Santa Barbara, also known as “The American Riviera”, is magnificent. And, with spectacular weather, beautiful surroundings, first class restaurants, and an enormous variety of fantastic activities, Santa Barbara is the perfect spot for a 4-day respite. After spending a few glorious days in this stunning city, here are a few of our recommended best things to do in Santa Barbara:
- Tour Santa Barbara’s Center
- Take a Segway Tour
- Enjoy Santa Barbara’s Beautiful Beaches
- Check Out the Funk Zone for Food, Drinks and Hanging Out
- Experience the Urban Wine Trail
- Dine at Santa Barbara’s Superb Eateries
- Stroll Down State Street
- Take a Walk on Stearns Wharf
Tour Santa Barbara’s Center
Santa Barbara has gorgeous buildings. Its impressive collection of structures spans from the 18th century onward. In fact, strolling around Santa Barbara and soaking in its splendid buildings was our number 1 favorite thing to do. It is, on its own, worth a trip to this marvelous town. As a result, make sure that you spend sufficient time exploring Santa Barbara’s unique architectural offerings.
Various operators, including the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, offer terrific walking tours focusing on Santa Barbara’s architecture. In addition, you can do your very own self-guided tour.
Here are some “not to miss” buildings:
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse
The Courthouse is one of the most iconic buildings in Santa Barbara (and in the U.S.). Built in 1929, the building still operates as the County’s courthouse. At one time, it contained the county jail.
Its architecture is the epitome of the Spanish Colonial Revival style that Santa Barbara adopted for its government buildings. Indeed, this style is so prominent in the city that it is often referred to as the “Santa Barbara Style” of architecture. As is typical of this style, the Courthouse’s exterior has stark white stucco walls framed with polished wood with deep red tones. The interior also has white stucco walls, exposed wooden beam ceilings, red tile roofs and floors, and plenty of interesting arcades and courtyards.
Visitors can take an elevator (or stairs) to the top of its clock tower which has great views of the town and county. Likewise, the grounds surrounding the building are beautiful and inviting.
The building is open daily. It offers very informative docent tours, which start in the Mural Room. (The elaborate Mural Room, filled with gorgeous frescos illustrating the history of Santa Barbara, is alone worth a visit.) Go to the building’s website for times and information related to coronavirus-related restrictions.
Jeff Shelton’s Buildings
We really loved learning about architect Jeff Shelton’s legendary structures and marveling at his structures. They are an important part of the fabric of the city. His style of architecture, which seems to be a bit like “Antoni Gaudí meets Santa Barbara style”, is playful, imaginative, unique and very recognizable. You will find a good self-guided architectural walking tour at the Santa Barbara website.
Mission Santa Barbara
Another iconic landmark is the Old Mission Santa Barbara. Built shortly after the 1925 earthquake and just a few years before construction of the Courthouse, the Mission is responsible for inspiring the city to adopt the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Founded in 1786, the Mission is the only Californian Franciscan Mission remaining. Best yet, it still operates as a mission and Franciscan friars still live there. The complex contains a beautiful church, museum, gardens (including a rose garden) and a cemetery, where it is believed that many prominent early Spaniards, as well as 4,000 Chumash Indians, are buried.
El Presidio Historic State Park
The last remaining of four military outposts built by the Spanish along the California coast, El Presidio de Santa Barbara is worth a visit. In fact, you can’t miss the Presidio because it is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara.
Built in 1782, the Presidio played an important role in Spain’s occupation of “Alta California”. Containing the seat of government, military headquarters, a church and living quarters, the Presidio provided protection against invaders. While some of its structures are reconstructions, most are original. Moreover, it contains some of the oldest structures in California. It’s an interesting piece of California history.
Take a Segway Tour
Riding a Segway is one of the best ways to explore any city. We’ve taken Segway tours of Rome, Berlin, Auckland, Paris, and Washington, and have never been disappointed. After all, it is hard not to feel joyful when on a Segway because they are so much fun. Moreover, they are an incredibly efficient way to explore a place because you can cover a lot of territory in a short amount of time.
Our exploration of Santa Barbara by Segway was no exception. We opted for a 2-hour Segway tour which covered a lot of Santa Barbara’s gorgeous scenery and attractions. It was highly entertaining and the perfect way to learn about Santa Barbara. Definitely recommended.
