Santa Barbara Scoop

Tourist Attractions

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara is a year-round tourist destination renowned for its fair weather, downtown beaches, and Spanish architecture. Tourism brings more than one billion dollars per year into the local economy, including $80 million in tax revenue. In addition to the city's cultural assets, several iconic destinations lie within the city's limits. Mission Santa Barbara, "The Queen of the Missions," is located on a rise about two miles inland from the harbor, and is maintained as an active place of worship, sightseeing stop, and national historic landmark. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a red tiled Spanish-Moorish structure, provides a sweeping view of the downtown area from its open air tower. The Presidio of Santa Barbara, a Spanish military installation built in 1782, was central to the town's early development and remains an icon of the city's colonial roots.

Also famous is the annual Fiesta (originally called "Old Spanish Days"), which is celebrated every year in August. The Fiestas are hosted by the Native Daughters of the Golden West and the Native Sons of the Golden West in a joint committee called the Fiesta Board. Fiesta was originally started as a tourist attraction, like the Rose Bowl, to draw business into the town in the 1920s. This year's Fiesta is August 3 - 7, 2011. Flower Girls and Las Señoritas are another attraction of Fiesta, as they march and participate in both Fiesta Pequeña (the kickoff of Fiesta) and the various parades. Flower Girls is for girls under 13. They throw roses and other flowers into the crowds. Las Señoritas are their older escorts. Many Señoritas join the Native Daughters at the age of 16.

For over 40 years the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show has been held on Cabrillo Blvd., east of Stearns Wharf and along the beach, attracting thousands of people to see artwork made by artists and crafts people that live in Santa Barbara county. By the rules of the show, all the works displayed must have been made by the artists and craftspeople themselves, who must sell their own goods. The show started in the early 1960s, and now has over 200 booths varying in size and style on any Sunday of the year. The show is also held on some Saturdays that are national holidays, but not during inclement weather.

In recent years, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), another local non-profit, has also become a major draw bringing over 50,000 attendees during what is usually Santa Barbara's slow season in late January. SBIFF hosts a wide variety of celebrities, premieres, panels and movies from around the world and runs for 10 days. The last Film Festival occured January 27 - February 6, 2011.

The annual Summer Solstice Parade draws up to 100,000 people. It is a colorful themed parade put on by local residents, and follows a route along State Street for approximately one mile, ending at Alameda Park. Floats and costumes vary from the whimsical to the outrageous; parties and street events take place throughout the weekend of the parade, which is invariably the first weekend after the solstice.

Other tourist-centered attractions include:

Stearns Wharf – Adjacent to Santa Barbara Harbor, features shops, several restaurants, and the newly rebuilt Ty Warner Sea Center.
Rafael Gonzalez House – Adobe residence of the alcaldé of Santa Barbara in the 1820s, and a National Historic Landmark.
Moreton Bay Fig – a giant Moreton Bay Fig, 80 feet tall, which has one of the largest total shaded areas of any tree in North America
Burton Mound – on Mason Street at Burton Circle, this mound is thought to be the Chumash village of Syujton, recorded by Juan Cabrillo in 1542, and again by Fr. Crespí and Portolá in 1769. (California Historical Landmark No. 306)
De La Guerra Plaza (Casa de la Guerra) – Site of the first City Hall, and still the center of the city's administration. (California Historical Landmark No. 307)
Covarrubias Adobe – Built in 1817; adjacent to the Santa Barbara Historical Society Museum on Santa Barbara Street. (California Historical Landmark No. 308)
Hastings Adobe – Built in 1854, partially from material recovered from the wreck of the S.S. Winfield Scott. (California Historical Landmark No. 559)
Carrillo Adobe – Built in 1825 by Daniel Hill for his wife Rafaela L. Ortega y Olivera; currently at 11 E. Carrillo St.
Santa Barbara Museum of Art - Founded in 1941, this is one of the nation's outstanding regional museums that features a combination of special and permanent exhibits.
Cold Spring Tavern
Reagan Ranch Center - a place where young and old alike can learn about Ronald Reagan and his conservative values through historical exhibits and dynamic educational programs.
El Paseo Shopping Mall – California's first shopping center.
Santa Barbara Zoo

Hotel Oceana

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

This charming beachfront boutique hotel with endless ocean and mountain views. It is the perfect location for your getaway. Each of their six Spanish-style buildings offer relaxing outdoor sitting areas or lush vibrant garden courtyards. All guest rooms include high definition flat-screen LCD TV's and either CD players or iPod docking stations, down comforters and pillows, and Aveda bath toiletries.

Hotel Oceana offers the following amenities for all of their guests:

Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast in our Ocean Front Breakfast Bistro.
Complimentary wireless internet access in rooms and on hotel grounds.
Complimentary 2 hour beach cruiser bicycle rentals
Room Service provided for lunch and dinner by Order Inn Hospitality Services
Mini Bar service
Two outdoor heated pools and Jacuzzi with private poolside cabanas
Fitness center offering brand new cardio and weight training equipment
In-room spa services from Indulgence, The Home Spa
Multi-functional boardroom with gorgeous Pacific Ocean views
Throughout the grounds there are plenty of outdoor seating areas with comfy couches and tables for work and relaxation.
Complimentary laptop available in our guest lobby for guest usage and printing of boarding passes and e-mails.
Business Center and Concierge Services are provided by the front desk.

Contact Wish Upon A Star Travel for pricing on this hotel or for more information. You can reach them at (805) 964-3601 or e-mail.

Hummer Tours of Santa Barbara and Wine Country

2011-01-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

When you come to Santa Barbara, don't deprive yourself of that great California weather! Come aboard the finest fleet of OPEN air vehicles in the Central Coast.

Santa Barbara Backroads offers daily wine tasting tours. They are like 2 tours in one. You will pass the historical areas of Santa Barbara including State Street, the famous courthouse and the Mission. Your guides are local experts and will follow the old stagecoach road to the San Ynez Valley and the danish community of Solvang to taste the finest wines. Join us on the backroads and see what you've been missing!

All Tours provide:

Daily Departures
Open Air H-1 Hummers
Tasting fees included at four vineyards including where the filmed the hit movie, "Sideways".
Expert guides and wine stewards
A gourmet picnic lunch is included - 19 gourmet sandwiches served at a winery or vineyard.
Taste 30 different wines
Open air experience, better then a bus or limo

For more information, call them at (877) WE-HUMMER!!! or www.santabarbarabackroads.com

Contact Wish Upon A Star Travel for pricing on a hotel or for more information. You can reach them at (805) 964-3601 or e-mail.

Bacara Resort & Spa

2011-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

8301 Hollister Avenue
Goleta , California 93117
Tel: (805) 968 0100

Just a few miles up the coast from Santa Barbara, on 78 beachfront acres, the whitewashed collection of buildings known as the Bacara Resort & Spa—think ritzy Spanish Colonial—is the kind of status-y getaway that attracts new money, old money, wannabe money, and everyone in between.

Room rates aren't cheap ($550 is the starting rate in high season), but the doting service makes it worth every penny. All the rooms are designed with a clean and comfortable beach-chic vibe, but the ocean-view suites hold the key to Bacara's secret weapon: dramatic sea cliff vistas that open onto a wild stretch of beach.

With three swimming pools, a 220-seat screening room, the nearby Sandpiper golf course, and hiking trails galore in the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains, it's tempting to stay put rather than head into town.

Good thing, then, that the on-site dining options run the gamut from top-notch Basque-Catalonian cuisine at Miró to calorie-conscious fare at the Spa Café. However, even dinner at the resort's more casual option, The Bistro, will run you around $70 a head.

At 42,000 square feet, the spa and exercise center is impressive in size but can feel somewhat factory-like, and the massages (the treatment of choice for most guests) are nothing to write home about.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to this luxurious hotel's website.

Contact Wish Upon A Star Travel for pricing on this hotel or for more information. You can reach them at (805) 964-3601 or e-mail.

Condor Express - Whale Watching

2011-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Condor Cruises @ Sea Landing
301 West Cabrillo Boulevard
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (805) 882 0088 or (888) 77-WHALE

"Whale watching with a guarantee" is the motto of Condor Express—that's what they all say. But the waters off Santa Barbara are home to one of the world's largest concentrations of migrating blue and humpback whales, plus orcas, minke whales, dolphins, and other finned mammals throughout the year. And, if you go out and not see a whale, they will give you a whale-check for another FREE cruise!!!

Best time to see blues and humpbacks: May through September. Dolphins can be seen throughout the year, and orcas surface occasionally between late February and March. Catch the gray whales during their winter migration to Mexico between December and March, or between February and May, when they head north with their newborn calves.

Condor Express offers two-hour coast cruises and half-day tours of the Channel Islands, depending on whale migrations. The only time that spotting a whale is not guaranteed is during the fall. They also offer private charters and adventure cruises.

CONDOR Cruises is recommended by, and affiliated with, the University of California Santa Barbara's Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. With qualified naturalists always on board, the CONDOR EXPRESS offers an interesting, informative and exciting trip on the most advanced & comfortable excursion vessel on the West Coast.

CLICK HERE for pricing and options.

Contact Wish Upon A Star Travel for pricing on a hotel or for more information. You can reach them at (805) 964-3601 or e-mail.

Kobe Academy Begins Today!

2010-07-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant is in town for his Kobe Academy at UCSB. This is a sold-out event but is a great camp for children who love basketball.

Photo: BBallVideos.com

Inn by The Harbor

2010-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Escape to a Santa Barbara Hotel and Resort Destination! Nestled among tropical gardens beneath the swaying palms, the Inn by the Harbor is an enchanting Santa Barbara hotel and resort escape. Built in the Spanish Colonial tradition, the white adobe inn features red tile roofs, inlaid tile staircases, wrought iron embellishments, and a heated pool. The Inn is just a short walk from Santa Barbara’s golden beaches, yacht harbor, and oceanfront restaurants.

The guest rooms at this Santa Barbara hotel and retreat are decorated with charming French Country furnishings. Many also feature full kitchens, which make them ideal for vacations and extended stay lodging. The Inn serves a deluxe continental breakfast, afternoon wine and cheese, and evening milk and cookies.

The Inn by the Harbor hotel is within walking distance of many Santa Barbara attractions including West Beach and the beachfront bike path, the yacht harbor, Stearns Wharf, and the vibrant shops and cafes lining State Street. Golf courses, wineries, and the Santa Barbara Mission are all just minutes away.

Amenities

42 individually-appointed accommodations, all non-smoking
Heated swimming pool and whirlpool
Enclosed sundeck courtyard
Deluxe continental breakfast
Afternoon wine and cheese reception
Evening milk and cookies
Guest laundry
Free high-speed wireless Internet service

Guest Rooms

Charming Santa Barbara Accommodations - The Inn by the Harbor in the city of Santa Barbara, California offers individually appointed accommodations with charming French country furnishings. Amenities include air conditioning, refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, wall safe, armoire with television, complimentary HBO, voice mail, data port, and free high-speed wireless Internet service.

Queen/King Bed - Room with queen or king bed
Queen/King Deluxe - Room with queen or king bed and sitting area, Separate full-size kitchen with dining area

The following one and two bedroom suites must be booked directly with the hotel.

Two Queen Deluxe - Room with two queen beds, Full-size kitchen with dining area
Harbor Pool Suite - Spacious bedroom with king bed, Second bedroom with king bed, Living room with queen sofa/sleeper, Fully equipped kitchen, Large sliding doors with pool view

Specials & Packages

Car Free Experience Package - Take a car-free vacation and be rewarded with discounts.
Seashore Cruise and Soother Package - Set sail on a sunset cruise for two with a bottle of wine
Romance on the Riviera Package - Savor a romantic dinner for two, chocolates and wine.
Four Days/Three Nights in Paradise Package - Sunset sail, winery tour, romantic dinners and more.
Tee and Sea Golf Package - Savor a round of golf by the sea at Glen Annie.
Wine Package - Taste your way through Santa Barbara’s wine country.
Whales and Tales Package - Catch sight of whales off the coast of Santa Barbara.

Directions

From the south: Exit 101 at Bath Street. Turn left onto Haley Street. Turn left onto Castillo Street. Turn right Montecito Street. The Inn by the Harbor is ¼ block on the left side.
From the north: Exit 101 at Castillo Street. Turn right onto Castillo Street. Turn right Montecito Street. The Inn by the Harbor is ¼ block on the left side.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to this hotel's website...

Segway Rentals: See the City From A Segway

2010-06-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Segway of Santa Barbara

16 Helena Avenue , Suite A
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (805) 963 7672

Hopefully you'll fare better than President Bush, who took a tumble during his first ride on a Segway, the self-balancing electric-powered human transporter. It's really a no-brainer, and the most fun way to tour downtown Santa Barbara.

