Category: Free

Mountain landscape with wildflowers and lush green trees.
August 31, 2026
Free Community Day – October 4 | Sold Out

About: Celebrate the Garden’s centennial year with free admission every Sunday in October! Bring your family and friends to explore 78 acres of California native plants, discover something new and reconnect with the Garden. With special activities and experiences throughout the month, there’s always a reason to come back. Reservations are required. Oct. 2–10: Art…

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Black dog with butterfly wing costume on sitting in the Garden
August 31, 2026
Halloween Pooch Parade | Sold Out

Details: Part of the Garden’s Free Community Days! Every Sunday in October, admission to the Garden is free for everyone. Reservations are required. Join us for a dog costume parade in partnership with Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara and enjoy friendly competition and prizes, including one grand prize of an annual Garden dog membership. Prizes generously donated by: Learn…

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Children sitting on log bench holding books outdoors.
August 31, 2026
Storytime with Godmothers: Luna Oscura | Sold Out

Part of the Garden’s Free Community Days! Every Sunday in October, admission to the Garden is free for everyone. Reservations are required. Join us in the Garden’s cozy Backcountry Hawk’s Nest Library for a special bilingual read-along of Luna Oscura by Heidi Moreno, presented in both English and Spanish. Deep in a dark forest lives…

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Dark red flower among long green grass blades.
August 26, 2026
Free Community Day – October 25 | Sold Out

About: Celebrate the Garden’s centennial year with free admission every Sunday in October! Bring your family and friends to explore 78 acres of California native plants, discover something new, and reconnect with the Garden. With special activities and experiences throughout the month, there’s always a reason to come back. Reservations are required. Oct. 2–10: Art…

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Dried plant specimen with large, dark green leaves displayed.
August 25, 2026
WeDigBio 2026 – Community Science Event & Free Digitization Workshop

Details: Thousands of people worldwide are working together this October in an annual event to digitize biodiversity collections. This event is known as WeDigBio, which stands for Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections.   WeDigBio is a virtual science festival, global data campaign, and local outreach opportunity. All around the globe, community scientists (people just like you!) will be transferring data from…

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The entrance gates to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
August 20, 2026
Membership Month: Reciprocal Membership with Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Details: In celebration of Membership Month, Garden members receive FREE admission to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History & Sea Center from September 8 through October 10 as part of a special reciprocal agreement. Museum Members will enjoy complimentary admission to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden during this time. Reservations to the Museum of…

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pile of dropped acorns on ground
August 14, 2026
Pathfinders: From Acorns to Oaks

Pathfinders will receive firsthand experience germinating an oak acorn. They’ll explore how oaks are keystone species and support an abundance of organisms before planting an acorn to care for at home. Participants will meet at the Entrance Kiosk. What does it mean to be a Backcountry Pathfinder? A Pathfinder is an explorer, someone who respects nature and inspires…

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Young lady with gloves and a bucket kneeling down to plant native plants with green leaves and tall stalks with pink tubular flowers.
August 14, 2026
Certificación en Paisajismo con Plantas Nativas de California -2026

Detalles : La Certificación en Paisajismo con Plantas Nativas de California es un programa de capacitación vocacional de 20 horas, desarrollado por la Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants en colaboración con la California Native Plant Society. Este curso proporciona a los profesionales del paisajismo las habilidades y los conocimientos necesarios para cuidar…

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