an immersive, firsthand view of the teamwork, precision, and challenges involved in freeing entangled whales safely and effectively. This event is for Museum Members only. REGISTRATION CLOSED
Every third Saturday of the month, we invite volunteers to come together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. During this volunteering event, you'll get your hands dirty assisting with the maintenance of the park, our pollinator garden, and Pilkington Creek, while gaining insights into local ecology, native plants, and...
Continuing a tradition that began in 2016, the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History will celebrate the birthday of its founder, Santa Cruz naturalist and lightkeeper, Laura Hecox, at this special open house. The outdoor event will include Victorian-era activities, community partners, historians, and the 2026 Laura Hecox Naturalist award presentation. Program: 10am-5pm: FREE...
Join geologists from University of California, Santa Cruz to share your mineralogical marvels and get them identified inside the Museum’s galleries! Price: This special event is Free during our Laura Hecox Day celebration! What can you bring: Rocks, fossils, gems, and minerals are all welcome! Feel free to bring as many samples as you like,...
Lichens are all around us, yet they are often overlooked and misunderstood. Join lichen expert Ken Kellman for an engaging evening exploring these fascinating organisms, beginning with an introductory lecture followed by a hands-on lichen identification session. Participants will examine a variety of local lichen species using dissecting microscopes and learn how to observe key...
Enjoy FREE admission to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History every First Friday of the month! Explore hands-on exhibits, dive into local nature and get to know the species that call this special place home. Plan Your Visit Explore Our Exhibits
Get ready for a fun-gi First Friday at the Museum! Our Fungus February First Friday invites you to dive into the fascinating world of fungi and the vital role they play in our local ecosystems. From underground networks to above-ground marvels, this evening celebrates the weird, wonderful, and essential world of mushrooms. Connect with artists,...
Join us to learn about mushrooms and how to identify and differentiate between various species. We will discuss mushroom picking and collecting etiquette, and various ways of identifying fungus genus and species – by shape, parts, and anatomy of a mushroom, color, smell, and tree associations! Participants will have time to explore, find, and closely...
Come find us at Hope Park, Watsonville! Celebrate World Wetlands Day with hands-on habitat restoration, live music, and fun, educational activities for all ages. ¡Ven a encontrarnos en Hope Park, Watsonville! Celebra el Día Mundial de los Humedales con restauración de hábitat, música en vivo y actividades divertidas y educativas para todas las edades. ________________________________________________________________________________________________...
Learn about the variety of marine organisms ! We'll showcase fascinating artifacts, including unique marine shells, shark teeth, and much more. This mobile museum will give you a closer look at the animals that make our bay so special. ¡Aprende sobre la variedad de organismos marinos! Mostraremos fascinantes artefactos, incluyendo conchas marinas únicas, dientes de...
Every second Tuesday of the month, Watsonville community members are invited to Somos Watsonville, where our team will contribute a guided and interactive activity alongside existing programming. Cada tercer martes del mes, los miembros de la comunidad de Watsonville están invitados a Somos Watsonville, donde nuestro equipo contribuirá una actividad guiada e interactiva a las...
Lichens are all around, yet seldom understood. Join us for an introductory walk where we will look closely at a variety of lichen species and learn to better understand their unique qualities. The walk will be led by Ken Kellman, a member of the California Lichen Society and volunteer curator of lichens and bryophytes at...
Have you noticed different species in Santa Cruz in different seasons? From monarchs to birds to whales, the wildlife of our region is ever-changing as migrating animals move through or come to stay for a season. Head on over to Natural Bridges today to enjoy the Annual Migration Festival from 11am-3:30pm to learn more about...
This hands-on workshop introduces natural dyeing with plants and fungi, including mushroom-based dyes. Participants will learn basic folding techniques, experiment with multiple dye baths, and explore how pH modifiers like vinegar and baking soda affect color. The workshop also includes a brief demonstration on working with natural charcoal and draws inspiration from traditional dye practices....
Every third Tuesday of the month, Watsonville community members are invited to Arte del Corazón (ADC), where our team will contribute a guided and interactive activity alongside existing programming. Cada tercer martes del mes, los miembros de la comunidad de Watsonville están invitados a Arte del Corazón (ADC), donde nuestro equipo contribuirá una actividad guiada...
Join us for a family-friendly event! Design a wearable mushroom cap at Far West Fungi with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
Every third Saturday of the month, we invite volunteers to come together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. During this volunteering event, you'll get your hands dirty assisting with the maintenance of the park, our pollinator garden, and Pilkington Creek, while gaining insights into local ecology, native plants, and...
Every fourth Tuesday of the month, Watsonville community members are invited to the Environmental Science Workshop (ESW), where our team will contribute a guided and interactive activity alongside existing programming. Cada cuarto martes del mes, los miembros de la comunidad de Watsonville están invitados al Taller de Ciencias Ambientales (ESW), donde nuestro equipo contribuirá una...
Visit us at Landmark Elementary School for a fun evening filled with hands-on science activities for students and families to explore together! ¡Visítenos en la Escuela Primaria Landmark para disfrutar de una noche divertida llena de actividades científicas para que estudiantes y familias exploren juntos! ______________________________________________________________________________________ These programs are funded by the Outdoor Equity Grants...
Enjoy FREE admission to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History every First Friday of the month! Explore hands-on exhibits, dive into local nature and get to know the species that call this special place home. Plan Your Visit Explore Our Exhibits
Get ready for a Herpetology Happy Hour! This month we're celebrating the slimy, scaled, and slithering inhabitants of our local ecosystems. Connect with artists, scientists, and community partners who study, steward, and protect amphibians and reptiles. Enjoy live animals, hands-on activities, refreshments, free museum admission, and special seasonal items in the Museum Store. An open...
Come for Toddler Tumble Time. We will have diverse specimens to share with everyone! Specifically, we will be showcasing our entomology collections. Open to Watsonville Residents Venga a disfrutar la Hora de Toddler Tumble cada segundo martes del mes. ¡Tendremos diversos ejemplares para compartir con todos! Mostraremos nuestras colecciones de entomología. These programs are funded...
Every second Tuesday of the month, Watsonville community members are invited to Somos Watsonville, where our team will contribute a guided and interactive activity alongside existing programming. Cada tercer martes del mes, los miembros de la comunidad de Watsonville están invitados a Somos Watsonville, donde nuestro equipo contribuirá una actividad guiada e interactiva a las...
Get hands-on with herpetology and creativity at this paint and sip workshop at the Museum. Join science illustrator and naturalist Hannah Caisse for an evening of art, learning, and amphibian appreciation. Participants will choose from a selection of 3D printed salamander and herp models and paint their own scientifically inspired creation using acrylic paints. Hannah...