You can rent a Segway on a per hour basis for $45.00 per hour including training or a per day basis for $299.00. You can also opt for a 2 1/2 hour guided Tour of Old Santa Barbara ($79.00 including training), a 2 hour Tour of Butterfly Beach ($75.00 including training), or enjoy the popular 3 1/2 hour Mission Tour ($99.00 including training),

Open daily 10 am to 6 pm.

CLICK HERE for more information about this company.

Painted Cave

2010-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Chumash Painted Cave is located about 12 miles northwest of Santa Barbara off of the San Marcos Pass Road (Highway 154). The start of this highway is directly across from the start of upper State Street at the 101 freeway. The cave is on Painted Cave Road, an extremely narrow steep road that winds its way up the face of the Santa Ynez mountains. You will quickly climb in elevation for a few miles and then you will level out and drive for another few miles. The cave is situated on the left side of the road. There is little parking; expect to park on a narrow shoulder of the road. The cave is just a few hundred feet up a trail, above the road. The cave entrance is covered with a metal screen. Inside are brightly painted pictographs on the cave walls painted by the Chumash Indians hundreds of years ago. This artwork is believed to have religious connotations. If you are going to take pictures I would recommend taking a short zoom lens and a flash. There is a very steep trail that continues on up the hill from the cave, presumably to some smaller caves and pictographs. Note: There are no services here, not even water.

Santa Barbara History: Earthquake of 1812

2010-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

On December 21, 1812, one of the largest earthquakes in California history completely destroyed the first Mission along with most of Santa Barbara. With an estimated magnitude of 7.2, and a hypothesized epicenter near Santa Cruz Island, the quake also produced a tsunami which carried water all the way to modern-day Anapamu Street, and carried a ship a half-mile up Refugio Canyon. The earthquake devastated the small early city.

Following the devastating earthquake, the Mission padres decided to build a larger and more elaborate Mission complex, which is the one that survives to the present day. While the church was ready in 1820, the bell towers were not finished until 1833.

Longoria Wines

2010-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Longoria Wines
(Los Olivos)
daily 11am - 4.30pm
2935 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos

866-RLWINES or (805) 688-0305

Upon his arrival to the local wine scene in 1976, Rick Longoria tasted the first vintage of Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict’s wines from their young vineyard in what is now known at the Santa Rita Hills. He has been a fan of this viticultural region ever since. He has been producing wine from a variety of vineyards in this area since 1984. In 1998, he realized his dream of planting a vineyard in this great appellation and has been gratified to see the outstanding wines produced from these grapes. Fe Ciega Vineyard, consisting of eight acres of Pinot Noir, is located on a south facing slope of the Santa Rita Hills, north of the Santa Ynez River at the far western edge of the appellation. In 2008, another clone of Pinot Noir was planted at Fe Ciega, in addition to a block of Chardonnay vines.

In 1998, Rick established the first commercial winery in the city of Lompoc, in an industrial park near the east entrance to the city. This facility is not open to the public, although Longoria Wines can be tasted and purchased at his tasting room in Los Olivos.

After 32 years of winemaking, Rick’s goal remains the same: to produce the best wines possible year after year. Because of this, Longoria Wines remains one of the smallest wineries in the area, averaging 3,500 cases annually.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Arts & Crafts Show

2010-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Arts and Craft Show
Sundays at Cabrillo Blvd
Time: 10am - Dusk
(805) 897-1982
www.sbaacs.com

The art show is a Santa Barbara Classic. It is strictly held as a "Santa Barbara" county resident show and you will find an eclectic mixture of arts and crafts.

It is a wonderful Sunday afternoon - check out the art show, stroll down to Stearn's Wharf to get an ice cream, visit the touch tank at the Natural History Museum's Sea Center and then wander out the end of the wharf to watch the pelicans catch fish off the pier.

Many of the artists are regulars - they come to the art show each week to show their work. Others come and go. The prices are often quite good.

Note: If you have children you need to make sure that they stay away from the road. Cabrillo Blvd. is one of the busiest streets in Santa Barbara and the traffic goes very fast, regardless of the 25 mph signs posted along a large stretch of the road.

Directions: East Beach is accessible from just about any exit along downtown Santa Barbara - Carrillo Blvd, Milpas (South), Garden, Castillo. Turn away from the mountains and when you reach Cabrillo, you can't miss the huge stretch of park between Stearns Wharf and the bird refuge.

Tour & Sightseeing Companies

2010-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bike Down Gibraltar offers scenic downhill bicycle tours. (805) 963-3700

Blue Sky Bus offers personalized adventures. Their phone number is (805) 683-0722

Heli-Tours offers island and wine country helicopter excursions. (805) 964-0684

Pacific Coast Limousine offers wine country and custom tours. (805) 683-0722

Pedal and Paddle offer customized kayak and bike tours. They can be reached at (805) 687-2912

Personal Tours Ltd., offer personalized tours in a range of vehicles. (805) 685-0552

Red Tile Walking Tour is a tour of 12 blocks through downtown Santa Barbara. Call the Chamber of Commerce for a map at (805) 965-3021

Santa Barbara Limo and Tours offer tours of a historic mansion, a casino, and winery tours. They can be reached at (805) 961-2722

Santa Barbara Trolley Co. offers narrated tours and connections for hotels/attractions. Their phone number is (805) 965-0353 www.sbtrolley.com

Sightseeing Tours of Santa Barbara offers scenic highlights in a minivan. Call (805) 966-3322

Turistorica is a 2 hour docent led stroll through downtown on Saturdays, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Call (805) 965-6307

Did You Know the McMuffin Man?

2009-08-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

In 2008, Santa Barbara said goodbye to one of its most beloved residents, Herb Peterson, inventor of the Egg McMuffin. Originally a Chicago ad man working on the McDonald's account (where he came up with the Ronald McDonald character), Peterson and his family moved to Santa Barbara in 1968 when Ray Kroc gave him the chance to become a franchisee. Peterson eventually owned six local franchises and was the first to hire women.

The eggs benedict fan spent much of 1971 working on a new food product, and when he heard Ray Kroc was spending Christmas at his nearby Santa Ynez ranch, he invited him to taste his creation. Although Kroc has just finished lunch, he inhaled two of Peterson's molded-egg creations, and before long, they were in every McDonald's across the nation. Peterson died at age 89 after a robust life, which included tremendous support of local charities and the donation of an elephant to the Santa Barbara Zoo.

La Super-Rica Taqueria

2009-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

622 N. Milpas Street (corner of Alphonse Street)
Santa Barbara , California 93103
Tel: (805) 963 4940

Super-Rica is one of Santa Barbara's most cherished spots, even though it's more local and less of the tourist side of town, it is basically just a white taco stand with turquoise trim, a walk-up window, a tent-covered dining area, and white plastic chairs.

It was a favorite of Julia Child, who spent her last years in Santa Barbara.

Handmade tortillas form the basis of the menu, which includes tacos, taquitos, chilaquiles, tamales, and a variety of sopes. The food is fresh, made right in front of you, and so good that loyal Super-Rica fans will drive up from Los Angeles just for tacos and the tamal de verduras, a vegetarian tamale made of chayote, cheese, corn, zucchini, potato, chile strips, and tomato with a cream sauce.

There's always a daily special, such as chile poblano stuffed with cheese and beef, chicken, or pork.

Open Thursdays through Tuesdays 11 am to 9 pm.

The Four Seasons Biltmore

2009-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

1260 Channel Drive
Montecito, California 93108
Tel: (888) 424 5866
Tel: (805) 969 2261

In privileged Montecito, this exclusive Spanish colonial–style 207-room resort is more than a beachfront Four Seasons—it's been a glamorous Santa Barbara institution since opening as the Biltmore in 1927.

A place where Greta Garbo, Errol Flynn, Lana Turner, Bing Crosby, and other Golden Age movie stars once played croquet on the front lawn, the hotel is now a gathering spot for locals (the Sunday brunch, oceanfront dining, and bar with live entertainment are big draws) and the resort of choice for visitors who want Santa Barbara's toniest beach getaway.

Sweeping archways, heavy carved entry doors, colorful imported Spanish tile, and carved woodwork are renovated features of the original hacienda, but modern amenities abound, too, including a 10,000-square-foot spa.

Only a sprawling green lawn and a road separate the hotel from Butterfly Beach. Revamped rooms feature Mission-style antiques, local art, more Spanish tile, decorative ironwork, rain showers and deep soaking tubs, 42-inch plasma-screen TVs with surround sound, DVD players, and broadband Internet.

A botanical guide to the 44 exotic and rare plants in the resort's 22 acres of tropical and subtropical gardens is available at the concierge desk. Guests are also allowed access to the private Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club next door.

Standard Room rates run between $575.00 and $645.00 per night with the Ty Warner Cottage going for as much as $4,600.00 per night.

This resort is currently owned by Ty Warner, the CEO of Ty Industries, famous for making Beanie Babies. He also owns other oceanfront property throughout Montecito and Santa Barbara.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to this hotel's website.

Epiphany Restaurant

2009-03-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

21 W. Victoria Street
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (805) 564 7100

This low-lit restaurant in a 19th-century house feels a bit like a wine cellar, with its brick walls and archways. But its hidden nooks, fireplace room, private dining area, and patio cabanas also create the perfect venue for an intimate meal.

Formerly owned by Kevin Costner, the restaurant is now run by Michelle Mastrangelo, with chef Ron True, former chef of Gramercy Tavern in New York, cooking the cuisine du jour.

Try the Limo Ride, a $55 chef's tasting menu (six courses), or sample from the raw bar. Alternatively, order the free-range Uruguayan filet mignon or the carpaccio of beef on a bed of arugula with truffle vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan.

The lounge serves a bar menu until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Specialty drinks include a tiramisu martini (Godiva chocolate liqueur, crème de cacao, Frangelico) and a Cosmo-piphany, a variation on the cosmopolitan made with mango juice.

Open daily 5:30 to 10:30 pm.

Wine Tours

2009-03-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sideways put Santa Barbara's pinot noir in the spotlight, but let's not forget the award-winning chardonnays and great cabernet. Wine country is only 30 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, with 80-plus wineries to choose from—unless you have a willing designated driver, take a tour.

Cloud Climbers' Back-Country Wine Tour has a terrific young staff and six-passenger open Jeep Wranglers that make vineyard-hopping fun and easy (805-646-3200; www.ccjeeps.com).

For the vine huggers out there, Sustainable Vine Wine Tours offers guided tours of organic and biodynamic wineries in a soybean-powered van (805-698-3911; www.sustainablevine.com).

Then there's Wine EdVentures, an educational safari of the Santa Ynez Valley in a plush van (805-965-9463; www.welovewines.com).

All pick you up in Santa Barbara and offer private tastings of six to eight vinos at a minimum of four different wineries each day, plus a gourmet picnic lunch. Don't have an entire day to devote to wine? You can always explore Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail on foot.

The self-guided tour leads you through eight wineries and tasting rooms conveniently located downtown. Key stops include Cellar 205 Winery & Marketplace, Santa Barbara Winery, Jaffurs Wine Cellars, and East Beach Wine Company. There's even a tasting room on Stearns Wharf.

Most wineries offer wine purchase drop-offs at local hotels as well as maps to guide you through your grape adventures.

Inn of The Spanish Garden

2009-03-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

915 Garden Street
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (866) 564 4700 (toll-free)
Tel: (805) 564 4700

Hidden in a quiet residential neighborhood three blocks from State Street, this white adobe boutique hotel with a red-tile roof has a plain exterior that doesn't quite prepare you for what's inside—a charming fountain courtyard surrounded by 23 luxurious rooms and one- and two-bedroom suites with private balconies or garden patios.

Rooms have gas fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, Frette linens, deep soaking tubs, and Wi-Fi. Within the courtyard, there's a heated pool and sundeck for lounging during the day and a fire pit to warm up beside at night while having an evening cocktail.

Leave your car in the hotel's free underground parking and get around by foot, trolley, electric shuttle, or bicycle.

Room rates average $350.00 nightly.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to this beautiful hotel's website.

Bouchon Restaurant

2009-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bouchon Restaurant

9 W. Victoria Street
Santa Barbara , California 93101
Tel: (805) 730 1160

One meaning of the French word bouchon is wine cork, so it's no surprise that you can sample 40 Central Coast varietals by the glass at this cozy downtown restaurant. Chef/owner Mitchell Sjerven pairs wines with dishes using produce from the local farmers' market, meat and poultry purchased from neighboring micro-ranches, and lots of freshly caught fish.

Offering a French-inspired take on California cuisine, Bouchon turns out starters such as pumpkin soup with chanterelle mushrooms and hearty entrées like venison loin with wild-chestnut puree and local organic arugula, or a bourbon- and maple-glazed duck served with a succotash of fava beans, apple-smoked bacon, and butternut squash, a menu favorite for nine years.

Ask for a table on the patio or by the glassed-in kitchen, where you can see everything.

