Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has been in the same place for more than 80 years. It began in 1925 when the Carnegie Institution felt a museum of national history should be created. Thirteen acres were purchased for the Mission Canyon Museum and Botanic Garden. In 1983 the Garden's Mission Dam was named a state landmark in order to preserve it for future visitors.

Today 23 of the garden's sites are considered national landmarks like the Aqueduct, Entry Steps, Indian Steps, and Caretakers Cottage. The garden is open year round, seven days a week. Hours will vary depending on the year. For summer the gardens are open 9am to 6pm. Winter hours are 9am to 5pm. The library is open by appointment only. There is a retail nursery located at the Garden, which opens from 10am to 3pm daily with volunteers staffing it. Admission into the Botanic Gardens is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for children 2 to 12 years of age. They do have membership options for local residents. Tours are possible with guides for those wish to partake in the offer. The guided tour is part of the admission price and lasts for one hour.