Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History, Natural history museum in Morro Bay, United States.
The Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum opened in 1962 on a hill above the Morro Bay estuary, with Morro Rock in view. It is the only natural history museum in the California State Park system. Remodeled in three phases between 1993 and 2002, it holds interactive displays on estuary ecology, including building a sand dune, running the hydrologic cycle and creating food chains.
Opened in 1962, the museum is the only natural history museum in the California State Park system. Between 1993 and 2002 it was remodeled in a three-phase modernization project, with exhibits by Exhibitgroup Giltspur, a firm that also created exhibits for the Smithsonian and the J. Paul Getty museums.
The museum's exhibits were made by Exhibitgroup Giltspur, a firm that has also produced displays for the Smithsonian and the J. Paul Getty museums. Inside, visitors can build a sand dune, work the hydrologic cycle and assemble food chains at interactive stations about the Morro Bay estuary.
The museum sits on an elevated location with parking available nearby and is fully wheelchair accessible. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since the climb to the building can be steep.
The museum is the only natural history museum in the California State Park system, a status it has held since opening in 1962. Its hilltop perch between Los Angeles and San Francisco gives a direct view of Morro Rock across the estuary.
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