Things to do in Santa Barbara, US
Thousand Steps Beach is a rock and sand beach below homes high on the bluff in the East Mesa area of Santa Barbara. It requires a long hike down a stairway to get to the beach. The concrete stairs, originally constructed in 1923, have what seems like 1000 steps, but is actually closer to 150.
Alameda Park (Alameda Plazas) is one of the City’s oldest parks and is actually a two-block park consisting of unique rare trees (see The Alameda Plazas Self-Guided Tree Tour), a bandstand, picnic sites, and Kid’s World, an 8,000 square foot playground with a castle, swings, slides; and two reservable party sites.
Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden features a large botanical collection of 75 different tree and plant species included in the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden Self-Guided Tree & Plant Tour; koi pond; sensory garden with audio posts and interpretive Braille signs; low water-use demonstration garden, walking paths, picnic areas; and gazebo.
Contact Us Print The Parks Division manages the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge, a 42-acre open space park that includes a 29-acre lake that is an artificially modified estuary that supports brackish wetlands.
Arroyo Burro Beach County Park is located 5 miles west of Santa Barbara's city center on Cliff Drive near Hope Ranch. From Highway 101 take Las Positas Road south to Cliff Drive. Turn right and travel 1/2 mile to the park entrance.
Butterfly Beach is located along Channel Drive in ritzy Montecito, CA. This is a popular beach with Santa Barbara area locals, many who walk their dogs at the water’s edge. The beach has been eroded here so the sandy part is thin sometimes especially at high tide and after winter storms.
Experience Casa del Herrero. When visitors come to the Casa del Herrero estate (House of the Blacksmith), they are transported back to Montecito in the 1920s and 1930s — the heyday of the original owner George Fox Steedman.
Chase Palm Park, right along the waterfront, will entertain children with its shipwreck themed playground. This large custom-built playground has many beautiful features including surfacing whales, a conch shell lighthouse, murals, and a nautilus shell play area.
Driving Directions to Chumash Painted Cave SHP The site is three miles south of the San Marcos Pass: Take Highway 154 out of Santa Barbara and turn right on Painted Caves Road. The cave is located on the left, about two miles up a steep, narrow road. The pullout at the site will only accommodate one or two vehicles.
Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve/Photo by Lobsang Wangdu. One of the best remaining examples of a coastal-strand environment in Southern California, the Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve protects a wide variety of shoreline and estuarine habitats.
In 1996, the Preserve was acquired by the Trust for Public Lands and transferred to the City a year later. The DFP is an undeveloped open space that provides passive recreation opportunities, such as hiking, dog walking, wildlife viewing, and bicycle riding.
East Beach is located at the eastern end of the four-mile stretch of City beach parks. East Beach offers picnic facilities, more than a dozen volleyball courts, a playground, and beautiful ocean views. East Beach is host to several volley ball tournaments each year at the world famous courts.
Santa Barbara’s largest, most diverse recreation area and open space
Franceschi Park affords a panoramic view of the City of Santa Barbara and its spectacular setting. The park provides a tranquil horticultural resource for the community where the pioneering work of Dr. Franceschi is honored and continued; horticultural education is promoted; passive recreation is encouraged; and the aesthetics of Mediterranean climate landscape is celebrated.
The Santa Barbara County Park Commission held a special meeting on July 13, 2017 to give the community an update on the status of the Beach and Park Management of Goleta Beach County Park. View Infomational Presentation.
The Ellwood Main Monarch Aggregation Site (aka Goleta Butterfly Grove) is closed indefinitely. As a result of a tree health assessment performed as part of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan, the City learned in the Summer of 2017 that hundreds of trees in the Ellwood Mesa are dead or dying.
Staying in an Airbnb in Santa Barbara, our hosts suggested that we take a hike up to Inspiration Point. It was definitely worth it! It took my boyfriend and I about 2 hours each way and even though we're active people, there were definitely some steep challenges.
Climb aboard Santa Barbara’s original amphibious tour vehicle, the LAND SHARK, for a personally narrated 90-minute land and sea tour adventure. Experience the best of Santa Barbara, in comfort aboard the most modern state-of-the-art amphibious vehicle in the world.
Leadbetter Beach is a City beach and park between the Santa Barbara Harbor and Shoreline Park and across from Santa Barbara City College. Reservable picnic and barbecue sites, outdoor showers, restrooms, and a grassy lawn are amentities in addition to the beach sand. This is a popular beach for beginning surfers, windsurfers, and sailboats.
In 1890, Mr. H. L. Williams donated 1.9 acres of beachfront property in Summerland to Santa Barbara County. Mr. Williams' parcel became Lookout Park, and thus launched a countywide program to acquire land for public use and enjoyment. An additional 1.5 acres for the park were purchased in 1976.
Madame Ganna Walska, a well-known Polish opera singer and socialite, purchased the Montecito, California estate in 1941 and spent the next 43 years creating Lotusland, which is now recognized as one of the ten best gardens in the world.
Mission Historical Park is a 10-acre park (4.0 ha) located to the east of the Santa Barbara Mission in Santa Barbara, California. The park hosts a large open grassy area, the A.C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden, a fountain, hiking trails, a variety of sycamore and native oak trees, a historic olive grove dedicated to World War I veterans, remains of tannery vats, a pottery, gristmill, and a historic reservoir and aqueduct system.
