Santa Barbara is a beautiful coastal town and a popular weekend getaway in Southern California. You'll find excellent beaches here, along with many attractions, family activities and romantic Pacific Ocean views. In the evening, visit the historic Lobero Theatre where you can watch ballet, chamber orchestra, jazz and other performances.
Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is about 15 minutes from downtown. If you are driving from LA by car, it's about 2 hours. If you prefer to travel by train, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner stops in downtown Santa Barbara.
If you are new in town, I recommend the Santa Barbara Trolley Tour. It's inexpensive and lets you see the main parts of the city quickly. The History Walking Tour is another good option.
Some my favorite hotels in town are the luxury Rosewood Miramar Beach and the romantic Simpson House Inn.
Best Things to Do in Santa Barbara, CA
1. See fine collections at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Rating: ★★★★★
Santa Barbara is one of those places that no matter how often I visit, I keep discovering something new.
Start you on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara where you'll find the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
You can admire a collection of over 27,000 works of American, Asian, and European art but since the building has 60,000 square feet for art exhibits you probably can't hope to see it all at once time.
I joined one of their tours that let me see the highlights on my first visit.
Location: Santa Barbara Museum of Art , 1130 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-963-4364
2. Admire the gardens in Lotusland
As a garden lover, I couldn't pass up a trip to Lotusland, a magnificent exotic garden located on the private property that used to be home to the well-known Polish opera singer and socialite Madame Ganna Walska.
You will find that the whimsical tone of the garden on the 37-acre property reflects her taste for the dramatic and the unexpected.
I found it to be a magical place to visit. Closing my eyes, I could really feel nature all around.
Location: Lotusland , Ganna Walska Lotusland, 695 Ashley Rd, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-969-9990
3. See fascinating animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo
If you have kids, I'm sure you've put the Santa Barbara Zoo on your itinerary.
Although the zoo is small, you can see more than than 500 animals here, including reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects.
I enjoyed the lush botanic gardens while filled with native plants, ornamentals, trees, cacti, succulents, and exotic species.
Your kid can Be A Zookeeper for a Day. What young person would not love spending a day playing with baby meerkats?
Location: 500 Ninos Drive, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-962-5339
4. Lobero Theatre
In the evening, go see a performance at Lobero Theatre, the oldest continuously performing theatre in California.
Depending on their schedule, you can watch State Street Ballet, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, jazz , and others.
I found out that some truly great names have graced the stage of the Lobero: Clark Gable, Ingrid Bergman, Igor Stravinsky, Betty Grable, and Tyrone Power, to mention just a few.
Location: Lobero Theatre , 33 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-963-0761
What to do if you are traveling with kids:
5. Shoreline Park
You should to visit the Shoreline Park for the magnificent views of the city, the Santa Barbara coastline, and the Santa Ynez Mountains.
If you are lucky, you even might spot some passing whales and the attraction is completely free.
This popular 14.6-acre park situated on a coastal bluff has something for everyone: enjoy the playgrounds, picnic tables, barbeques, sidewalks, and cozy benches.
To enter the park, you pass through the beautiful Torii gate and down the Shoreline Park staircase that leads to the bluff and the beach below.
You can let your dog splash through the waves from the Shoreline Park Staircase to the eastern edge of the Arroyo Burro Estuary.
6. Santa Barbara Orchid Estate
I'm a huge admirer of orchids and keep them at home, patiently feeding them over winter so that they reward me with new blooms year after year. So you can imagine that I absolutely adore the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate!
You'll find it just steps from the ocean on five acres of spectacular coastal Santa Barbara landscape.
Once you see the profusion of colors, shapes, sizes, and forms of these flowers, it is easy to get hooked on their magnificent exotic blooms. There are hundreds of varieties of orchids for sale, directly or by mail, and the owners provide you with all the information you need on growing and nurturing your new blooms.
If you are a new to orchid enthusiast, the owners offer detailed advice on how to grow orchids and frequently organize lectures and exhibitions.
Location: 1250 Orchid Drive, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-967-1284
Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:
7. Santa Barbara Wineries & Sustainable Vine Wine Tours
With around 50 wine producers, as you can imagine, Santa Barbara is a delight for wine connoisseurs.
While you can explore the wineries on your own, taking a tour of Santa Barbara County wineries with two certified and experienced sommeliers is an absolute treat for any wine lover.
When Scott Bull and Bryan Hope, the owners of Sustainable Wine Tours, take you on a tour, they will personally drive you in one of their Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicles and take you on a trip through some exceptional local wineries, vineyards, and barrel rooms.
They will also educate and entertain you. Tour groups are small and the outings last almost the whole day. The tours include not only wine tasting but an organic lunch in one of the vineyards.
8. Have a great burger at Mesa Burger
How is this for a recipe: handcrafted burgers, farm fresh salads, thin-cut fries, and locally brewed beers!
This is what Mesa Burger is all about. Except that the burgers are gourmet hamburgers crafted by the celebrated chef Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame.
The shop on a mesa in Santa Barbara quickly became a local favorite for a quick but delicious and wholesome meal. The place is super modern, with gleaming chrome and recycled wood along with lovely colorful photos of nature on the walls.
It is easy to feel instantly comfortable and bring the kids for a meal. The burgers come with some nice twists such as ginger teriyaki and grilled pineapple salsa or with a sunny side up egg and applewood bacon. You can wash it down with local wine, craft beer, and cider.
315 Meigs Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, Phone: 805-963-7492
9. Shop and dine at Stearns Wharf
I found out while visiting that Stearns Wharf is the oldest wooden wharf in continuous use in California, since 1872.
You'll find the wharf at the end of State Street and is one of the most visited places in Santa Barbara.
Today, there are 17 businesses on Stearns Wharf including shops and restaurants, a shellfish market, and two educational facilities you can visit: the Channel Islands Exhibit Hall and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center, which is an interactive facility for ocean education.
You also have the option of taking cruises and water taxis from the wharf.
10. Go on one of the Santa Barbara Tasting Tours
I find that food tours offer a great way to get to know a new city. Join one of the Santa Barbara Tasting Tours along State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.
It's scheduled around lunch time so that you can be nice and hungry. The three and a half hour lunchtime tour includes food tastings at six different restaurants and shops in the downtown area.
In addition to the food tastings, tour guides point out interesting historical sights such as the Arlington and Granada Theaters, Santa Barbara Presidio, and the city courthouse.
Tastings include restaurants as well as delis, cheese shops, wineries, chocolate shops, and other places for desserts. If you want something super custom, private tours are also available (805-295-8687).
I plan to keep writing about Santa Barbara so be sure to bookmark my page where I'll be adding new articles soon.
Plan Your Trip