Showing 1-14 of 14 results
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Carpinteria State Beach
Mile-long, family-friendly Carpinteria State Beach is great for swimming, wading and tidepooling. It's often referred to as the world's safest beach for its calm waters. Parking is available for around US$8 .
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Channel Islands National Park
The Channel Islands is an eight-island chain lying off the coast from Newport Beach to Santa Barbara. The four northern islands - San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa - along with tiny Santa Barbara island 38mi (61km) west of San Pedro comprise the Channel Islands National Park. The islands have unique flora and fauna and extensive tidepools and kelp forests.
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Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
This small state park, open from dawn till dusk, is mostly visited for its cave, which has vivid pictographs painted by the Chumash about 200 years ago. The cave is protected by a metal screen, so a flashlight is helpful for a good view.
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El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
Built to protect the missions between Monterey and San Diego, this 18th-century former Spanish fort of the El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park was protected by adobe walls nearly 4ft thick and more than 9ft high. But its purpose wasn't solely to protect - the presidio, which recently celebrated the 225th anniversary of its founding, also served as a social and political hub, and as a stopping point for traveling Spanish military.
Read more about El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
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Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
The free Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is an embarrassment of riches for history nerds, science geeks and music lovers. Filled with historical written artifacts from the private collection of David Karpeles, a Santa Barbara real-estate investor, it's a true SoCal treasure.
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Mission Santa Barbara
Called the 'Queen of the Missions', Mission Santa Barbara sits on a majestic perch half a mile north of downtown. It was established on December 4 (the feast day of St Barbara) in 1786, as the 10th California mission. The current stone version dates from 1820.
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Museum of Natural History & Gladwin Planetarium
While the permanent exhibits lack the 'hands-on' sparkle of many children's discovery centers, the Museum of Natural History boasts a few noteworthy gems and typically stages excellent special exhibits. Bug buffs should check out the glass wall holding 4,000 mounted Santa Barbara insects, as well as the replica of a pygmy mammoth skeleton unearthed on Santa Rosa Island in 1994. Outside you'll find the complete skeleton of a 72ft blue whale.
Read more about Museum of Natural History & Gladwin Planetarium
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Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Want the perfect place to stop and smell the redwoods? Take a soul-satisfying jaunt to the 65-acre Santa Barbara Botanic Garden , devoted to California's native flora. About 5.5 miles of trails meander through cacti, redwoods and wildflowers past the old mission dam, built by the Chumash to irrigate the mission's fields. Grab a map from the staffed info kiosk at the entrance. Leashed dogs welcome.
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Santa Barbara County Courthouse
The views from the 85ft clock tower of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse are great. Built in Spanish-Moorish Revival style in 1929, the courthouse also features hand-painted ceilings, wrought-iron chandeliers, and tiles from Tunisia and Spain. Check out the mural room on the second floor. You can explore it yourself but you'll get more out of the free docent-led tour offered at Monday through Saturday, and at Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
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Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Kids will also get a kick out of the small but worth-a-stop Santa Barbara Maritime Museum , located southwest of the wharf on the harbor. The two-level museum celebrates the town's briny history with memorabilia and hands-on exhibits, including a big-game fishing chair from which you can 'reel in' a trophy marlin - who knew a fake fish could tug so hard?
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Santa Barbara Museum of Art
The museum has paintings by European and American artists such as Monet, Matisse, Hopper and O'Keeffe as well as collections of Asian art, classical sculpture and photography. There's also an interactive children's gallery, a cafe and the usual giftshop.
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Santa Barbara Zoo
Big cats, monkeys, elephants and giraffes await at the 500-animal Santa Barbara Zoo , where you'll also find beautiful gardens. The Humboldt penguins are the current stars, and these tuxedoed show-offs seem to know it. If you're in need of a giggle, hit the 'Eeeww!' insect exhibit. Its hissing cockroaches and giant African millipedes will leave you giggling at the grossed-out kids. Or deeply disturbed. Parking costs around US$3 .
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Stearns Wharf
The southern end of State St gives way to Stearns Wharf , a rough wooden pier with a few snack and souvenir shops. Built in 1872 by John Peck Stearn, it's the oldest continuously operating wharf on the West Coast. During the 1940s it was owned by Jimmy Cagney and his two brothers. Partly destroyed by a 1998 fire, it has now been restored. Parking is available for around US$2 per hour, with the first 90 minutes free with validation.
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Ty Warner Sea Center
The Ty Warner Sea Center is part of the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. This is a great place for kids: the staff here is so engaging and enthusiastic, your child will be contemplating a career in marine biology in no time. From touch-a-shark water tanks and crawl-through aquariums to whale sing-alongs, it's interactive, educational and plain old fun.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