Open nightly at 5:30 pm.

CLICK HERE for a glance at their menu

2009-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

An abstract cubist rainbow greets passerby's along Cabrillo Blvd at the beach. Just across from the beautiful rotunda of Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort and a few steps from the hundreds of palm trees and Chase Palm Park, this "Chromatic Gate" was designed by the renowned artist Herbert Bayer in 1975, and was given to the city by his widow in 1991.

Like most public art, the sculpture has been provocative and criticized as not being "Spanish" enough for Santa Barbara, but the design actually derives from similar mysterious structures that Bayer saw in empty desert spaces in Morrocco, and thus has cultural roots as old as Moorish Spain.

Photo courtesy of Dan Heller Photography

S.B. International Orchid Show March 20 - 22

2009-03-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Often called the "American Riviera", Santa Barbara has an ideal climate for growing orchids. In fact Santa Barbara now produces more orchids then any other region in the country. Every year Santa Barbara hosts the international orchid show at the Earl Warren Showgrounds located at the intersection of the 101 freeway and Las Positas Road. This year, it takes place from March 20 - 22. Many orchid dealers are present at this show. Some local nurseries that are usually not open to the public exhibit their orchids and are open to the public for tours of their greenhouses.

You will be amazed to see the large number and variety of orchids displayed. People come from all over the world to see this great show and display their orchids. You will see many orchids in the main pavilion. Some are displayed by private growers, others are displayed by public growers. They are judged and then awarded prizes. Then in a smaller room many dealers sell many different varieties of orchids. The prices range from 10 to over 100 dollars, with most Orchids in the range of 15 to 45 dollars.

Orchids were originally introduced to Santa Barbara around the early 1900's when wealthy industrialists came to enjoy the spa resorts. Many of these people fell in love with the climate (its not hard to do!) and they commissioned world class horticulturists to plant orchids in their elaborate gardens. Exotic orchids soon became popular and were heavily planted in the Montecito and Hope Ranch estates. After World War II, the oil baron Samuel Mosher spent $ 1.5 million on breeding orchids at his Dos Pueblos Orchid Company. His breeding grounds provided young plants for other growers who would often times pay up to tens of thousands of dollars for rare varieties. Today the prices have dramatically dropped due to the cloning of many orchids and various laboratory techniques.

There are various Orchid growers that are present at the Orchid Show.

Santa Barbara History: Earthquake of 1925

2009-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

The most destructive earthquake in Santa Barbara history, and the first destructive earthquake since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, occurred on June 29, 1925, converting much of the town to heaps of rubble. While the quake's epicenter was centered on an undetermined fault offshore, most of the damage came about due to two strong aftershocks which occurred onshore and five minutes apart. The intensity on the Modified Mercalli scale was determined to be 8.0 for the coast from Goleta, through Santa Barbara, and to Carpinteria.

The low death toll (13 or 14) is credited to its early hour, 6:23 a.m., before most people were in the streets at risk from falling masonry. A fire, which broke out after the earthquake, destroyed more of the town, but was contained by a company of U.S. Marines who had arrived immediately to help maintain order. The earthquake, coinciding with the movement for architectural reform, is credited with giving the town its unified Spanish character; during the rebuilding Hoffman and Chase pushed for new structures to be in a Spanish style. The most famous of these was the Spanish-Moorish style County Courthouse, completed in 1929, "the loveliest in the United States."

One of the only voices opposing the unification of architectural style was newspaper publisher and future Senator Thomas Storke, who later changed his mind, saying that his former opposition was due to his belief that such compulsion infringed on the constitutional rights of property owners. Storke in 1932 created the city's main newspaper for the next 74 years, the News-Press, by winning a libel suit against his rival Reginald Fernald, and absorbing that publisher's Morning Press into his Daily News.

Santa Barbara: Once Home to The Largest Movie Studio

2009-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara was the center of the U.S. silent film industry from 1910 to 1922, before anyone associated the name "Hollywood" with movies. The Flying A Studios, a division of the American Film Company, covered two city blocks centered at State and Mission Streets, and was at the time the largest movie studio in the world. It produced approximately 1,200 films during those twelve years, including the world's first indoor set and likely the first animated cartoon.

Only about 100 of those films are known to survive today. Many of the studio's films were westerns; Lon Chaney, Sr. and Victor Fleming were among the famous actors featured.

In 1911, before the Flying A had become the predominant studio in the area, there were 13 separate film companies in Santa Barbara. The local film era ended in 1922 when the studios moved south, needing the resources of a larger city.

Weather has Wreaked Havoc on Santa Barbara in The Past

2009-02-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

In 1859, Santa Barbara recorded the highest temperature ever noted on the North American continent, 133 °F (56 °C), a record which was to stand until Death Valley topped it by one degree in 1913.

The U.S. Coast Survey wrote that birds dropped dead in midair, cattle died in the fields, and fruit dropped, scorched, from trees; the town's inhabitants fled to the safety of their adobe buildings, which insulated them from the freak superheated northwest simoon wind, an event which has not occurred since. In the immediately following years, two other weather events had a significant effect on the course of development in Santa Barbara: catastrophic floods during the winter of 1861-62, during which the Goleta Slough, formerly open to deep-water vessels, completely silted up, becoming the marsh it remains to the present day; and the disastrous drought of 1863, which forever ended the Rancho era as the value of rangeland collapsed, cattle died or were sold off, and the large ranches were broken down and sold in smaller parcels, which brought on development.

Santa Barbara Mission

2009-02-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Mission Santa Barbara, also known as Santa Barbara Mission, is a Spanish Franciscan mission in Santa Barbara, California. It was founded December 4, 1786, the feast day of Saint Barbara, to evangelize the local Chumash tribe. The Mission grounds occupy a rise between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, and were consecrated by Father Fermín Lasuén, who had taken over the presidency of the California mission chain upon the death of Father Presidente Junípero Serra. Mission Santa Barbara is the only mission to remain under the leadership of the Franciscan Friars since the day of its founding.

Mission Santa Barbara's name comes from the legend of Saint Barbara, a girl who was supposedly beheaded by her father for following the Christian Faith. The early missionaries built three different chapels during the first few years, each larger than the previous one. It was only after the great Santa Barbara Earthquake on December 21, 1812, which destroyed the existing buildings, that the construction on the current Mission was begun. It was completed and then dedicated in 1820. The towers were considerably damaged in the June 29, 1925 earthquake, but were subsequently rebuilt in 1927. The appearance of the inside of the church has not been altered significantly since 1820.

Many elements of the Mission's extensive water treatment system, all built by Chumash Indians' labor (including aqueducts, two reservoirs, and a filter house) remain to this day, as does a grain mill; the larger reservoir, which was built in 1806 by the expedient of damming a canyon, has been incorporated into the City's water system. The original fountain and lavadero are also intact near the entrance to the Mission. A dam constructed in 1807 is situated in the current Santa Barbara Botanic Garden up "Mission Canyon." The Mission's tanning vats, pottery kiln, and guard house are all in ruins to this day.

In 1818, two Argentine ships under the command of the French privateer Hipólito Bouchard approached the coast and threatened the young town of Santa Barbara. The padres armed and trained 150 of the neophytes to prepare for attack. With their help, the Presidio soldiers confronted Bouchard, who sailed out of the harbor without attacking.

After the Mexican Congress passed An Act for the Secularization of the Missions of California on August 17, 1833 Father Presidente Narciso Durán transferred the missions' headquarters to Santa Barbara, thereby making Mission Santa Barbara the repository of some 3,000 original documents that had been scattered through the California missions. The Mission archive is the oldest library in the State of California that still remains in the hands of its founders, the Franciscans. Beginning with the writings of Hubert Howe Bancroft, the library has served as a center for historical study of the missions for more than a century.

n 1840, Alta California and Baja California were removed from the Diocese of Sonora to form the Diocese of Both Californias. Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, OFM, established his cathedral at Mission Santa Barbara, making the chapel the pro-cathedral of the diocese until 1849. Under Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, C.M., the chapel again served as a pro-cathedral, for the Diocese of Monterey and then the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, from 1853–1876. It is for this reason that of all the California missions, only the chapel at Mission Santa Barbara has two matching bell towers. At that time, that particular architectural feature was restricted to a cathedral church.

When President Abraham Lincoln restored the missions to the Catholic church on March 18, 1865, the Mission's leader at the time, Friar José González Rubio, came into conflict with Bishop Amat over the matter of whether the Mission should be under the ownership of the Franciscan order rather than the diocese. Bishop Amat refused to give the deed for the Mission to the Franciscans, but in 1925, Bishop John J. Cantwell finally awarded the deed to them.

The Mission also has the oldest unbroken tradition of choral singing among the California Missions and, indeed, of any California institution. The weekly Catholic liturgy is serviced by two choirs, the California Mission Schola and the Cappella Barbara. The Mission archives contain one of the richest collections of colonial Franciscan music manuscripts known today, which remain closely-guarded. The original City of Santa Barbara developed between the Mission proper and the harbor, specifically near El Presidio Reál de Santa Bárbara (the "Royal Spanish Presidio"), about a mile southeast of the Mission. As the city grew, it extended throughout the coastal plain; a residential area now surrounds the Mission, although there are public parks and a few public buildings (such as the Museum of Natural History) in the area immediately adjacent to the site.

Mission Santa Barbara today continues to serve the community as a parish church. In addition to its use as a place of worship, it contains a gift shop, a museum, a Franciscan Friary, and a retreat house. The Mission grounds are a primary tourist attraction in Santa Barbara. The Mission itself is owned by the Franciscan Province of Santa Barbara, and the local parish rents the church from the Franciscans.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to the Mission's website.

Museum of Natural History

2009-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Museum of Natural History
2559 Puesta del Sol Road
Santa Barbara, 93105
805-682-4711 (General Information)
805-682-4711 x405 (Observatory/Planetarium)
805-962-2526 (Sea Center)
www.sbnature.org

Santa Barbara isn't really that big of a town. The entire metropolitan area probably has around 200,000 people. So this Museum comes as a bit of a surprise. The size of the museum, the complexity of the collections and the beauty of the grounds all seem like the museum belongs somewhere much larger.

Exhibits feature mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, plant life and geology of the Pacific Coast and Channel Islands. Exhibits also include dioramas of prehistoric Native American life. There are many special activities held at the Museum so be sure to check their website often for upcoming event.

Outside on display is an actual skeleton of the world`s largest animal ever, the blue whale. This blue whale corpse washed ashore at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1980. The skeleton is 72 feet long and weighs 6,000 pounds. When alive this whale weighed about 140,000 pounds. Blue whales can live to be 90 years of age. This one was about 25 when it died.

Particulars: Open daily 10am-5pm; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (3:00 p.m.), Christmas Day, New Years Day.

Admission: $10 adults; $7 teens/seniors; $6 children. Museum members and children under 2 are free. Free admission on the third Sunday of the month, except in June, July and August.

For information on public star parties and planetarium shows call 805-682-4711 ext. 405. For current events and programs call 805-682-4711

Directions: From the 101, take "Mission" exit. Drive to the end of "Mission" and turn left. Then turn right onto "Mission Canyon Road." Go past the Old Mission and then follow the brown signs to the Museum.

Santa Barbara Zoo

2009-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara Zoo
500 Ninos Dr.
Admissions Information: 805-963-5695
General Visitor Information: 805-962-6310
(with recorded information)

www.santabarbarazoo.org

Open daily (except for Christmas)
10am-5pm. Tickets sold until 4pm.

Adults (13 - 59): $11.00
Children (2 - 12): $8.00
Seniors (60+): $8.00
Children under 2: FREE
Parking: $4.00

Consistently ranked as one of America's best small zoos, the Zoological Gardens are wonderful.

Among the over 600 animals you'll find elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, gibbons, sea lions, exotic birds and farm animals. There is a miniature train ride, children's playground, snack bar, and spacious picnic area.

The zoo is constantly in the process of making changes so there's always something new each visit.

Note: If the animals and the park don't amaze you, think of the amazing piece of land this zoo sits on. You're right next to the ocean and the giraffe's have the equivalent of a multi-million dollar condo!

Directions

From the South on U.S. 101 (Going North): Take the Hot Springs / Cabrillo Boulevard Exit (LEFT EXIT). Turn left on Cabrillo and continue to the first stop light. Turn right on Ninos Drive. The entrance is about 2 blocks on the right side. Note: If you miss your exit, you can use the Milpas Street exit and follow the directions below after going around the roundabout and LEFT on Milpas Street towards the beach.

From the North on U.S. 101 (Going South): Take the Milpas Street exit and go RIGHT on Milpas Street. Cross the railroad tracks, and turn left on Cabrillo Boulevard. Turn left at the first light, which is Ninos Drive. The entrance is on the right side across from the playing fields.

