Things to Do in Santa Barbara, California

• Located on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art was founded in 1941 and today houses a collection of over 27,000 works of American, Asian, and European art.
• Originally the Santa Barbara Post Office, the building was renovated and now contains 60,000 square feet for art exhibits as well as an auditorium, a library, a museum store, and a cafe.
• The museum focuses on education with its 40 programs and presents lectures, performances, and seminars, and is one of the top Santa Barbara attractions.
• The Ridley-Tree Education Center is also located in the 11,500 square foot McCormick House.
• Tours are available.

Location: 1130 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-963-4364

• Lotusland is 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.
• The 37-acre property features spectacular collections of exotic plants that Madame Walska collected and tended during her life.
• Her friends and admirers have also donated some of the collections.
• The whimsical tone of the garden reflects her taste for the dramatic and the unexpected.
• After Madame Walska died in 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit public botanical garden, and its exceptional educational programs continue to benefit the local community.
• If you are looking for things to do in Santa Barbara for garden lovers, this is a must-see attraction.
• Its numerous innovative horticultural practices are admired and shared by botanic gardens all over the world.
• It is a magical, breathtakingly beautiful place to visit and to feel the spirit of one exceptional woman.

Location: Ganna Walska Lotusland, 695 Ashley Rd, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-969-9990

• The Santa Barbara Zoo provides open, naturalistic habitats to more than 500 animals from 146 species of reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects.
• The zoo is located on thirty acres of lush botanic gardens that feature many native plants, ornamentals, trees, cacti, succulents, and exotic species.
• The zoo is considered one of the best small zoos in the country and is one of the best things to do in Santa Barbara with kids.
• Since its opening in 1963, the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens has been fulfilling its mission of preserving, conserving, and enhancing the natural world through research, education, and recreation.
• The zoo organizes numerous special events and programs such as Zoo camp and monthly multidisciplinary hands-on activities for kids like 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

• The Lobero Theatre is the oldest continuously performing theatre in California and one of the top Santa Barbara points of interest.
• Founded in 1873 and rebuilt in 1924, the Lobero building is one of Santa Barbara’s most treasured architectural jewels.
• Lobero has always been Santa Barbara’s favorite stage for both professional and community performances, and many of the big Santa Barbara performing arts groups call Lobero home: State Street Ballet, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and others.
• From its glory days to today, the Lobero has presented jazz in a variety of formats, hosting jazz greats such as Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Dave Holland, among others.
• 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: 33 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, CA, Phone: 805-963-0761

• The best reasons to visit the Shoreline Park are 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: playgrounds, picnic tables, barbeques, sidewalks, and cozy benches.
• If you are wondering what to do in Santa Barbara with kids, this is a great place to visit.
• To enter the park, visitors 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.

• The Santa Barbara Orchid Estate was established in 1957 on five acres of spectacular coastal Santa Barbara landscape, just a few steps from the ocean.
• It is now owned and managed by Paul Gripp and his two children, Parry and Alice, all of whom are world-known propagators and collectors of orchid species and hybrids.
• Their specialty is outdoor temperature-tolerant orchids.
• The Estate welcomes visitors, and 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.
• 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

• With around 50 wine producers, 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.

Location: Santa Barbara Wineries & Sustainable Vine Wine Tours, Phone: 805-698-3911

• A historic treasure and landmark, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a must-visit for travelers in this popular Californian city.
• Finished in 1929, the building, which features a Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture, remains an operating courthouse in Santa Barbara.
• The County Courthouse features a stunning mural room and a lovely clocktower, both of which can be explored through self-guided tours.
• Visitors can also take a self-guided tour of the courthouse’s exterior, which is home to a Fiesta Stage, a beautiful Great Arch, a fountain, a rotunda, and the Sunken Garden.
• Be sure to stop by the Hall of Records and the Old Jail while you’re at it.

Location: 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93121, Phone: 805-962-6464

• Completed in 1872, Stearns Wharf is the oldest wooden wharf in continuous use in California.
• In the past, it was used for passenger and freight services for about 25 years, and it is named after its builder, John P. Stearns.
• The wharf is located 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: the Channel Islands Exhibit Hall and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center, which is an interactive facility for ocean education.
• Visitors also have the option of taking cruises and water taxis from the wharf.

• Santa Barbara Tasting Tours offers food walking tours along State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.
• 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.
• Some of the tours stop at popular places like El Paseo, La Arcada, and the Santa Barbara Public Market.
• The tastings include restaurants as well as delis, cheese shops, wineries, chocolate shops, and other places for desserts.
• Private tours are also available (805-295-8687).