35 Best Stops Between Camarillo and Morro Bay (2024)

Beautiful Zoo! Our hotel was 5min away so of course we had to make a visit. They had a lot of animals and quiet a few exhibits closed. We read it was a small zoo but it was white bit! Not LA Zoo big lol but lots of walking and sightseeing. Good prices and awesome play area for the kids to run around. We also loved the train ride! The conductors commentary was pleasant 😊

Beautiful smaller zoo! Close to the beach and gorgeous scenery.There’s a lot of cute animals to see here. There’s a train ride around the zoo that’s fun for a break. There’s a grassy area for picnics and it’s a generally family friendly place.We were able to see everything in about 2 hours and be on our way to explore the rest of Santa Barbara. I loved the enclosed bird area!

I had the opportunity of photographing a wedding here and absolutely loved it. The CA light really came through and made an amazing day. Really cool place to get married especially if you are an animal lover. The giraffe area was a hit with all of the guests - you get to feed them! They also had a few other animals out and about mingling with the guests throughout the day. The reception area is beautiful overlooking the mountains. It's a really unique and special venue.

This zoo is perfect for families with kids. It’s not too hot in the summer. You can do the whole zoo in one day. There’s a play area where kids slide down a small hill on pieces of cardboard (bring your own or get a leftover one there). There’s a fun train ride. There’s picnic tables so you can bring lunch. The best deal is to get a membership- then parking and admission are no charge for the year, and you get a discount on food, gift store, and the train ride.

Beautiful zoo. Not huge, but compared to other zoos it was extremely scenic and detailed. A very enjoyable day. The food we had was very good. We got some very good carnitas tacos from the restaurant in the courtyard for a surprisingly good price. The train ride was extra but worth it. Overall, our favorite zoo nearby, compared to the LA and Fresno Zoos.

Very nice small zoo right near East Beach. Parking is $11 for the day and is a bit congested. Zoo entry is $25 per adult, $15 per child and you are asked to reserve a time online ahead of time. Season passes are available for $100/year, including parking and one guest per day. Like most zoos, it is kid-friendly, but still very enjoyable for adults. Great variety of animals, especially considering the size of the zoo. Natural and humane animal enclosures. Many animals go to bed by 4 pm, so earlier visits are recommended. Impressive collection of California Condors. Very enjoyable otter exhibit. Underwater penguin viewing. Good signage. Restaurants are very pricey, but picnics are allowed. There are generous & shady picnic opportunities. Some good views of the water from higher up. Animal experiences are available, but are much pricier. Kangaroo & Wallaby Walkabout allows you inside the inclosure with the animals, but with no touching. Cute train ride for nominal fee.

Between the LA/SD zoos, I love the SB Zoo the most for its medium size and unique animals interactions.It's not too large or busy. Doable in 1.5-2 hours.Try to go earlier as the animals are being fed and zookeepers are maintaining and interacting with the animals during those hours.My favorite area is the Australian Walkabout which allows you to get pretty close to wallabies, emus, and kangaroos. Also the Giraffe Deck is unique. You're able to feed a giraffe 5-6 pieces of lettuce for $8 from 10:30a-12p or 1-2p.Parking is $11 if you aren't a member or you can park at the Dwight Murphy Field and walk in if you want.They're currently still working on the red panda exhibit and there were a few animals that were off-exhibit like armadillo, toucan, etc.

This is one of the better zoo layouts and animals I have seen in a long time and I am NOT a zoo person because I tend to really feel bad for the animals. SB however out does LA and Orange CountyZoo for sure. Enjoyed seeing the birds, Red Panda, Leopard… all the animals. Nice walk and enjoyable.

Awesome zoo, we had a great time here! Nice mountain and sea views as an added bonus. We especially liked the Gorilla, Lion, Giraffe, and Kangaroo exhibits. For Kangaroos, you get to go right into their enclosure.It's a smaller zoo, and they only sell a limited number of tickets, so make sure to get your ticket online in advance. Tickets are very reasonably priced at $25 for adults, and $15 for children under 13. The big benefit is that it's not crowded, and you get a much closer look at the animals. This being a smaller zoo, you can see the entire place in 2-3 hours.

A smaller zoo, but engaging and delightful for the kids. Can easily be a half day adventure. Views of the ocean make this a special place. The onion rings are the best! Although lunch offerings are limited and a little expensive, but convenient.

This zoo is small but mighty! The enclosures are beautiful, and the animals seem to enjoy them. There are a few unique animal experiences to enjoy. We love the "Australian Walk About," which gives you a chance to walk into an enclosure with wallabies, kangaroos, and even an Emu (no extra cost). We also fed the giraffes ($8 per feed, about 4 leaves of lettuce). There is a cute lil train that goes around the whole zoo ($7), which shows off some of the amazing views around Santa Barbara, it's one of my favorite things to do. We didn't eat there but we did get coffee near the train station and it was really good! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Great excursion... Strolled the park in 75 minutes, stopped to enjoy each exhibit. Got up close to Lion, Giraffe, Gorilla, Leopard, Kangaroo, beautiful tropical birds... $20.00 was worth it. Now I get why they limit capacity for 2hour time slots. We went from 3-5pm and

We visit the Santa Barbara zoo every time we are in town. It's one of our kids' favorite activities, ages 1 to 15.This year we rode the train and spent about 2 hours wandering around to view the different closures. The gift shop is spectacular by the front of the zoo. Good snacks speckled around, including Dippin Dots near the train gift shop area! Yum. Perfect on a hot day. The leopard was my favorite exhibit. The monkeys, lions, and giraffes were great, too. They also offer a time window from approx 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. where you can feed the giraffes.Definitely make a reservation and buy tickets online! It's busy!!! Sunscreen, a hat, and lots of cold water is a must during the summer. 👍

Great little zoo. We enjoyed it very much. Not too big and not to small. Could use more places to get food. Giraffes were my favorite and the train ride. Short walk to the beach too.