Strollers, Wagons & Wheelchairs

Strollers, Wagons & Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis:
single w/steering wheel - $5.00
double stroller - $8.00
wagons - $7.00
wheelchairs - $5.00

Admission & Parking Policies

The zoo does not allow skateboards, rollerblades, bicycles, RV's, dogs or barbecues in the Zoo or the parking lot.

Ty Warner Sea Center

2009-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ty Warner Sea Center
211 Stearns Wharf
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 962-2526

Hours:
Open daily 10am-5pm; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (3:00 p.m.), Christmas Day, New Years Day.

Admission:
Adults $8, Seniors (65 and over) $7, Teens 13-17 $7, Children 2-12 $5, Children under 2 free

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Ty Warner Sea Center is a fun, engaging, interactive marine education facility located on Stearns Wharf. Owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Ty Warner Sea Center fulfills the mission of the Museum to inspire a passion for the natural world.

Interactive exhibits, scientific discovery!

Opportunities to work like scientists, sampling and testing ocean water, studying animal behavior, and examining microscopic marine life
Live tidepool animal encounters
A theater showcasing the wonders of the Santa Barbara Channel
At the Ty Warner Sea Center, you will discover the fun science and the wonders of the natural world.
Enter the two-story glass foyer and greet a 39-foot, life-size model of a California Gray whale and her calf.
Crawl through a tunnel inside a 1,500 gallon surge tank to see the life of the ocean. Observe sea stars, urchins, limpets, and much more.
Be an oceanographer for a day. Take ocean samples and view sea life close up through video magnifiers. Test your ocean samples to determine water quality.
Learn about ongoing scientific research, get an update on marine mammal sightings, and sing along with whales and seals.

Directions:
Take the 101 to the Garden Street exit. Turn towards the ocean. Turn right Cabrillo Blvd. Turn left at State Street on to Stearns Wharf.

Paseo Nuevo Shopping Mall

2009-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Paseo Nuevo has a unique Spanish flavor to it. There are bougainvillea growing up the walls. It is an open air shopping area complete with palms and fountains. Tiled arches extend over the walkways. A great photo opportunity is from the second floor across from the movie theatre and Contemporary Arts Forum. There you will find colorful tiled steps, flowering potted plants, and a good view of Paseo Nuevo behind you with its arches and Spanish style architecture.

There is plenty of parking around, but usually there are lots of people so parking can be a bit of a challenge. There is a parking garage on the Chapala side of Paseo Nuevo. There is also parking lots on Figueroa, Canon Perdido, and Ortega. There is plenty of parking around, but usually there are lots of people so parking can be a bit of a challenge. There is a parking garage on the Chapala side of Paseo Nuevo. There is also parking lots on Figueroa, Canon Perdido, and Ortega. These lots are all within one or two blocks of Paseo Nuevo.

Paseo Nuevo is open Monday through Friday from 10AM until until 9PM. On Saturday they are open from 10AM until 8PM, and on Sunday from 11AM until 6PM. For a listing of all the stores, hours and additional information, please visit the website: www.sbmall.com

The Center Stage Theatre is also located within the Paseo Nuevo Shopping area. Phone: 963-0408
Please visit their website at: www.centerstagetheater.org

Vandenberg Air Force Base

2009-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Vandenberg Air Force Base: One other point of interest in the Lompoc area is Vandenberg Air Force Base. This is the home of the West Coast's military and space operations, including NASA. The base is open to the public for tours every Wednesday at 10am. On the tour you will see a missile site, a space launch area, Honda point and the Heritage Center. For more information about Vandenberg call PHONE NUMBER (805) 734-8232, ext. 63595. www.vandenberg.af.mil

Knapp's Castle

2009-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Knapp's Castle: On East Camino Cielo Road - just before you reach the ridge with the excellent views there is a small single track dirt trail that leads to Knapp's Castle. Knapp's Castle used to be a large stone mansion perched below the ridge overlooking the scenic Santa Ynez Valley. All that is left of this castle are several stone archways and part of the foundation. The views from here are excellent - be careful of the poison oak that grows in abundance in this vicinity. It is about a 10 minute walk to the castle from the paved road. There is a locked gate with the property owner's phone number painted in yellow hanging on a sign.

This gate is located right next to the main road with the trail situated right next to the gate. Walk down the trail and take the short road to your right - this will climb up to Knapp's Castle. If you do not turn off the trail and take the short road that leads up to Knapp's Castle you can continue down the ridge to the bottom of the Santa Ynez valley. This is a single track biking trail and is best for mountain biking, not walking. The trail is quite steep in places so be quite careful if you are biking this. If you do decide to bike down here you can either have someone meet you at the bottom with a car or you will have to bike all the way back up the ridge via Cold Springs paved road

Solvang

2009-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Solvang, means "Sunny Field", and is located about 45 miles north of Santa Barbara on highway 246 midway between Highway 101 and the San Marcos Pass (hwy 154). The temperature difference between Santa Barbara and Solvang can be quite dramatic. Solvang regularly gets down to freezing during the winter nights and there will be the occasional snow on the mountains east of town. Solvang is a quaint Danish town. When you drive down main street and some of the nearby streets you will see Danish windmills, old-world architecture, gas streetlights, and Scandinavian restaurants and hotels.

At night the town becomes a blaze of light as small lights decorate most of the buildings. There are over 300 small shops in town, most selling small collectibles, furnishings for the home, and antiques.

Solvang was founded in 1911 as a Danish American colony by Danish educators from the Midwest. These people were searching for a site to build a college. The college was eventually built but was demolished in 1970 to make way for a convalescent facility. Solvang has a Danish custom which involves celebrating the raising of the highest rafter on a new building. This celebration called rejsegilde is observed with most new construction in the area. You may notice a large number of artificial storks on the roof tops of many buildings. These storks are here because they are supposed to bring good luck to the occupants of the house.

The Solvang Theaterfest is a repertory theater presenting plays by the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. The theatre contains 780 seats and holds performances from June through September.

The 19th of California's 21 missions is located in Solvang. This mission called Old Mission Santa Ines was finished in 1804 and remains one of the best preserved missions. Mission furnishings, artifacts from the early 19th century, and a colorful landscaped garden are open to the public.

Visit the Visitor's Guide website: www.solvangusa.com Solvang was featured along with Buellton and other parts of the Santa Ynez valley in the popular Oscar Award winning movie called Sideways.

Lake Cachuma

2009-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Lake Cachuma: If you continue on highway 154 you will come to Cachuma Lake. This is a large human made lake which offers great fishing. The lake is stocked with approximately 150,000 rainbow trout annually. Tent and RV camping are offered. Also check out the popular Yurts for accommodations near the lakefront. Boating is a popular activity here, there are rentals available. Because it is the source of Santa Barbara's drinking water, swimming is not allowed.

Regularly scheduled naturalist hikes are given. Some of the wildlife in the area are bears, deer, wild pigs, and other small animals. The American Bald eagle is a year round resident of the area. The park naturalists conduct a two hour "Eagle Cruise" from November through February, while wildlife cruises are conducted throughout the year.

In the wintertime the tallest of the Santa Ynez mountains which tower above Lake Cachuma in the east, are often covered with snow. On a crisp clear winter day this is a beautiful site.

For more information about activities associated with Cachuma Lake call PHONE NUMBER (805) 568-2460 or for up to date fishing information call the Cachuma Fish watch at PHONE NUMBER (805) 688-7724.

For additional information about Lake Cachuma visit: www.sbparks.com/DOCS/Cachuma.html

Skate Park

2009-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Skate Park is worth visiting to watch skateboarders show off their "stuff"! This park was recently built and contains many jumps and difficult concrete terrain. It is located in the park near the Stearns Wharf entrance on Cabrillo Blvd. Concrete walls surround the skate park and provide a good resting place to watch the skate boarders.

Lobero Theatre

2009-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Lobero Theatre, founded by José Lobero, is a historic building in Santa Barbara, California. It is at the corner of Anacapa and Canon Perdido Streets, less than a block away from the historic Presidio of Santa Barbara. Built in 1873 as an opera house, the theater was rebuilt to designs by architect George Washington Smith for the Community Arts Music Association in the early 1920s, and opened in August 1924, during a period in which civic groups in Santa Barbara were beginning to unify the town's architectural look around a Spanish Colonial style. The theatre continues to host arts and cultural events on 250 or more days per year.

Because of its live acoustics and relatively small size it is particularly suited to chamber music. The Music Academy of the West holds many of its summer concerts in the Lobero.

Moreton Bay Fig Tree

2009-01-31T06:00:00.001-08:00

Moreton Bay Fig Tree is the largest tree of its kind in the nation. The tree is located near lower State Street near the railroad tracks. It is located at the intersection of Chapala street and the 101 freeway close to the Amtrak train station. This tree was planted in 1874 by a girl who was given the tree by sailors who brought it over from Australia. In 1877, it was transplanted to the girl's front yard. The span of the leaves from one end of the tree to the other is 160 feet and it provides over 21,000 square feet of shade. This is a huge tree. Some of the roots grow on the surface and they are a few feet tall. Recently a small iron fence has been constructed around this tree so you can no longer climb on the large roots and in the tree itself. This is good for the tree, but not as enjoyable for all the children!

This was a popular spot for the homeless to hang out in years past and they even tried to use "moreton bay fig tree" as a street address. With the renovation of the train station nearby, this tree doesn't seem to attract as many homeless people anymore. This area is about as bad as a Santa Barbara neighborhood gets. I say this 'tongue in cheek' because this really isn't that bad of a neighborhood - but when compared to most of Santa Barbara's neighborhoods, its not quite as "opulent"!

EVENTS/FESTIVALS/SHOWS

2009-01-30T23:23:00.000-08:00

January

-Hang Gliding Festival on January 1st. Local pilots fly over ocean bluffs and demonstrate precision flying. PHONE NUMBER (805) 965-3733

-International Film Festival. Annual Event. Very popular. Premiers and screenings of U.S. and international films. Walk up and down State Street stopping at theatres showing the most popular films. Often high profile actors and actresses are honored for their film work. Workshops and seminars are also given by professionals. The Film Festival in 2009 honors: Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, and Clint Eastwood, Mickey Rourke, and Kristin Scott Thomas.

PHONE NUMBER: (805) 963-0023 Website: www.sbfilmfestival.org

February

-All Breed Cat Show at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. Almost every breed of cats is represented. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 687-0766

-Amgen for several years now, the Amgen California Bicycle race has gone through Santa Barbara in late February. Check out: www.amgentourofcalifornia.com

March

-Whale Watching PHONE NUMBER: (805) 897-3187

This two-day festival will feature live entertainment, marine education stations, a children's carnival, food booths, and an arts & crafts show. Live music from several bands will keep festival goers tapping their feet and dancing as they stroll through the street feasting their eyes, ears, and taste buds on all the exhibitors. You won't want to miss out!!

The Whale Festival coincides with the northern migration of the gray whale and promotes awareness of the 27 species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) that have been sighted in the Santa Barbara Channel. More than 20 local and national nonprofit organizations will participate in the whale and marine education stations. This will provide festival attendees a wonderful opportunity to learn more about whales and the issues currently affecting them and the ocean. Marine organizations participating in this year's festival include the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Center for Marine Conservation, Ocean Futures Society, Pacific Cetacean Group, Aquarium of the Pacific, Alaska Whale Foundation, Environmental Defense Center, Whaleman Foundation, Santa Barbara Channel Keeper, Earth Island Institute, Community Environmental Council, Channel Islands National Park and others.

For more information about the Whale Festival, Kick-Off Party, and Flag Sponsorship Program call 805.897.3187 or visit: www.sbwhalefestival.com

-International Orchid Show PHONE NUMBER: (805) 969-5746

For more information on orchids & current dates for this annual event, visit the official website here: www.sborchidshow.com

-Easter Egg Hunt. 50,000 different kinds of eggs are hidden in Alameda and MacKenzie parks and Franklin Elementary School for children ages 5 to 9 to find. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 564- 5495

April

-Chardonnay 5K and 10 mile runs. Starts at Leadbetter beach. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 564-5555

-Presidio Days is a three day event celebrating Santa Barbara's birthday and multi-ethnic heritage at the historical El Presidio de Santa Barbara. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 966-9719
Website: www.oldspanishdays-fiesta.org

-Arts Festival. Food booths, carnival, food booths, free entertainment. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 735-8511.

-County Vintner's Festival. Sample wines from 30 county wineries plus food from the areas restaurants. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley. PHONE NUMBER for tickets: (805) 688 0881

-Santa Barbara Fair and Expo at Earl Warren Showgrounds. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 687-0766
Website: www.earlwarren.com

May

-I Madonnari Street Painting Festival. Over 200 local artists and children create their chalk paintings at the Old Mission courtyard. This is always a blast and we have attended many times. If the weather is nice and it usually is in May, people will come for a picnic and or just lay around on the main lawn in front of the Mission. Many of the artists are very talented and every year it is a shame their works disappear within a week or two.
PHONE NUMBER: (805) 963-8654 | Website: www.imadonnarifestival.com

-Jewish Festival at Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 968-1280 Website: www.sbjf.org

-Cinco De Mayo at the County Bowl. PHONE NUMBER (805) 965-8581 z
Website: www.cincodemayosb.com

-Annual State Street Mile takes place between Islay and Ortega on State Street.