Enjoy Santa Barbara’s Beautiful Beaches
The beaches in Santa Barbara are the essence of California. With tall palm trees, volleyball nets, great surf, and beautiful soft white sand, Santa Barbara’s beaches are striking, clean and very inviting. Ask a Santa Barbarite for his or her favorite beach and each person will give you a different answer – East Beach, West beach, Miramar, Leadbetter Beach, Butterfly, Hendry’s. It doesn’t matter because they are all great. Check out a list of the best beaches in Santa Barbara.
Check Out the Funk Zone for Food, Drinks and Hanging Out
It is hard to feel hip in Santa Barbara. The city is way too pretty – and pricy – to ever be super cool. Besides, we were not there to experience edginess and neither should you. Let’s face it, like us, you’re here to soak in the classic California experience.
However, the Funk Zone, Santa Barbara’s “artistic” neighborhood, has some remarkable galleries, restaurants, bars, and shops and the neighborhood is indeed pretty cool. And, because it is made up of converted warehouses and graffiti covered buildings, there is a certain vibe in the Funk Zone that is different from the rest of Santa Barbara. It’s absolutely worth exploring.
Experience the Urban Wine Trail
The Funk Zone houses over 20 wine-tasting rooms representing Santa Barbara’s world-class wines. You could – and should – spend hours meandering the Funk Zone as you sample these outstanding wines. Here is a great 2-day itinerary devoted to covering this dynamic area while enjoying Santa Barbara’s renowned wines.
Dine at Santa Barbara’s Superb Eateries
The Lark
We loved The Lark. In fact, everyone loves The Lark. It is by far Santa Barbara’s most popular restaurant, and with good reason; it is the quintessential Santa Barbara restaurant. With creative cocktails and exceptionally fresh local ingredients prepared in a multitude of creative ways, The Lark delivers.
Located in the heart of the Funk Zone, The Lark is set in a charming space that integrates vintage and repurposed materials. It feels sophisticated, warm and inviting. Add to that terrific service, an imaginative and well-thought-out menu, exceptional wines, and the highest quality of local ingredients, your dining experience will be memorable and outstanding. Ours certainly was. We recommend that you don’t leave Santa Barbara without going there. And, after a visit there, you’ll understand why California cuisine is so special.
Santa Barbara Public Market
We had no problem finding a delicious dining experience on the other end of the price spectrum. Look no further than the Santa Barbara Public Market.
Modeled after the food markets in Europe and the ferry building in San Francisco, the Santa Barbara Public Market is an excellent spot for a lunch or a quick bite – sandwiches, salads, tacos, sushi, artesian beer, or amazing ice cream. Consisting of more or less eight superb food stands, the Public Market is the perfect place to experience fresh, creative local ingredients that exemplify the best of California cuisine.
We opted for Mexican food at Corazõn Cocina, which included a marvelous overstuffed California-style shrimp burrito packed with lots of creative ingredients and 2 luscious chicken mole tacos.
Stroll Down State Street
The main artery in downtown Santa Barbara is State Street. As with everything else in Santa Barbara, it is top notch. Filled with interesting stores, lovely cafes, noteworthy restaurants, and gorgeous buildings and arcades, State Street is very special. Moreover, the high number of independent boutiques and galleries keeps things interesting and engaging. Plus, the street art and landscaping are impressive and picturesque. For instance, one of the times when we were there, the city had installed on State Street a whimsical exhibit entitled “Tiny Libraries Project, brightly colored life size sculptures of punctuation marks that function as book exchanges. (Santa Barbara has an extensive public art program.) Even if you hate shopping (which Pedro does), spend some time promenading down State Street. You’ll experience one of America’s great main streets.
Take a Walk on Stearns Wharf
By the water at the very end of State Street and jetting out onto Santa Barbara’s Harbor, you’ll find Stearn’s Warf. Completed in 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It’s a remarkable old structure containing restaurants, shops and even the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center. And, as we walked on this wooden pier soaking in some California sunshine, catching its salty breezes and gazing out onto the water, we knew we were having the quintessential California experience.
In all, this is only the tip of the iceberg. For instance, there are some magnificent scenic drives, first-rate museums (art, science, maritime, and history), numerous outdoor adventures (e.g., whale watching), magnificent gardens, world class spas, and a topnotch zoo. Unquestionably, the list goes on and on.
If you need additional suggestions, check out Santa Barbara’s official website.
