Things to do in Santa Barbara

Apart from Santa Barbara’s natural beauty, the city itself offers a wealth of tourist attractions including historical and cultural sights. Early Spanish influence can be seen in many buildings such as the County Courthouse and El Presidio State Historic Park.

El Presidio State Historic Park

El Cuartel, the oldest standing building in Santa Barbara, is all that remains of the last of four Royal Presidios (Spanish military outposts) that were built in Alta California. Built in 1782, the Presidio served as the military and government command centre for the territories between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo until 1846. Two original buildings have been renovated and five others rebuilt. Handmade adobe blocks were used to rebuild the Padres’ Quarters and the Presidio Chapel.
Phone: +1 805 965 0093; website: www.sbthp.org/.

Old Mission

One of the state’s most beautiful missions, this was the 10th of 21 Franciscan missions to be built in California, and it gives visitors genuine historical insights. Today, it continues to be a centre for cultural and religious activity and it hosts many events throughout the year. Self-guided tours can be taken daily from 09:00 to 17:00, while tours led by docents may be arranged by appointment. A gift shop is on the premises. Phone: +1 805 682 4713 ext. 121; website: www.sbmission.org.

State street

The heart and soul of Santa Barbara, State Street offers plenty of boutiques, historic sights, plazas, theatres, cafés and restaurants. The Old Town houses lots of traditional houses and exclusive restaurants, while the Paseo Nuevo and La Arcada shopping malls offer a wide range of unique shops and services. The tree-lined street is divided by Stearns Wharf and also houses the Santa Barbara Art Museum. Among the popular tourist attractions here is the Electric Trolley, which travels the length of the promenade, and a variety of recreational rentals such as rollerblades, roller skates and bicycles.

Botanic Garden

The beautiful and serene Santa Barbara Botanic Garden welcomes you to visit and enjoy the lovely displays of native Californian plants, set in wonderfully designed landscapes. The garden’s living collections, boasting more than 1,000 species of plants, span across 40 acres and is traversed by over five miles of public trails. Recognised by the American Association of Museums as a living museum, the collections aim to illustrate the extraordinary diversity of California’s native flora. Arranged in spectacular displays and explained through signage and docent-led tours, the living collections exemplify California’s natural beauty and offer plenty of opportunities for learning, appreciation and enjoyment. Phone: +1 805 682 4726; website: www.sbbg.org/.

Casa del Herrero

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this estate and garden features Spanish colonial details and is filled with European antique furnishings and art. The Casa del Herrero has remained essentially unchanged and has been in the hands of the Steedmans, the original family, since it was first built, more than 75 years ago. The casa is well-known as one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It offers visitors a peek into Montecito life just as the Steedmans lived in the 1930s. The estate’s collection of European antique furnishing, art and many personal effects are still in place as they were when the Steedmans were in residence. Phone: +1 805 565 5653; website: www.casadelherrero.com.

Stearns Wharf

Completed in 1872 and proclaimed to be the longest deep water quay between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Stearns Wharf is Santa Barbara’s most popular sight and California’s oldest working wharf. The pier is home to a range of specialty shops and fine dining venues as well as cruise ships offering tours and local fishing boats off-loading their morning catches. Visitors can touch marine life in a special aquarium, step aboard the Harbour Queen for a narrated coastal cruise and even take a breathtaking parasail high above the waterfront. Website: www.stearnswharf.org/.

Wineries

The Santa Barbara viticultural region produces some of the most sought after wines in the world. The combination of a long-growing season, proximity to the Pacific Ocean and ideal microclimates, along with dedicated and talented people, makes the region the ideal place for the production of premium table wine. The beautiful Santa Ynez Valley and the surrounding area offers wine aficionados an opportunity to search out the perfect Chardonnay while becoming familiar with the extraordinary Rhone varieties that the region is so well-known for. Many wineries offer guided tours of their distilleries and barrel rooms, providing a sampling of the year’s best varieties. Website: http://wineriesofsantabarbara.com/home.htm.

Ganna Walska Lotusland

This secluded, generously landscaped estate is well-known for its exotic plants and winding garden paths. It is named after the estate’s energetic mistress of European origin and the romantic, lotus-filled ponds in her gardens. Before her death, Madame Walska established the non-profit Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, which now preserves this unrivalled botanical treasure.

The estate illustrates the late Madame Walska’s eccentricity and the skill of her prestigious gardeners. She was particularly fond of succulents and cacti and combined them artistically with native plants and ornamental objects. Put together when money was no object and import regulations were lax (mostly in the 1940s), the garden contains priceless rare specimens including prehistoric plants that are extinct in the wild. Montecito is a five minute freeway drive south of downtown Santa Barbara. Phone: +1 805 969 9990; website: www.lotusland.org/.

Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Designed by William Mooser III in the Spanish-Moorish architectural style, this working courthouse is surrounded by landscaped gardens and lawns. Built in 1929, this majestic palace is the city’s local flagship of Spanish colonial revival architecture (TV viewers are sure to have seen its facade on TV during the Michael Jackson trial). It definitely is the most glitzy example, with remarkable façades, beamed ceilings, outstanding murals, an 85-foot-high observation clock tower and formal sunken gardens. Free guided tours are offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Phone: +1 805 962 6464.