-Day of Music is the cities biggest one day music festival. More then 30 groups play from noon until midnight. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 962-3575

-Santa Barbara City College Jazz Festival is a competition from junior high through college levels. Concerts also given by world class jazz artists. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 965-0581

June

-Summer Solstice Parade. Music Festival in Alameda Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 965-3396
Website: www.solsticeparade.com

-Santa Barbara Writers Conference is a week long creative writing workshop. Afternoon and evening lectures by best selling authors at the Miramar Hotel. Many lectures and classes given throughout the year. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 684- 2250 Website: www.sbwc.org

-Lompoc Flower Festival (Approx 50 miles north of Santa B.) The Festival includes a downtown parade with floral floats, marching band and horses. Flower field tours are also given. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 735-8511 Website: www.flowerfestival.org

-Santa Barbara Irish Festival is held at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. For more details please call PHONE NUMBER: (805) 687-4343 or view latest dates here: www.santabarbarairishfestival.com

-Scandinavian Festival. At Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 966- 5843

-Live Oak Music Festival is a three day concert and camping event held every year on Father’s Day weekend in the hills above Santa Barbara, California. 100% of Live Oak proceeds go to support a local public radio station. Visit: www.liveoakfest.org

-Beach Volleyball tournaments. Men's and women's divisions at East Beach. Admission: Free. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 965-0509

-Semana Nautica is a multi sports festival. Air, sea, land, and pool events are held throughout the city. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 564-2052 Website: www.semananautica.com

- The Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival held their first music festival in 2003. Music director, Daniel Kepl, a local Santa Barbaran has gathered an outstanding roster of professional colleagues from throughout the United States (Seattle, Houston), and abroad (London).

For more details and information, please visit their website at: www.sbchambermusicfest.com

July

-The 4th Independence Day. A holiday on State Street and an arts and crafts show at the Mission. Dave's recommendation for the best place to watch the fireworks is down by the harbor near Stearn's Wharf. The "show" usually starts around 9pm as it gets dark. (805) 965-3021"
Website: www.spiritof76sb.org

-French Foods Festival at Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 569-1636
Website: www.frenchfestival.com

-Beachside Festival. A weekend of live music and street performers. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 962-5424

-California Outrigger Championships. 25 California teams compete in one mile ocean sprints in 40 foot long outriggers. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 965-0509

-Thai Festival at Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: 564-5419

-Dog Shows. Over 6000 dogs are represented. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 963-2986

-Horse and Flower Show at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 687-0766

-Greek Festival is at Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 564-5419 (held at the end of July or early August depending on the year

August

-Old Spanish Days Fiesta is a city wide five days celebration of Santa Barbara's Spanish heritage. (805) 962-8101 www.oldspanishdays-fiesta.org

-Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and Wine Festival. (805) 682-4711

-Polo Tournament is the second most prestigious in the U.S. Held at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 684-8667 www.sbpolo.com

September

-Concours d'Elegance. Antique and classic car show. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 969-2667

-LPGA Golf Tournament at Sandpiper Golf Course and La

-Lawn Bowling Tournament is a 4 day all California event, the largest in the state. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 564-5419

-Mexican Independence Day at Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 966-9036

-Danish Days are held in Solvang about 45 miles north of Santa Barbara just off of the 101 freeway. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 688-0701

October

-German Oktoberfest is held at Oak Park. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 967-6422

-Santa Barbara Jazz Festival is at Leadbetter Beach. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 962-0800
Website: www.meifestivals.com/sba.html

-Stearns Wharf Birthday Celebration for the oldest working pier on the California coast. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 564-5519

-California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria. This is a three day festival - started in 1984 and helps benefit local non-profit organizations and promote Carpinteria. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 684-5479 x 12. For more information including, dates, events, recipes, & much more - please visit their very informative website: www.avofest.com

-Festa Italiana at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 569-1536

-Santa Barbara Art Walk is held along Mission Creek. Over 100 artists are featured. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 682-4711 Website: www.sbartwalk.com

-Fiesta City Cat Club Show. Over 225 purebred cats compete for best of show. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 687-0766

November

-National Amateur Horse Show is a training show for future Olympic equestrians. Located at the Earl Warren Showgrounds PHONE NUMBER: (805) 687-0766

-Annual World Music Festival highlights music and dance from Africa, the Caribbean, and Spain. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 962-3575

December

-Holiday Parade - for more information call: (805) 962-2098 ext. 22

-Yuletide Boat Parade is held off of Stearn's Wharf. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 962-2826

-Una Pastorela is a recreation of a traditional Spanish/ Indian "shepherds play" in Presidio Chapel. PHONE NUMBER: (805) 966-9719

Sambo's Restuarant

2009-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sambo's is a restaurant, formerly an American restaurant chain, started in 1957 by Sam Battistone and Newell Bohnett. Though the name was taken from portions of the names of its founders, the chain soon found itself associated with The Story of Little Black Sambo. Battistone and Bohnett capitalized on the coincidence by decorating the walls of the restaurants with scenes from the book, including a dark-skinned boy and tigers. By the early 1970s, the illustrations depicted a light-skinned boy wearing a jeweled Indian-style turban with the tigers. A kids club, Sambo's Tiger Tamers (later called the Tiger Club), promoted the chain's family image.

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 U.S. states. However in the late seventies controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as a pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in Northeast states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits. In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's". By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy. Neither the name change nor bankrupty protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.

In its last days as a chain, Sambo's was sued by Dr Pepper for plagiarizing the latter's popular television commercial in a spot Sambo's ran to promote its new senior citizen discount program. Sambo's was also sued by non-white employees and applicants who were alleging discrimination in hiring and advancement.

Battistone's grandson, restaurateur Chad Stevens, owns the only remaining Sambo's. He expresses a desire to revive the chain.

Battistone is also the original owner of the New Orleans Jazz in the NBA. He later moved the team to Utah and sold it.

Wine Cask Restaurant

2009-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

LOCATION: 813 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Phone: (805) 966-9463 Located in the heart of Santa Barbara in historic El Paseo. Guests enter through a secluded garden courtyard in to a dramatic dining room complete with hand painted beamed ceilings and a baronial fireplace. It has been regarded for years as "the most beautiful dining room in Santa Barbara." Wine Cask's chefs use regional ingredients to fashion imaginative plates of bistro style cuisine. For lunch there are classic sandwiches, pastas, fish, meats and variety of interesting salads. Dinner features plenty of fresh fish entrees, meats, poultry, pastas and nightly specials. There are over 40 selected wines by the glass as well as a 65 page wine list. Private parties and special menus are available upon request.

Category: Californian, Seafood
Hours: Mon-Thu 5:30pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-9pm
Price: $20+
Serving: Dinner
Reservations: Yes, recommended

CLICK HERE for their website.

CLICK HERE for a recent LA Times Restaurant Review.

San Ysidro Ranch Named America's Best Hotel

2009-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

The annual Forbes 400 list which ranks the best luxury hotels and resorts in the world has just named San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California, as "America's Best Hotel." The selection was made by a board of elite luxury travelers including Peter Greenberg, Todd English and Arianna Huffington, as well as top travel professionals like Matthew Upchurch of Virtuoso, Ltd. and Benson Cowan from Butterfield & Robinson.

Forbes Traveler emphasizes the elegance of the Ranch's 41 cottages which feature stone fireplaces, four-poster king-size beds draped in the finest European linens, and large bathrooms filled with votive candles and Acqua Di Parma products. The rooms are filled with carefully chosen antiques, original artwork and each opens onto a private patio complete with hot tub and rain shower. The 500 acre property includes lily ponds, "breathtaking" gardens, along with 17 miles of stunning hiking trails in the adjacent Santa Ynez Mountains.

Today a sandstone packing house built in 1889 accommodates the Stonehouse restaurant, where Chef John Trotta cooks with fruits, vegetables and herbs grown on the Ranch's grounds in his contemporary American cuisine. The more casual Plow and Angel, located downstairs, is a local favorite for its cozy ambience - and mac 'n' cheese.

The Ranch was purchased in 2000 by Ty Warner, who subsequently invested $150 million in an ambitious 3-year renovation. On receiving his "America's Best Hotel" award, Mr. Warner commented, "I recognized this property's unique design when I was a guest here more than 30 years ago and am so grateful to be a part of its magnificent history."

Warner is no stranger to Forbes List, having landed on their ranking of The World's Billionaires and The 400 Richest Americans for more than a decade.

In addition to the San Ysidro Ranch, Warner owns other one-of-a-kind luxury hotel properties including the Four Seasons Hotel New York, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, and Four Seasons Biltmore and Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club, both in Santa Barbara. Warner is also the Chairman, CEO and founder of Ty Inc., the largest manufacturer of plush toys in the world which includes Beanie Babies(TM) and TyGirlz(TM).

San Ysidro Ranch - A Brief History: The story of San Ysidro Ranch, named after San Ysidro the patron saint of Madrid, is intertwined with the history of Old California. Originally part of land titled in 1769 by the King of Spain, the Ranch served as a way station for Franciscan monks in the late 1700s, a working citrus ranch in the 1800s, and hosted its first guests in 1893. In the 1930s, Hollywood discovered the Ranch, transforming it into a hospitality haven for celebrities. Famous guests over the years range from Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby and Groucho Marx to Winston Churchill, Somerset Maugham and Sinclair Lewis. Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were married at the Ranch, John and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned there and John Huston completed the script for African Queen during a three-month stay.

40th Anniversary of Massive Oil Spill in Santa Barbara

2009-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Forty years ago today, Union Oil's offshore Platform A malfunctioned and an estimated 100,000 gallons of crude flowed into the sea off Santa Barbara for 11 days.

Santa Barbara and Ventura County beaches were sullied with a gooey coating that killed seals, dolphins, birds and other wildlife in an environmental disaster that overwhelmed the Central Coast.

It was Jan. 28, 1969, when the blowout occurred on Platform A, some six miles off the beaches of Summerland.

Some 40 miles of coastline were tarred from Port Hueneme to Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands.

El Capitan State Beach Campground

2009-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

El Capitan State Beach
Hwy 101
between Gaviota and Santa Barbara
805-968-1033
Web site: parks.ca.gov

This is a wonderful campground and beach that does fill up, sometimes months in advance. Make sure to make your reservations if you plan to come here. There are approximate 140 campsites for both individuals and groups.

Amenities include RV hookups, pay showers, restrooms, hiking and bike trails, a fabulous beach, a seasonal general store and an outdoor arena. Many of the sites offer an ocean view. Refugio Beach is just 2.5 miles away.

You are about a half hour from Santa Barbara.

Directions: Take the 101N until you reach the El Capitan signs. At the bottom of the exit turn left and go under the bridge. The road will take you right into the park.

Harbor Restaurant

2009-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Harbor Restaurant
210 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 963-3311

This is a great restaurant located on Stearns Wharf. They offer American food and great Seafood. They have quite an extensive wine list. Good food, Great Views, and Great Location!!!

Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm & Mon-Fri 5pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-10pm
Price: $10 - $20
Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Canary Hotel

2009-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

LOCATION:
31 West Carrillo
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

The Canary is nestled in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara located at the corner of Carrillo and Chapala Streets. It's 97 guestrooms are expensive at more than $300/night, but the hotel is beautiful, convenient to shopping, and the service top-notch. They offer an onsite restaurant and spa. The nicest feature of the hotel is its rooftop perch and pool where one can enjoy a glass of wine with a 360 degree view of the city.

Directions: Take Highway 101, Exit Carrillo. Turn towards downtown, hotel is on the right.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to this beautiful hotel's website.

