museum of art & history

Annually the last weekend in March (28 & 29 in 2015), the Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai club holds its spectacular show of 100s of very fine and old miniature trees, similar to those you'd find in Japan. This show gets better each year. My husband and I would have to travel to find older trees. Almost as interesting are the old artists who have nurtured these trees for more years than I'd like to remember. They're almost as interesting as their trees. There are plenty of younger artists to inspire us to buy some trees and start training them, perhaps as an "investment" if we live long enough. I suspect that the trees train their mature tree whisperers to stay healthy. Only problem with this museum is that the large room where the bonsai demo takes place is not kind to the visually challenged. Maybe this year the organizers will use contemporary equipment to solve this problem. Regardless, it's still very worth a day of entertainment.

This place did a complete turn around a couple of years ago with the hiring of a new director. Nina Simons has turned this into an interactive modern museum with great links to the community. It is well worth a visit.

Museum of Art and History just gets better and better. Kudos to the curator and her staff for providing Santa Cruz families with interactive fun and learning. First Fridays are free with music and food available for purchase. Can't imagine a better bargain. And lift to the spirit!

This museum has the potential to be fantastic. They have a good history section on Santa Cruz, it is only spoilt by the fact that you cannot touch anything and therefore the learning experience for kids is lost. Come on Mrs Curator, give the kids something they can get their teeth into. By the way Emily Chico is a real find, you should sign her up as a full time member of the museum, she is is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and not afraid to speak to the public. .

The exhibits change at the gallery; but, it is very clean, well-displayed and parking is close by. Trader Joe's is across the street and metered parking is available along the street.

This a museum that you can do more than just look at.Every exhibit has a place for you to interact.Excellent venue to showcase local art

The scale and scope of creativity might be unmatched as many museums are fussy affairs. The MAH as we locals refer to it is family friendly and a great way to get a feel for community here in the 831. Director Nina Simon is a fantastic resource of all things museum centric, she's an also author of a great book about Participatory Museums.

We took our son hoping there would be something he might like.It only took us about 15 minutes to walk around and we decided it was time to go. This just wasn't something that suited us. It may be great for others.

Exhibits change often and are always fascinating! I am a docent and LOVE the imaginative exhibits and the docent training. This is an often missed place to visit in downtown Santa Cruz. Especially fun is the electric train exhibit for children at Christmas time

We found the exhibits in the museum to be cute and attention-grabbing; however, there wasn't very much to see. Despite this, the museum is definitely worth an hour or so of your time. If you've got kids, check out the shadow exhibit on the ground floor; they're sure to have a good time.

We are very glad we went to this museum. We learned about the closing of Fort Ord. We really liked the exhibit on immigration and the interactive activities placed on every floor. It is worth $5 and and hour of time to experience this.

Local history is interesting. Does a lot of activities and tries hard to be more. But actual amount of art and exhibits is very limited. More a locals place. Good summer camps for kids.

The stand out features of this museum are its focus on the local, a layout that really suits its exhibits and interactivity that fits without glitz and razzmatazz. If you're travelling on 1 from LA to San Fran (or San Fran to LA) take the time to stop in Santa Cruz and while you're there be sure to visit this museum.It doesn't try to do everything but what it does do it does really well and it really helps you to understand what Santa Cruz is all about.I'll go back next time I'm in town.

Visited the Museum on a Sunday afternoon. Wasn't very crowded, so had free reign over several of the exhibits. It's actually a pretty small museum, so you can easily see all four of the exhibits in a couple hours. I really liked the one about local Santa Cruz history. It covered events like the 1906 earthquake and how it destroyed several buildings in the current downtown area where the Museum is located. It gave a very good picture of how the town and community evolved and came to be. There was also a nice little sculpture garden on the roof and a couple rotating exhibits which were ok.

Range of artworks/shows/exhibitions. Encourages locals (and others!?) to participate in a variety of activities. Director has done an amazing job!