Santa Barbara Courthouse

Santa Barbara Courthouse
1100 Block of Anacapa St
962-6464

This magnificent Spanish-Moorish "palace" was built in 1929 and is surrounded by lawns and a sunken tropical garden that plays host to many functions through out the year. Hardly a Sunday afternoon goes by that a festival, concert or get together of some sort isn't taking advantage of the beauty of this setting.

The architecture of this building is quite beautiful and all the details are well thought out. Hand-painted ceilings, wrought iron chandeliers, giant murals, imported tiles give this relatively new building an ancient feel.

Believe it or not, this building is a fully functional courthouse where lawyers and judges actually handle judicial business!

Of course, no trip to the courthouse would be complete without an ascent to the tower, which offers 360° views of the city, mountains, ocean and on a clear day the islands. You will probably recognize the famous arches from numerous television and print shots. The tower closes early, however, so make sure to get there by 3:30 or 4 p.m. at the latest.

TOURIST INFO: Guided tours, Mon-Sat 2pm and Mon, Tues and Fri 10:30am. Open weekdays 8:00am-5pm Saturday, Sunday, holidays 10am-5pm. Tours are free except for some groups. Visitor booth: 962-6464

DIRECTIONS: From the 101 take the Garden Street exit and turn away from the ocean. When you come to Anapamu, turn left until you come to Anacapa, where you turn left again. There is a parking lot to your right where there is usually parking.