Pet Travel Information

2009-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara is very pet friendly and many hotels and tourist attractions in the area allow you to bring your pet. The following is a list of places that are pet friendly and Pet Travel Information:

Hotels that allow pets in Santa Barbara

Adobe Motel 26 E. Haley St, Santa Barbara
Beach House Inn & Apts 320 W. Yanonali St, Santa Barbara
Blue Sands Motel 421 S. Milpas St, Santa Barbara
Canary Hotel 31 W. Carrillo St, Santa Barbara
Casa Del Mar Inn 18 Bath St, Santa Barbara
Country Inns & Suites 1455 Mission Drive, Santa Ynez
Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara
Four Seasons Biltmore 1260 Channel Drive, Santa Barbara
Harbor House Inn 104 Bath St, Santa Barbara
Hotel Mar Monte 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara
Ivanhoe Inn 1407 Castillo Street, Santa Barbara
La Playa Inn 212 W. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara
Marina Beach Motel 21 Bath St, Santa Barbara
Motel 6 3505 State Street, Santa Barbara
Motel 6 5897 Calle Real, Goleta
Motel 6 Carpinteria 4200 Via Real, Carpinteria
Motel 6 Carpinteria 5550 Carpinteria Ave, Carpinteria
Pacifica Suites 5490 Hollister Ave, Goleta
San Ysidro Ranch 900 San Ysidro Ln, Santa Barbara
Secret Garden Inn & Cottages 1908 Bath St, Santa Barbara

Parks
If you're looking for an off-leash experience, the Douglas Family Preserve is excellent. It a long stretch of gorgeous water front, rustic and partially developed land where dogs are welcome to be off-leash. It is important that your dog be okay with other dogs, however, as this is a popular place for running and fetching! Other great parks for leashed dogs are Chase Palm Park, Shoreline Park, Oak Park.

Beaches
Generally, it is forbidden to have dogs off leash during the summer but if you're here in the off-season, it's usually okay. Great beaches for dogs are the Carpinteria State and Local Beach, the stretch of unnamed beach below Shoreline Park and west of Leadbetter Beach, which you can only get to during low tide, and El Capitan Beach is wonderful if you don't mind a bit of a drive.

Restaurants
Many, many restaurants in Santa Barbara have patio seating. Make sure to ask the staff, but most are more than happy to let your leashed dog hang out with you and some even provide a bit of a treat to make your pet happy.

Care Hospital - 301 E. Haley St, (805) 899-2273 - CARE Hospital is a state-of-the-art veterinary center offering advanced medical and surgical procedures for your pets.

Pacific Emergency Pet Hospital, 2963 State St. (805) 682-5120. Open nights and weekends, this emergency hospital is staffed by vets from the areas regular services. Superb with cats and dogs. Exotic animals will find hit or miss, as you never know which vet may have a unique specialty. Call ahead if you have birds, reptiles or small mammals (rabbits, guinea pigs)

Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort

2009-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

LOCATION:
633 East Cabrillo Boulevard
Santa Barbara, CA

Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara is an exceptional, luxury beachfront resort facing the Pacific Ocean. Walk to downtown Santa Barbara's eclectic State Street corridor. Their full-service, 24-acre Spanish Colonial style resort has something special for everyone - from tennis courts and basketball to shuffleboard and a putting green.

Light and bright Mission-influenced rooms, suites and executive accommodations feature serene mountain, garden or ocean views from terrace or balcony. High-speed wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel. We're pet-friendly and family-friendly, with a wide variety of seasonal childrens' programs, a playground and babysitting service.

Enjoy California Continental cuisine in a casual setting at the Cafe Los Arcos for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For fine dining, we invite you to savor exquisitely prepared beef and fresh seafood at Rodney's Steakhouse and sip our area's delicious wines. Let our knowledgeable Concierge or Recreation Desk assist with outings like wine country tours, sailing or fishing charters, whale watching, and horseback riding. Be pampered at our salon or spa. Need a tee time? Play excellent courses with one-of-a-kind views, like Glenn Annie overlooking the coast and historic Rancho San Marcos. Bask on the sundeck by our heated outdoor pool. Hike, bike, visit Stearns Wharf, the Mission and popular Santa Barbara attractions like the Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Courthouse and museums.

Surrounded by history, culture and recreational paradise, you'll love staying with us. For group and special events, we offer newly renovated ballrooms, elegant meeting spaces, and full banquet and catering facilities. Our impressive outdoor Plaza del Sol overlooking the Pacific can accommodate up to 1,000 guests. We also offer a full complement of business amenities, including video conferencing. We are pleased to provide complimentary transportation to and from the Santa Barbara Airport. Let our caring, professional staff make your California dreams come true. As always - our very special signature warm chocolate chip cookie at check-in.

Directions: Exit 101 at Garden Street, drive towards the ocean, turn left on Cabrillo, the hotel is on your left.

Brophy Bro's Restaurant

2009-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

For the past 22 years, Brophy Bro's Restaurant is proud to have recieved every "Best Seafood Restaurant" and "Best Clam Chowder" award from The Independent and Santa Barbara News Press. Additionally, they have been recognized as the only business to have ever recieved 5 awards in one given year.

Fun, busy atmosphere with beautiful view of the mountains, ocean, and Harbor. A full length bar facing the marina where you can eat and enjoy watching the staff prepare clam bar food items! Casual dining & great seafood in one of Santa Barbara's prime locations!

The daily changing "Fresh Fish" menu is available in the restaurant area and a special menu is offered in the Clam Bar. All entrees are served with green salad or a cup of New England Clam Chowder. Prices are reasonable and the service is great.

LOCATION:

119 Harbor Way
Santa Barbara , CA, 93109
805-966-4418

CLICK HERE for a glance at their menu.

Fess Parker Winery

2009-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Fess Parker Winery
6200 Foxen Cyn. Rd.
Los Olivos, CA.
(805) 688 1545

Tasting: 10-5 daily

Fee: $8

Picnic Facilities

Wine Club Available

Although Fess Parker began his career as a well-known Disney actor, he has since become a very successful businessman in Santa Barbara county. The winery and vineyard are possibly the most accessible and beautiful of his many ventures and well worth the visit.

The wines are range from very good to excellent. Since 1989, Parker wines have won more than 30 medals in national competitions.

The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah have proven to be particularly popular with the critics. In addition, Parker produces White Riesling and Muscat Canelli, and has a reserve program for Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir.

They have four vineyards that occupy 700 acres. Their total production is about 50,000 cases a year, which makes them one of the larger wineries in the county. The tasting room is one of the eleven wineries on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. The large lawn and veranda make it well suited for picnics and lingering.

Directions:
From Santa Barbara, take the 101N through Buellton. Approximately 5 miles north of Buellton, take the Highway 154 off-ramp and turn right. Proceed 50 yards to Zaca Station Rd. and turn left. Follow Zaca Station for 5 miles and the winery entrance is on the right.

Welcome To Santa Barbara

2009-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the only such section on the west coast, between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea, and having a Mediterranean climate, it is called California's "South Coast", and is also sometimes referred to casually as the "American Riviera."As of the census of 2000, the city had a population of 92,325 while the contiguous urban area, which includes the cities of Goleta and Carpinteria, along with the unincorporated regions of Isla Vista, Montecito, Mission Canyon, Hope Ranch, Summerland, and others, had an approximate population of 200,000.

In addition to being a popular tourist and resort destination, the city has a robust economy which includes a large service sector, education, technology, health care, finance, agriculture, manufacturing, and local government. In 2004, the service sector accounted for fully 35% of local employment. Education in particular is well-represented, with five institutions of higher learning on the south coast (the University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College, Westmont College, Antioch College, and the Brooks Institute of Photography.) The Santa Barbara Airport services the city, as does Amtrak. U.S. Highway 101 connects the Santa Barbara area with Los Angeles to the south and San Francisco to the north. Behind the city, in and beyond the Santa Ynez Mountains, is the Los Padres National Forest, which contains several remote wilderness areas.

Santa Barbara Trolley Tours

2009-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara Trolley Tours
23 E. Cabrillo Blvd
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 965-0353
www.sbtrolley.com

See Santa Barbara in 90 minutes! Fully narrated tours will keep the entire family smiling. All stops are convenient to shopping, dining, landmarks and attractions. Your day pass is good for Free reboarding and special area discounts.

Discover the enchanting seaside Spanish paradise known as Santa Barbara, through a unique fully narrated tour offered by the Santa Barbara Trolley Company.

Imagine the sites and sounds of the "American Riviera" aboard one of the open air nostalgic trolley cars. Visit local hot spots as well as tourist phenomena such as the SB Courthouse, El Presidio, SB Zoo, SB Museum of Natural History, Old Town, Montecito, and the Old Mission. Each of the 14 stops have been carefully selected for their exceptional entertaining, dining, shopping or historical significance.

Day passes are available for purchase through the Visitor Information Center or directly from the trolley drivers on board. Passes are valid all day and reboarding is free.

Tour Highlights

Stearns Wharf - Enjoy unique gift shops, dining and fishing.
Bath House / East Beach - Locals favorite for volleyball and relaxing.
Montecito / Montecito Inn - Visit this elegant village, home of fine boutiques and eateries.
Butterfly Beach / Biltmore Hotel - A Romantic beach for those who want to take time away from the crowds.
El Presidio - Last in chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish.
Visitor Information Center - All info on fun things to see and do in the Santa Barbara area under one roof! Open daily 9am-5pm.
Santa Barbara Zoo - View rare and exotic animals from around the globe. Open daily, 10am-5pm.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History - a fun time for all ages. Open daily 10am-5pm.
Old Mission - Explore the "Queen of Missions." Self-guided tours onlu. Open daily 9am-5pm.
Santa Barbara Courthouse - Admire the stunning architecture of the #1 most photographed building in the city!

Santa Barbara Winery

2009-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara Winery
202 Anacapa St.
Santa Barbara, CA.
(800) 225 3633

Tasting: 10-5 seven days a week

Fee: $5 includes wineglass

A Wine Club is available. This winery is located a block off of Cabrillo Blvd. and the beach. If you don't plan on taking a full wine-tour in the Valley, visiting this winery will at least give you a sense of what wines mean to this area.

Santa Barbara Winery is known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. They produce about 10,000 cases of Chardonnay each year.

Directions:
Take the 101 to the heart of Santa Barbara. At the Garden Street exit turn towards the Beach. Take the first right onto Yanaloni and drive four blocks until you reach Anacapa. The winery is on the corner of Yanaloni and Anacapa. You will need to park on the street and walk. There is a lot across the street that holds about 12 cars.

Goleta Railroad Museum

2009-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Goleta Railroad Museum
300 North Los Carneros Road, Goleta
805-964-3540
Wed.-Sun. 1-4 p.m.
www.goletadepot.org

The Goleta Depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. in 1901 and closed in 1973. It was boarded up for a long time before local efforts to save it succeeded. Extensive restoration work was necessary, but Goleta Depot reopened Oct. 10, 1982, during which the building also was officially recognized as Santa Barbara County Historical Landmark No. 22.

The railroad museum with its miniature train is well-done and a treat for the whole family. Antique railroad artifacts, photographs, and hands-on exhibits are shown in the agency office and the passenger waiting room.

Directions: From the 101 exit on Los Carneros, which is about 10 miles west of Santa Barbara. At the top of the ramp, turn towards the mountains. If you continue past Calle Real, you will find the parking lot to your right.

Stearns Wharf

2009-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

Stearns Wharf is a pier in the harbor at Santa Barbara, California. When completed in 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Named for its builder, local lumberman John P. Stearns, the wharf served the passenger and freight shipping needs of California's South Coast for over a quarter century.

When the railroad finally reached Santa Barbara in 1877, Stearns added an additional spur to the wharf, providing a necessary transport link to his lumberyard and the nearby Southern Pacific Depot. The spur was damaged by severe storms in the early 1900s and was finally abandoned in 1923.

The Harbor Restaurant was built on the wharf in 1941, marking an end to the shipping and transportation era of the 1800s. The restaurant proved to be the economic backbone of the wharf.

Since its beginning, Stearns Wharf has had several natural and economic disasters, from the big earthquake in 1925 to a fire in 1973 which caused its closing. The wharf stayed closed for six years until restorations were completed in 1981. Yet another fire in the winter of 1998 devastated the last hundred and fifty feet of the wharf, including Moby Dick Restaurant. Though the rest of the wharf remained open during this period, the rebuilding took over two years. The new Stearns Wharf stands today as Santa Barbara's most visited landmark.

El Presidio Real de Santa Barbara

2009-01-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California. In modern times, the Presidio serves as a significant tourist attraction, museum and an active archaeological site as part of El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. The park contains an original adobe structure called El Cuartel, which is the second oldest surviving building in California; only the chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano, known as "Father Serra's Church", is older. The Presidio of Santa Barbara has the distinction of being the last military outpost built by Spain in the New World. The Presidio was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The current El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park site sits between Anacapa and Garden Streets on East Canon Perdido Street in downtown Santa Barbara. The main portion of the site is across the street from the Santa Barbara city Post Office, and is about two blocks from city hall, De la Guerra Plaza and two other museums, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and the Casa de la Guerra.

Only two portions of the original presidio quadrangle survive to this day: the Cañedo Adobe, named for José María Cañedo, the Soldado de Cuera to whom it was deeded in lieu of back pay when the Presidio fell to inactivity, and the remnants of a two-room soldiers quarters, called El Cuartel. The Cañedo Adobe is currently the visitor’s center for the state park, and El Cuartel is largely unmodified. The site’s operator, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP), reconstructed the rest of the site, with the most recent construction—two rooms in the northwest corner of the site—finished in May 2006. The reconstruction is ongoing, with the construction of two more rooms in the northwest corner beginning in December 2007.

