After being closed for about a year and a half due to maintenance issues, the doors to the Coastal Discovery Center in San Simeon are finally open, once again.
“So we had a couple of electrical issues with the building that have now since been repaired,” said Sophia Barwegen, coordinator at the center.
The center offers visitors a chance to learn about the ocean, plants and animals in the area.
Barwegen told KSBY that the team had to get creative during the closure for field trips, taking the teaching to the outdoors.
“We ran four different stations outdoors. Kids had the opportunity to explore the tide pools, nature journal, learn about local watersheds, and how to lessen their use of plastic pollution,” she said.
In addition, staff and volunteers set up tables outside the center during the closure.
“The pop-ups outside, those were fun. You know, we had to haul stuff out and set it up but it was great that we could keep going," said Judy May, a volunteer at the center for the past two years.
Lisa and Mike Marshall are visitors from Ojai and said they have visited San Simeon many times, but this is the first time they've been to the center.
“I really liked the booth that you go into where you can hear all the sounds of different whales and orcas, even ships,” Lisa said.
That's a new exhibit the center installed while it was closed.
To celebrate the reopening, the center is hosting activities such as a holiday celebration on Saturday, where guests can craft holiday cards using egg cartons, play ocean trivia, and participate in a scavenger hunt.
The center's grand reopening weekend will continue through Sunday, December 7. You can find more information here.
