Entry No. 23 — the Santa Cruz file — filed under: oddities
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Housed in a historic Carnegie library building across from Seabright Beach, this small city museum's taxidermy work is tied to local taxidermist Richard Gurnee, who developed his own freeze-dry preservation process — the museum shows a taxidermied octopus and an unusually preserved sea anemone among its mounts.
The story
From the sidewalk, you would swear you are just looking at a quiet turn-of-the-century Carnegie library sitting across from Seabright Beach. You didn't hear it from us, but step inside and the building reveals its true draw: a collection of marine mounts that break the usual rules of taxidermy, shaped by local taxidermist Richard Gurnee.
Standard skin-mount taxidermy works fine on fur and feathers, but soft, wet marine life usually turns into slush or gets banished to murky alcohol jars. Gurnee rejected those limits and perfected his own freeze-dry preservation process in Santa Cruz, locking delicate, fluid-filled marine creatures into permanent physical form. His work gives the museum specimens rarely seen outside liquid specimen jars—most notably a taxidermied octopus and a preserved sea anemone with its delicate structure intact.
What it's like
You pay your $5 at the front desk and step into a small, low-key museum where you can track down Gurnee's freeze-dried marine specimens without navigating heavy crowds. The entire space takes 30 to 45 minutes to explore, making it easy to hunt down the octopus and anemone, absorb the strange detail of the mounts, and carry the mood across East Cliff Drive straight onto Seabright Beach.
The move: Pay the $5 admission, hunt down the freeze-dried octopus and Gurnee's other unlikely taxidermy specimens, then carry the mood across the street to Seabright Beach for a walk.
- 📍 Seabright, Santa Cruz
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1305 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Kiss My Glass — Pair Gurnee's technical taxidermy feats with a short trip over to 7th Avenue to poke around four decades of raw sheet glass and craft beads.
- Makai Island Kitchen & Groggery — Follow your beach walk across from the museum with a drive onto the Santa Cruz wharf for drinks on a slowly rotating tiki bar platform.
- Go Ask Alice — Trade freeze-dried sea life for loose herbs, custom tinctures, and apothecary blends over on Pacific Avenue.
Good to know
What makes the taxidermy here unique?
Local taxidermist Richard Gurnee developed a freeze-dry preservation technique that allowed the museum to mount soft-bodied ocean life, like an octopus and a sea anemone, which normally cannot undergo traditional taxidermy.
Where is the museum located?
It is at 1305 E Cliff Dr in Santa Cruz's Seabright neighborhood, directly across the street from Seabright Beach in a historic Carnegie library building.
How much does it cost to enter?
General admission is $5.
How much time should I plan for a visit?
It is a small museum; most visitors spend about 30 to 60 minutes taking in the specimens.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-07-20