Museum of Natural History

A must-​see for everyone. We arrived not long before they closed, and wish we’d had more time. Neither the paid staff nor the volunteer rushed us at all!!!
This is a very interactive museum — enjoyable for adults and children alike! Sea life, coast line, birds, etc. are all displayed and labeled well. There are not only a lot of interactive things to do, but a variety of different types of things!
There is also a nice little gift shop, also.
Lovely views of the ocean and sand strips (can’t remember the correct name)

This is a great place for the family
The lady and the old man are very helpful and information
Very relaxable
I am sure I will come back

My preschooler loved this museum and chose to spend way more time here than I thought she would, given the small size of the place. The ambiance of it, rather dark and mysterious, caught her attention, as did drawers to pull open, big buttons to push, and lots of wheels to spin, wheels that made something happen in the different displays. She especially appreciated the displays where tiny balls of different kinds whirled in water or spilled in great quantities inside a display (that one represented erosion).
We adults tried to sit down to look at the lovely view from the windows but couldn’t stay seated because the petite one was off again (a mark of a great place to spend time). She wasn’t much interested in the balcony that lets you step out to continue admiring the view (nice for older people), but all the taxidermy animals took some time to take in, and she liked the «tidepool» for little kids with stuffed animals in it (the toy kind). (There’s also a place for kids to create their own puppet show here.) She even spent time rearranging the pieces of a photo cube puzzle with nature pictures that a thoughtful someone had created for kids to play with. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to leave the museum, so it earns a definite five stars from mom.

Wandered into this museum an hour before closing and will be heading back for more tomorrow! We never would have suspected that this tiny museum could be so chock full of fun and informative displays and exhibits that rival or surpassed those we’ve seen in Yosemite and Sequoias. Great for kids, but the adults learned a lot, too! Admission is $ 3 for adults and free for children. Also free if you’re staying at the campground.

Interactive and fun experience. Perfect for kids and those who want to learn about the Morro Bay estuary. The staff was knowledgeable and welcoming. Would suggest for families!

A cute little nature museum at the Morro Bay state park. It’s geared more towards children with it’s hands-​on displays. The information is very basic — I didn’t learn that much about the area.
Admission is free if you’re staying at the campsite across the street. Otherwise it’s $ 3 per person.

I grew up in Morro Bay and had never been to the museum. I can say that I’m pretty impressed with what they do for the kids. Displays are very interactive and entertaining for the little ones. Also, it’s incredibly cheap and offers a new view of the rock and bay! Worth checking out

This museum is awesome! Highly recommended if you are in the area and have any interest at all in animals and the environment.
There’s a small $ 3 entrance fee, but it’s well worth it for all the interactive exhibits available. You can learn about all the different plants and animals that live around Morro Bay, and also the science behind the different parts of the ecosystem. In the back of the museum there are some specimens you can see and feel, and a nice outdoor balcony overlooking the bay you can take pictures from.
The docents here are super friendly and always ready to help. They were able to recommend some good places to see and the best times/​places to view wildlife around the bay. This is a hidden gem worth seeing at least once!

This is small museum in the lovely town of Morro Bay. We took our 5 year old there and spent a good couple of hours. They had several sea creatures (starfish, etc.) that he was able to pet. For a Saturday in January, it wasn’t packed which was nice. The cost was reasonable and the staff was very friendly. If you are spending a couple of days in the area and want to kill a few hours, this is worth your time — especially with kids.

This is a great museum! Admission is free if you are camping at the state park which is across the street. My kids (ages 5&9) enjoyed our visit. Most of the displays are for school aged children. Toddlers would most likely be bored. The views from the museum are beautiful! The lady at the front desk was very pleasant and made us feel welcome. Plan to spend between 30 and 45 minutes when you visit.

This is a very nice museum with lots of good information about the estuary and the local ecology. Although geared to kids, it was interesting for an adult as well. The interactive exhibits almost all worked as they should, which is amazing considering the rough treatment kids give them.

I fell in love with this Museum of Natural History. You take a short drive within the State Park to get to the museum. There is no entry fee to the state park and no charge for parking. The cost to enter the museum was $ 3.00 for adults and free for children 16 and under.
This is a great place for young children to adults. My kids are ages 11 and 17 and I can honestly say we all enjoyed our experience at the museum. Once you enter the museum there are plenty of things to see, touch, hear, and it is totally interactive. The staff encourage you to play with all the exhibits and were extremely friendly and willing to explain any of the exhibits.
The museum has a great view of Morro Bay and the Rock! From the observation deck we watched as kayaks passed below us in the bay.
Once we were done in the museum we purchased a few items from the gift shop. One of the items my son bought was a bird call/​whistle and the staff showed him how to use it properly. So needless to say once we exited the Museum he was playing with the bird call, sounding just like the birds in the area.
After we exited the museum and just off the side of the parking lot is a little trail. My family and I walked along the trail which takes you up a little hill and gives you yet another splendid view of Morrow Bay.
The State Park and Museum was a beautiful atmosphere. We will definitely be coming back. I already referred close family friends to bring their twins to the park and museum. Young kids would especially love this place!

Three years later, it’s still 4 stars.
Bathrooms are still clean! Well, it was before I used it.

I love small museums of all types. (and the weirder the better). with that said, this small museum of the local are is entertaining children and adults alike, informing them of the local birds and such and bringing light to the theme — Lets all take care of what we got! Please support the small museums. (they all need it!)

This place is definitely geared towards children, and offers little to nothing by way of stimulation for adults. That being said, many of the interactive child-​like exhibits either didn’t work very well or weren’t very entertaining, even from a child’s perspective. However, you can learn about the estuary and the ecology of Morro Bay.
It was kind of interesting to check out once, and the periphery of the museum offered some great views of the surrounding Morro Bay, but I probably won’t be a repeat customer. In fact, I would probably come back just to check out the view, without having to go inside!

The museum of Natural History is a great stop if you have kids and are passing through Morro Bay.
What I liked most about this museum was its prime location over the water and the «build in» interactive wall displays.
Go outside on the balcony and watch the sailboats get stuck in the sandbar.
While in Morro Bay check these places out.
— Shine Café
— The Shell Shop
— Giovannis

Very fun and informative! My 17 month might be a bit too young but I had a lot of fun. Beautiful views of the estuary are coupled with lots of information about it’s history.

I learned that an estuary has salt water and fresh water and that a sand spit protects the estuary from the pounding surf. I also learned that there are consequences to our actions and that the nickname of Morro Rock is Rocky.
All kidding aside, this museum was a hidden gem. As Katie S. indicates, it’s kid-​oriented. I think that the adults in our group learned just as much, if not more, than the kids. The kids did a detective hunt through the museum; the detective hunt was geared to kids older than mine — it would be perfect for the 10+ aged kids. The one docent that was working when we were there was a font of knowledge; he was an older gentleman who was obviously passionate about the Morro Bay area. I love that.
Also great: the bathrooms open before the museum does (museum opened at 10 am; we got there around 9.45 am to find the bathrooms open). Do you sense that bathrooms are a big deal for my family? You try camping with kids, and you’ll discover that they ARE a big deal.

Fabulous little museum that covers local ecology/​geology. I thought my boyfriend was nuts when he said we had to stop by the museum while we were up in Morro Bay, but it is definitely worth a look if you’re in the area. Although it’s very kid-​oriented – tons of hands-​on, interactive displays – even as an adult I really enjoyed going through the museum.
Check out the balcony at the rear of the museum for a nice view of the bay and Morro Rock. For another great view, you can climb a set of stairs to get to the top of the mound that’s adjacent to the museum.