Glorious Rose Garden near the Santa Barbara Mission The Mission Rose Garden is an icon of Santa Barbara, and a stunning location for a wedding ceremony. This massive Rose Garden hosts over 1,500 varieties of roses, and sits just across from the Santa Barbara Mission.
Mission Santa Barbara, also known as Santa Barbara Mission, is a Spanish mission founded by the Franciscan order near present-day Santa Barbara, California. It was founded by Padre Fermín Lasuén on December 4, 1786, the feast day of Saint Barbara, as the tenth mission for the religious conversion of the indigenous local Chumash-Barbareño tribe of Native American people.
Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree located in Santa Barbara, California is believed to be the largest Ficus macrophylla in the United States. A seaman visiting Santa Barbara in 1876 presented a seedling of an Australian Moreton Bay Fig tree to a local girl who planted it at 201 State Street.
Santa Barbara's newest destination for families and curious minds of all ages. Three floors of hands-on exhibits for children and children-at-heart fill this interactive science museum.
Join us at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara for an opening reception celebrating our new summer exhibition, Barry McGee: ... Join us for our curated, ...
Welcome to the Saint Barbara Parish – Roman Catholic Church. In the Franciscan tradition, we strive to live the gospel life in prayer, evangelization, outreach and stewardship. In imitation of Jesus Christ, we welcome all people to worship and celebrate God’s all-inclusive love with us at the Mission Santa Barbara.
Parma Park- 5 miles of trail . Residents seeking a large open space park close to town may want to visit Parma Park. It is the largest City open space park, encompassing approximately 200 acres of oak woodland and chaparral along Sycamore and Coyote Creeks.
Rattlesnake Canyon is a 4.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Santa Barbara, California that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
The 19.59 acres of Rocky Nook Park, formerly home of Mrs. G.T.S Oliver, was donated to the County in her Name by Sam and Carolyn Stanwood in 1928. Location: The entrance to this park is on your right just past the historic Santa Barbara Mission on Mission Canyon Road.
The pass is one of three passages across the steep Santa Ynez Mountains, and the nearest to Santa Barbara. The Painted Cave community and Laurel Springs Ranch near Chumash Painted Cave SHP is four miles east of San Marcos Pass via East Camino Cielo Road, which intersects with SR 154 right at the summit.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden fosters the conservation of California's native plants through our gardens, research and education, and serves as a role model of sustainable practices. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Our Tax ID number is 95-1644628.
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is located at 1100 Anacapa Street, in downtown Santa Barbara, California. The Spanish Colonial Revival style building was designed by William Mooser III and completed in 1929.
Quintessential Santa Barbara style. Celebrate your wedding or special occasion at this cultural landmark located in the heart the historic district. The romance of Spain is alive in our two private, interconnected courtyards and historic adobes.
Showcases a collection of ancient through contemporary works and photography, represented by Asian, European, and American artists.
SB Museum features exhibit halls focusing on regional natural history (birds, insects, mammals, marine life, paleontology), Native Americans, and antique natural history art.
Sea Center. Discover the wonders of ocean life at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center. Located on historic Stearns Wharf, this highly interactive marine education facility offers you close encounters with marine animals from the Santa Barbara Channel.
The Presidio of Santa Barbara has the distinction of being the last military outpost built by Spain in the New World. The Presidio became a California Historical Landmark in 1958 and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
For pretty detailed directions getting there, Santa Barbara Hikes has a pretty awesome step-by-step guide: http://santabarbarahikes.com/hikes/frontcountry/3pools.shtml If you can make it up all the way past the seven falls, which are lovely and fun (especially going down), there are three very tranquil pools.
Shoreline Park, a long, narrow ocean-side strip of land on top of a mesa (i.e. coastal bluff), is located in Santa Barbara, California, United States. Facing the Pacific Ocean, Shoreline Park is one of Santa Barbara's most popular parks.
The 35-acre Skofield Park is nestled high in the foothills adjacent to Rattlesnake Canyon Trail and along Mission Creek. This park provides recreation opportunities for walking, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Reservable picnic and barbecue sites are located in designated areas.
Two restaurants on Stearns Wharf, Char-West and Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, have outdoor seating that may allow you to have your dog sit nearby while you dine. Fishing on Stearns Wharf is free, and you can find supplies and bait at Stearns Wharf Bait and Tackle for all of your fishing needs.
The Sunken Gardens in Santa Barbara is a spectacular venue that hosts free concerts, movies, and events throughout the year. The Sunken Gardens in Santa Barbara is a spectacular venue that hosts free concerts, movies, and events throughout the year.
The Reagan Ranch Center. The Center showcases the story of the Ranch and its place in history with Reagan and the public. Visiting The Reagan Ranch Center Galleries & Exhibits. We inspire the next generation of leaders through hosting, tours, and other events. Reagan and YAF. Ronald Reagan had a very special bond with Young America’s Foundation students.
Buy tickets for upcoming music, theater, dance performances, and lectures in Santa Barbara. Calendar of events presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures.
Join us as we pledge to be safe on the water! Our Waterfront Mission Statement. Our mission is to provide the community with a quality Waterfront for recreation and commercial use, along with mooring and landside services for boating. Approximately 252 acres of tidelands and submerged lands is managed by the Department.
West Beach also provides public art, viewing plazas, and historical and interpretive signage. The sandy beach is adjacent to the Small Craft Quiet Water Area which is a setting for many boating activities for: outriggers, sailboats, Chumash tomols (canoes), and rowing dories.