Brooks Institute

2009-01-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

Brooks Institute is a for-profit college based in Santa Barbara, California and Ventura, California which is owned by Career Education Corporation. Brooks offers four majors and a graduate program. The Professional Photography, and Masters of Fine Arts in Photography programs are based in Santa Barbara. The Graphic Design, Film and Video Production, and Visual Journalism programs are based in Ventura.

Brooks Institute of Photography was founded in 1945 by Ernest H. Brooks, Sr. over a bakery on State Street in Santa Barbara, California. The school's first photography students were primarily World War II veterans supported by the GI Bill.

In 1952, the Brooks family acquired the Graholm Estate in present-day Montecito, California. This served as the home of Brooks Institute of Photography, as well as for Ernest H. Brooks, Sr.'s growing family.

Ernest H. Brooks, Sr. stayed on as president of the school until 1971 and passed away in 1990. At the time of his retirement as president, his son, Ernest H. Brooks, Jr. stepped into his father's shoes and served as the school's president.

During his tenure as president, Ernest Brooks, Jr. continued to expand the school. His personal passion for underwater photography inspired the underwater video and still photography courses that started in the late '60s and continue to this day.

Brooks Institute has been involved in many extraordinary projects in recent years, but this forward vision and involvement was happening even in the 1980s when the Institute was permitted to photograph the Shroud of Turin. Professor Vernon Miller, then head of the Industrial/Scientific program, led a team of photographers as they photographed the cloth for documentation and study.

The school was sold by Ernest H. Brooks, Jr. to Career Education Corporation (CEC) in 1999. Since then, CEC has expanded the school, including the acquisition of a former production studio in which to base the school's motion picture program. In 2007, the school changed its name from Brooks Institute of Photography to Brooks Institute.

Westmont College

2009-01-12T22:35:00.000-08:00

Westmont College, founded in 1937, is an interdenominational Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, California.

Ruth Kerr, owner of the Kerr Mason Jar Company, established the school as the Bible Missionary Institute (1937), later renamed the Western Bible College (1939). During these early years, Ruth and the other founders decided that a liberal arts curriculum was the best direction for the school. In 1940 Dr. Wallace Emerson, the first president, renamed the school Westmont College, envisioning a Christian liberal arts college that would take its place among the best in the nation.

By 1944, Westmont College had outgrown its facilities in downtown Los Angeles. After a failed attempt to move the campus to Altadena in early 1945 the desperate search for a new campus led Mrs. Kerr and the trustees to the former Dwight Murphy estate in Montecito with its 125 acres. Westmont purchased this property and moved to the Santa Barbara area in the Fall of 1945.

Westmont offers 26 majors. The student/faculty ratio is 13 to 1; the percentage of faculty with doctorates is 79 percent and those who are without terminal degrees are coaches who teach physical education courses. The average class size is 18.5 students. The students come from 25 states, 11 countries, and 33 Christian denominations. The graduation rate in 4 years is 87 percent.

The majors are not impacted, therefore students are able to change majors easily. Students aren't required to declare their major until the end of their sophomore year so as to graduate on time.

Santa Barbara City College

2009-01-12T22:27:00.000-08:00

Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a two-year community college founded in 1909. It is located on a 74 acre campus right over the beach in the city of Santa Barbara, California, USA. SBCC offers associate degrees in English, Social Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, and occupational and technological training. Santa Barbara City College maintains an open admissions policy. All students, who are at least 18 years of age or hold a high school diploma, or its equivalent, are admitted. As one of the leading community colleges in California — and the nation — SBCC is known for its excellent transfer rates to the four-year colleges and universities. Currently SBCC ranks #1 in percentage of students that transfer to the University of California.

As of 2004, total enrollment of full-time and part-time students reached 17,000.

Santa Barbara City College’s Marine Diving Technologies Program is a recognized program in its field. It is the only community college degree program in the nation which is accredited by the Association of Commercial Diving Educators (ACDE), the International Diving Schools Association (IDSA) and the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). The program trains and certifies for all levels of SCUBA diving.

Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens

2009-01-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens is a memorial park located in Santa Barbara, California. It consists of one entire city block, bounded by Santa Barbara, Micheltorena, Garden, and Arrellaga Streets; it is across Santa Barbara Street from the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, and across Micheltorena Street from Alameda Park.

The gardens, formerly the site of the El Mirasol Hotel, were purchased and donated to the city in 1975, and dedicated in 1980.

These gardens include a man-made pond stocked with turtle and koi, as well as a gazebo and many meandering walkways and paths. All the plants in the garden, some native and some ornamental, are chosen specifically to be tolerant of the low-water nature of the Santa Barbara climate.

Cold Spring Tavern

2009-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Cold Spring Tavern was established as a stagecoach stop in 1865. Originally known as the "Cold Spring Relay Station", it was a place to change horses and allow travelers to rest and enjoy a meal. It has been featured on national television several times.

The tavern serves steak, lamb, venison, duck, rabbit, and kangaroo. Controversially, it served lion for a brief period in 1998. The tavern is located 20 minutes north of Santa Barbara, California in Cold Spring Canyon, which is about a mile off Highway 154 along Stagecoach Road (in the San Marcos Pass area). Their address is 5995 Stagecoach Road.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to their website.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

2009-01-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

1130 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-963-4364

Hours:
Tuesday through Sunday 11 am to 5 pm.
Monday closed.

Admission
Admission: Adults $9
Seniors $7
Students with ID $6
Youth 6-17 $6
Under 6 free

Daily tours are held at 12 noon and 1 pm and are included with Admission.
Cafe and Museum Store on site

www.sbmuseart.org

Founded in 1941, this is one of the nation's outstanding regional museums that features a combination of special and permanent exhibits.

Works from the permanent collection: 19th century French, British and American art, 20th Century and contemporary European, North American and Latin American Art, Asian Art, classical antiquities, photography, prints and drawings. Children will enjoy the interactive gallery.

Of particular note is the Asian collection located on the Upper Level. The works here are truly spectacular from both an artistic and historical perspective.

Directions:
Take the 101 to the Garden Street exit. Turn away from the ocean. Take Garden Street to Anapamu Street. Make a left turn onto Anapamu, then go two blocks to Anacapa Street. Turn left onto Anacapa for one-half block, then make a right turn into the public parking garage. Walk down ramp from parking garage to the Park Wing entrance of the Museum.

Santa Barbara Courthouse

2009-01-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

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.

Reagan Ranch Center

2009-01-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Reagan Ranch Center
217 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
888-USA-1776
reaganranch.yaf.org

The Reagan Ranch Center, run by the Young America's Foundation, is a place where young and old alike can learn about Ronald Reagan and his conservative values through historical exhibits and dynamic educational programs.

Young America's Foundation Reagan Ranch Center is open for business, specifically, the business of reaching today’s young people with conservative ideas. Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch team is now occupying the Reagan Ranch Center and using this tremendous 22,000 square-foot facility in downtown Santa Barbara as a vital part of the Conservative Movement. The Center includes classrooms, a theater, meeting rooms, a library of conservative resources, Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch offices, and more. Many events for the Center are planned over the next year as they fulfill our mission to reaching increasing numbers of young Americans with the principles and ideas President Reagan so cherished.

About The Reagan Ranch

There is no better place to understand Reagan's principles, and his practical, down-to-earth manner, than at Rancho del Cielo, the "Ranch in the Sky." A much needed counterpoint to the constant buzz of Washington, D.C., Rancho del Cielo conveys the true spirit of Reagan. If you want to understand Ronald Reagan, says former First Lady Nancy Reagan, then go to the Ranch.

Just as Monticello and Mount Vernon convey the distinctive personalities of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, Rancho del Cielo uniquely communicates much about Ronald Reagan that could not be readily gleaned from other sources. The very essence of his character is found here at the Ranch—his humility, his idealism, his diligence and hard work. Since Reagan built much of the Ranch himself, The Washington Post called it the "place to see the hand of the man" and "a true national treasure."

The Reagans purchased the 688-acre ranch in 1974, shortly before Reagan completed his second term as governor of California. The Ranch, overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley and the Pacific Ocean, reflects the endless vistas of freedom and possibility that Reagan considered the fundamental elements of the American experience. At the same time, the Reagans viewed the Ranch as a private retreat—a haven from the frenzy of public life. There, in a setting both rugged and pastoral, they could spend time alone or with family and friends.

Visitors to the Ranch have been deeply moved by the property. After a private tour, Pat Perrot of Northridge, California, wrote, "All five of us in our party have traveled widely throughout the world but none of us remember visiting any place that had such an enormous impact on our hearts and spirits as President Reagan’s beloved ranch. . . From the time [we] spotted his home nestled in that magnificent valley, we were overwhelmed by the sense of presence of that great man."

Young America's Foundation stepped in to save President Reagan's Western White House in the spring of 1998 to preserve it as a living monument to Reagan's lasting accomplishments and to make it the centerpiece of the student programs. President Reagan committed himself to reaching young people with his ideas—a goal that is also central to the Foundation's mission. Preserving the Ranch and passing on the President's values and ideas is Young America's Foundation's way of thanking Ronald Reagan for all he did for our country and the world. Today, Rancho del Cielo is a place of learning, a place of encouragement, a place of inspiration for generations to come.

West Beach

2009-01-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for the best place to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July or New Years, or you want to watch boats coming and going from the harbor, or you want to play volleyball or rollarblade, then come to West Beach. This is also where the Ka Nai'a Outrigger Club holds their Sunday lessons and where many kayaks, windsurfers, and sailboats set out.

There aren't a lot of facilities, but you are close to the Chase Palm Park and Wharf so it's not really needed. There are a number of excellent restaurants across the street. Leadbetter is about four blocks down and the breakwater is about three blocks away.

HIGHLIGHTS: Bike Path, Life Guards

Directions: Take the Garden Street exit and turn towards the ocean. At the end of the road turn right. There is on-street parking and if you're willing to walk a bit there's parking on the wharf and parking for East Beach.

Refugio State Beach

2009-01-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

This beach is unique among Santa Barbara beaches. Many locals find that they come here to over other beaches closer into town. It just feels different than the others.

It might be the abundance of picnic tables and grills or maybe its all the quirky little palms that dot the thin strip of border grass. It could also be the camp grounds that bump right against the beach.

Who knows for sure, but this beach is worth the drive from the city. It's a long 1.5 miles of beach that offers plenty of sand and surf. If you feel adventuresome, this is a great beach for diving and snorkeling. Hiking and biking trails round out the list of things to do while here.

HIGHLIGHTS: BBQ Pits, BBQ Grills, Camping, Dogs OK, Fishing, General Store, Lifeguard, Picnic Area, Playground, Restroom, and Showers

Directions: Take the 101 north of the city. Go beyond El Capitan and follow the signs.

Leadbetter Beach

2009-01-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

This is one of the busiest beaches in town. A long strip of sand flanked by green grass at the base of the city college.

Leadbetter is in the city on the edge of the "strip" and offers all the amenities.

The Shoreline Beach Cafe offers diners tables on a patio or even in the sand. Outdoor showers, restrooms, a grassy picnic area combine to make this a mecca for the young and active. The normally light surf draws beginning surfers, windsurfers and sailboats.

Our favorite part is at low tide you can walk around the point to a wonderfully private, isolated strip of beach.

PLEASE NOTE: Lots and lots of activity. If you're seeking privacy, forget it (unless it's low tide and you can slip around the point...)

HIGHLIGHTS: BBQ Pits, BBQ Grills, Lifeguards, Picnic Areas, Restrooms,

Directions: From the 101 freeway exit Garden Street or Castillo Street. Turn south towards the ocean. Turn right on Cabrillo Blvd. After you have passed the harbor, Leadbetter will be on your left. Some free, mostly paid parking.

Goleta Beach

2009-01-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

This beach has a little bit of everything for just about anybody. A long sandy beach is flanked by a grass. There are plenty of grills and picnic tables and a brisk wind keeps bathers from getting over heated. There is a busy walking trail nearby.

The parking is free. A fishing pier, restaurant and snack bar, volleyball nets, restrooms, and large areas for group picnics provide plenty of amenities. Although it is close to the University and the airport, ground and air traffic seem very far away.

PLEASE NOTE: The area is rich in oil deposits, which occasionally give it a tar smell. It is a very busy beach and parking can be difficult to find. Since it is right off the highway, it isn't possible to park on the road.

HIGHLIGHTS: BBQ Gills, BBQ Pits, Bike Paths, Boat Launch, Dogs OK, Fishing, Pier, Gift Shop, Lifeguards, Picnic Area, Playground, Restrooms, Showers, Restaurant, Tidal Pools, Volleyball Courts.

