Santa Barbara Island Visitor Center
33.4807, -119.0296 · Park boundary: National Park Service
A small visitor center is located on the island. Features include displays on the natural and cultural resources of the island.
- Every day
- 8:30AM - 5:00PM
The visitor center is open 8:30 am until 5 pm daily.
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Santa Barbara Island Visitor Center is a Passport To Your National Parks stamp location.
This visitor center can only be visited by boat. Book your transportation with the park concessioner.
If you are standing at the flagpole, facing the Santa Barbara Island Visitor Center, you are on a high bluff, and the ocean is far below, on your left. You are in the middle of a coreopsis forest. Depending on the season, the coreopsis, with a thick, bare trunk, topped by a shaggy mop of yellow flowers and feathery green leaves, shaped like fluffy ostrich feathers. In late summer, fall or winter, the coreopsis will turn into waist-high brown stalks that look dead. The single-story beige building, has a roof made of overlapping curved red tiles. On the wall, facing you, are two wooden signs with white lettering. The one on the ocean side reads, "Visitor Center." The one on the land side reads, "Private Residence." Between the signs are two narrow vertical windows. Below the windows, running the length of the building are several dense shrubs. An open patio extends out on the ocean side of the building, but watch your step, as it is about ten inches above ground. Just off this patio is the door to the visitor center and a tall window with a view into the exhibit. The patio has a picnic table and an outdoor panel about sea bird habitat, described separately. Beyond this first patio is another, gated, patio, blocked by a brick wall. On the opposite side of building-the "Private Residence" side- is a walkway running the length of the building.
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Drive to Santa Barbara Island Visitor Center
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