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Museum of Art & History

705 Front St., Santa Cruz, CA
831-429-1964
Website
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Ranked #15 of 31 attractions in Santa Cruz
Type: Art Museums, History Museums
Description: Native American pottery and modern beach photos all on exhibit.
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16 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    10
    3
    3
    0
    0
Date Rating
Zurich, Switzerland
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 May 2013

Art portion closed due to change of exhibition, but entry therefore discounted. History rooms quite interesting and laid-out in an intuitive flow. If one doesn't know much about California history, might be hard to understand some aspects, as the explanations are quite local.

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See 6 more reviews by MMZurich for Santa Cruz
Monterey Peninsula
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 February 2013

Some of the displays still need a bit more attention, but the history and artifacts re: the logging industry were really well done and interesting. Singing Staircase was wonderfu.

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See 3 more reviews by candyo59 for Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 December 2012

So what do you do if you have a physically impressive museum that nobody visits. You throw parties with beer and wine and entertainment and art activities at least twice a month, plus a lot of special events -- Fire Night was very good, sort of a mini Burning Man. On First Friday the Museum waives its fee so you... More

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See 6 more reviews by Robert D for Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
31 helpful votes 31 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 November 2012

This is a really wonderful little museum, very do-able for young kids! I love the interactive features - when we visited, we contributed to a community list of scary things and made a memory jar. The exhibits were very exciting - they are organized in such a way that made you really examine why each piece was included and made... More

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Santa Cruz, California
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 October 2012

wonderful creative exhibits. First Friday evening events free, with live music and little food treats if you get there early. History part has some great exhibits, art side has changing fun shows.

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See 8 more reviews by Liz M for Santa Cruz
Aptos, California
Top Contributor
93 reviews 93 reviews
18 attraction reviews
Reviews in 38 cities Reviews in 38 cities
76 helpful votes 76 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 August 2012

Always enjoy this museum. They seem to update exhibits frequently. Many activities for kids! Check the changing exhibits and don't miss the free day once a month.

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See 13 more reviews by Seacliff23 for Santa Cruz
Benicia, California
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 July 2012

Great place to get a feel for Santa Cruz history through the decades.

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See 6 more reviews by ChrisKear for Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012

If you catch one of their really good exhibits, you will see something not available anywhere else -- the local history is fascinating and rich, and worth a visit if you have the time.

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See 9 more reviews by halrhp for Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 May 2012

Fabulous new director has lifted this museum up from boring to fabulous and fun.

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See 7 more reviews by indigo2star for Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 March 2012

A small but bright and interesting museum with three (four) levels of small galleries. There's also a small rooftop deck with some sculpture you should check out. One of the larger galleries is dedicated to Santa Cruz County history. If you like history, you'll probably love this permanent exhibit as it details Santa Cruz's beginnings as a collection of lime... More

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See 5 more reviews by Rob M for Santa Cruz

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