Nice and simple Zoo. I've gone here many times growing up. I've seen many animal attractions come and go. Just wish they would have kept the elephants (as they were my favorite). I do recommend going on a weekday in the morning, less people at this time.

This zoo is smaller than I expected but it was beautiful. Very family/kids oriented and plenty of bathrooms and food/drink options. We spent about an hour and a half here and we saw most of the exhibits. We will be back and we loved the gift shop 😊❤️

We went for the Christmas / holiday light show. It was remarkable. Even people who thought it might be more of the same holiday light shows were in awe. Little kids were just amazed at what they saw, and adults loved it too.

Loved it!!! The kids loved it!!!! Everyone lovvvvveeddd it!!!! The train tour was really neat and a fun experience! Those conductors do a spectacular job!!! I loved how everyone...workers and the tourists would all wave whenever the train went by🙋‍♂️🌞 my daughter absolutely loved feeding the giraffes and my youngest loved the slippery hill...definitely recommend ...a must see!!!! Amazing place!!!

1st time visiting the Santa Barbara Zoo. We used the Museums for All tickets. Kids loved it. All the animals were out even tho it was a little crowded (Memorial Day Weekend).There were plenty of places to "rest", an area for the kids to play, and bathrooms throught the park.Not too much walking between exhibits and good signage and maps located throughout the zoo.

Had a great time with my family... The only thing is all of their bathrooms were broken because of a bad sewer man. Unfortunately from my daughter and wife they had to squat on all porta potties. You can't beat the weather or the view. We'll definitely be coming back.

This zoo is really nice. It is not too crowded, neat and clean and the animals look happier than a lot of other zoos. Santa Barbara Zoo is smaller than a lot of zoos and it can be easily covered in 3 - 4 hours. The tickets are moderately priced and are good for the size.There are a lot of unusual exhibits in this zoo that I have not seen too often elsewhere. The red panda, anteater, capybara (the largest rodent), fennec fox (smallest variety of fox with huge ears) and axolotl (an aquatic salamander that retains the larval features) are among the rare and spectacular occupants of SB Zoo. Visitors are allowed to walk through the aviary housing some colorful and attractive Asian birds. The wallabies are housed in an enclosure which is also open to walk through and one can see the wallabies and emus up and close. There’s a large variety of turtles in display from all over the world. The African lions look particularly content, enjoying their enclosure overlooking the Pacific Oceanfront and bathing in the California sun !There are boards with every exhibit that are super educational and highlight fun facts about the animals, not just some boring scientific soliloquy. Last but not the least is the train ride, which takes you around the perimeter of the zoo. My kids enjoyed this one too.

This zoo is wonderful. Animals look well taken care of. The highlight of my visit was the kangaroos. They allow you to walk inside the enclosure! The grounds are beautiful. There is a train you can ride that takes you around the entire zoo. I loved this place

My 2-yr-old daughter and I went on Saturday, June 2nd. We arrived at 2pm. No line. Not crowded. It’s a smaller zoo, but we both enjoyed it. The animals looked healthy. The penguin pool had some algae growth, but I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not. Going inside the kangaroo area was a fun & unique experience. The train ride was perhaps a bit cheesy, but it was nice to sit down for 15-20 minutes. We were about to walk to all the exits in our 3 hours there, but there was minimal time spent and just watching. Would we go back again…? Yes, I think we would / will.

This Zoo is special one. Besides that you can walk into kangaroos enclosures and birds aviaries with no barrier experience. How organic. It felt extraordinary to be so close to these birds and animals.The amazing white headed whistling duck was unexpected discovery. I did not realize I’d be having a favorite duck specie.Beautiful all around. Animal are very happy and well fed. Large part of the zoo delicates to kids play area. The hands on experience area will be opening soon with goats and pigs to interact with directly.The ticket can be bought online ahead of time for $25 and parking is $11 also convenient to buy ahead of time and avoid lines if any.

Nice zoo! Beautiful area. The kids had lots of fun. We went on a Sunday around 1pm. Was able to go inside the kangaroo enclosure but missed the giraffe feeding. Experienced most of the animals, a few were either sleeping or not around. Still enjoyed our visit. Will return.

Super cute zoo with it's fair share of animals. Can easily be done in a day. Loved the huge play area for kids, great idea! Best part we got pretty close to a kangaroo and also got to fulfill a life long dream of feeding a giraffe, what an experience!

Loved the cool breeze and the views, enjoyed the beautiful landscapes and the friendly staff. Very kid friendly.

This is a relatively smaller zoo compared to a few others in larger cities. Perhaps due to weather or other reasons, several animals were not there in the exhibits but overall our family had a good experience and we were able to walk around the entire zoo within 2 hours or so.

This was about our third trip to the zoo, and we still saw new things! We were able to see the animals being fed, including animal interactions with their caretaker. A very nice zoo, it was just very chilly in the end! Never fear, a trip to the gift shop got me a very nicely designed hoodie!

I absolutely loved this zoo. The staff was really nice , the bathrooms were clean and got to see all the animals out . It was so much fun . The weather was perfect .