Directions: From the 101 take the 217 until you come almost the end. Take the airport exit and at the bottom of the ramp turn left. Go under the bridge and turn right into the parking lot.

Gaviota Beach

2009-01-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

Most people - even long time Santa Barbarans - don't even know this beach is here. It is a ways out of the city - 33 miles west of Santa Barbara to be exact.

This is a great beach for the surprise element. You actually have to walk under the train trestle to get to the sand. Very cool!!!

If the swimming and fishing don't get you, the hike to Gaviota Hot Springs might!

PLEASE NOTE: The wind can get pretty wild along this stretch of the coast. Except on the hottest of Santa Barbara days, you will probably wear a coat here rather than a swim suit.

HIGHLIGHTS: BBQ Grills, BBQ Pits, Boat Launch, Camping, Dogs OK, Fishing, Pier, Gift Shop, Hiking Trails, Lifeguards, Picnic Area, Restroom, Showers, Snack Bar, Volleyball Courts

Directions: Take the 101N from Santa Barbara until you come to signs for Gaviota State Park. Be very careful, however, if you are going northbound as you will be crossing oncoming highway traffic!

El Capitan Beach

2009-01-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

This is a beautiful beach for those who love beaches. It's not the biggest in town, but it has plenty of sand, and the level of privacy is delicious. Since it is away from the city there is a sense of getting away, even though you don't go too far.

The beach is part of a State Park, so there are plenty of facilities. One of our favorite aspects of this park is how true to Southern California it is in many ways. There are more live oaks than palm, more chaparral than ice plant. You might even be able to find some cactus if you looked.

PLEASE NOTE: It's on State Park, which means you have to pay a $5 per car entrance fee. It's good all day or if you go for just 20 minutes. There's not a lot of "entertainment," as far as volleyball or rollerblading go. However, if you're looking for swimming, surfing, or sunning, this is the place to go.

FEATURES: BBQ Grills, BBQ Pits, Bike Path, Camping, Dogs OK, Fishing, General Store, Hiking Trails, Lifeguard, Picnic Areas, Playground, Restrooms, Surfing, Showers, Snack Bar, and Volleyball Courts.

Directions: Take the 101N past Goleta and drive until you reach the El Capitan signs. The road will take you right into the park. The park is approximately 10 miles out of town.

East Beach

2009-01-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's hard to say enough about this beach. Beautiful, long, sandy, deep even at high tide and bordered by a grassy, tree-lined park.

It has all the amenities a sun worshipper could wish for - a full beach house, snack bar, volleyball courts, play area for children, and a bike/rollerblading bath. It's also a favorite for special activities - Saturday afternoon drumming, Sunday afternoon art show or an occasional soccer game. East Beach is in front of some of the largest hotels in Santa Barbara so it is the Santa Barbara default beach.

Cons: There is plenty of parking but it tends to be scattered. The free parking goes fast.

BEACH HIGHLIGHTS:

BBQ Pits, BBQ Grills, Bike Path, General Store, Lifeguards, Picnic Areas, Playground, Restrooms, Showers, Snack Bar, Beach Volleyball Courts

DIRECTIONS:

East Beach is accessible from just about any exit along downtown Santa Barbara - Carrillo Blvd, Milpas, Garden, Castillo. Turn away from the mountains and when you reach Carrillo, you can't miss the huge stretch of park between Stearns Wharf and the bird refuge.

Butterfly Beach

2009-01-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

Across from the Four Seasons Biltmore, this beach is deceptive in its simplicity. Since it is a Montecito Beach, and Montecito and the Biltmore have more than their share of celebrities, you have a good chance of seeing somebody famous here.

Of course, if you do see somebody famous, you'll want to act cool, like it happens everyday because - well - here it does.

This is also one of the few west-facing beaches in Santa Barbara so you can see a sunset over the water!

Cons: Bring your lunch and water and sunscreen because there are no public facilities at this beach. It's a real locals kind of place.

BEACH HIGHLIGHTS:

none

DIRECTIONS:

Take the 101 to Olive Mill Road in Montecito (a few minutes south of Santa Barbara). At the stop sign, turn towards the ocean (away from the mountains) and follow it a quarter of a mile along the coast. Butterfly Beach is on your left. Parking is limited and will be packed with cars on most weekends. Park on either side of the street along the beach or drive up Butterfly Rd and park in the nearby neighborhoods.

Hendry's Beach

2009-01-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Officially named Arroyo Burro Beach, this beach is just a ten minute drive along the Coast from downtown Santa Barbara.

Hendry's is secluded by towering cliffs and a curving coastline. Surfers and children vie for territory as the waves tumble into shore.

Hendry's is centrally located to a great deal of other fun. Elings Park is a half mile up Las Positas so you will often see hang gliders and paragliders launching from nearby cliffs. Right next door to the beach is the Douglas Family Reserve, which features some of the most pristine cliffside terrain in all of Santa Barbara.

BEACH HIGHLIGHTS:

BBQ Pits, Dogs OK, Fishing, Lifeguards, Public Areas, Restrooms, Showers, Snack Bar, and Tidal Pools

DIRECTIONS:

Take 101 to Los Positas. Turn away from the mountains. When you come to a T-intersection and turn right. Take the second left at the base of a cliff.

University of California, Santa Barbara

2009-01-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a 1,022-acre campus in Santa Barbara, California, 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Founded as an independent teachers' college, UCSB joined the University of California system in 1944 and is the fourth-oldest general-education campus in the system.

UCSB is a comprehensive doctoral university and is organized into five colleges offering 87 undergraduate degrees and 55 graduate degrees. The campus is the 5th-largest in the UC system by enrollment with 18,429 undergraduate and 2,981 graduate students. The university granted 5,442 bachelor's, 576 master's, and 310 Ph.D. degrees in 2006-2007. The four-year, full-time undergraduate program is classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as "more selective, higher transfer-in" and was ranked 44th among "National Universities" by U.S. News and World Report.

UC Santa Barbara is a "very high activity" research university and spent $191.2 million on research expenditures, 97th-largest in the United States^. UCSB houses eleven national research centers, including the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Southern California Earthquake Center, and Material Research Laboratory. Five faculty members have won the Nobel Prize, 29 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 27 to the National Academy of Engineering, and 23 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. UCSB was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1995.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos compete in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference. The Gauchos have won NCAA national championships in men's soccer and men's water polo.

UCSB is located on cliffs directly above the Pacific Ocean. UCSB's campus has not been annexed by the city of Santa Barbara and thus is not technically part of the city. While it appears closer to the recently formed city of Goleta, a parcel of the City of Santa Barbara that forms a strip of "city" through the ocean to the Santa Barbara airport, runs through the west entrance to the university campus. Although UCSB has a Santa Barbara mailing address, as do other unincorporated areas around the city, only this entry parcel is in the Santa Barbara city limits. Like all other UC and CSU campuses, it is self-governing and cannot be incorporated into either city. The campus is divided into four parts: Main campus (708 acres that houses all academic units plus the majority of Undergraduate housing), Storke campus, West campus and North Campus. The campuses surround the community of Isla Vista.

UCSB is one of a few universities in the United States with its own beach. The campus, bordered on three sides by the Pacific Ocean, has miles of coastline as well as its own lagoon. The campus has numerous walking and bicycle paths across campus, around the lagoon and along the beach.

The Lagoon is a large man-made body of water adjacent to the coastline, between San Rafael and San Miguel Residence Halls. It was created from a former tidal salt marsh flat and is fed by a combination of run-off and ocean water used by the Marine Science Building's aquatic life tanks; thus, it is a unique combination of fresh and salt water. Many of the older campus buildings are being replaced with newer, more modern facilities. The UCSB Libraries, consisting of the Davidson Library and the Arts Library, hold 2.8 million bound volumes and millions of microforms, government documents, manuscripts, maps, satellite and aerial images, sound recordings, and other materials. The 24 Hour Study Room, formerly known as the RBR (Reserved Book Room), is adjacent to the Davidson Library, which is located in the middle of the UCSB campus.

Campbell Hall is the university's largest lecture hall with 860 seats. It is also the main venue for the UCSB Arts and Lectures series, which presents special performances, films, and lectures for the UCSB campus and Santa Barbara community.

Storke Tower, completed in 1969, is the tallest building in Santa Barbara County. It can be seen from most places on campus, it over looks a wide plaza aptly named Storke Plaza. It is home to a five-octave, 61-bell carillon. All UCSB students used to be free to access the top of Storke Tower once they checked out a key from the Visitor's Center, but this program has been put on hold by the fire marshal. KCSB 91.9 broadcasts from beneath Storke Tower.

The University of California Santa Barbara has a reputation for its "party life". While the Halloween parties in Isla Vista are quite popular among students, the annual tradition has come under fire from school administration and local police in recent years.

UCSB is also a politically active campus. The UCSB Campus Democrats and the UCSB College Republicans are among the most active organizations on campus. Over the years, other political parties and organizations have also been known to be active on campus, such as the Environmental Affairs Board, Green Party, and Libertarians.

UCSB is the only UC campus with its own Paramedic Rescue Unit. It is staffed by full-time professional paramedics and part-time undergraduate EMTs.

Japanese WWII Attack on Santa Barbara

2009-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

A consequential visit by a foreigner occurred in the late 1930s. Kozo Nishino, the skipper of a Japanese oil tanker, visited the field to load up with oil. While walking with his crew to a formal welcoming ceremony onshore, he tripped and fell into a patch of prickly pear cactus (now below Fairway 11 of the Sandpiper Golf Course); the sight of the proud Japanese commander having cactus spines pulled from his buttocks provoked the laughter of a group of nearby oil workers.

Kozo came back a few years later, possibly for revenge. During the Second World War, now captain of Japanese submarine I-17, he surfaced just off of Coal Oil Point on the evening of February 23, 1942, with his crew emerging to man the 5.5" deck gun of the sub. They fired between 16 and 25 rounds at a pair of oil storage tanks near the exact location where he had fallen into the cactus patch. His gunners were wretched shots, and most of the shells went wild, exploding either miles inland on Tecolote Ranch or splashing in the water; one of the explosions damaged well Luton-Bell 17, on the beach just below Fairway 14 of the present-day golf course, causing about $500 in damage to a catwalk and some pumping equipment. Kozo radioed Tokyo that he had "left Santa Barbara in flames." This incident was the first direct attack by an enemy power on the U.S. mainland since the War of 1812.

While peak production from the Ellwood field was in 1930, it continued to be productive through the 1960s; the onshore portion was abandoned in 1972.

Today the site of the oilfield equipment damaged by the Japanese is now Santa Barbara County property, which may be traversed by the public, on the beach below the Sandpiper Golf Course. A historical marker has been posted on a rock on the Golf Course grounds briefly recounting the history of the incident.

Afterwards, an entrepreneur bought the timbers from the damaged pier and used them to construct a restaurant called "The Timbers" on U.S. Highway 101 near Goleta.

The attack site is next to the Bacara Resort Hotel at 8301 Hollister Ave. The sign is located at the public beach access. Park in the public parking lot, then hike a short distance to the beach.

History of The City

2009-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

The history of the city begins at least 13,000 years ago with the ancestors of the present-day Chumash. Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 lived on the south coast of Santa Barbara County when Juan Cabrillo sailed through the Santa Barbara Channel in 1542, anchoring briefly in the area. In 1602, Sebastian Vizcaino gave the name "Santa Barbara" to the region, in gratitude for having survived a violent storm in the Channel on December 3, the eve of the feast day of that saint.

A land expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá and accompanied by missionary Padre Junipero Serra visited in 1769, but did not stay. The first permanent European residents were Spanish missionaries and soldiers under Felipe de Neve and again accompanied by Serra, who came in 1782 to build the Presidio and Mission. They were sent both to fortify the region against expansion by other powers such as England and Russia, and to convert the natives to Christianity. Many of the Spanish brought their families with them, and those formed the nucleus of the small town – at first just a cluster of adobes – that surrounded the Presidio. Mission Santa Barbara was dedicated December 4, 1786, the feast day of Saint Barbara. The Mission fathers began the slow work of converting the native Chumash to Christianity, building a village for them on the Mission grounds. Many of the natives died in the following decades of diseases such as smallpox to which they had no natural immunity.

The most dramatic event of the Spanish period was the powerful 1812 earthquake and tsunami, one of the strongest in California history, which completely destroyed the Mission as well as the rest of the town; water reached as high as present-day Anapamu street, and carried a ship half a mile up Refugio Canyon. Following the earthquake, the Mission fathers chose to rebuild in a grander manner, and it is this construction that survives to the present day, the best-preserved of the California Missions.

The Spanish period ended in 1822 with the end of the Mexican War of Independence which terminated three hundred years of colonial rule. The flag of Mexico went up the flagpole at the Presidio, but only for 24 years.

After the secularization of the Missions in 1833, immense amounts of land formerly held by the Church were distributed by the Mexican governors of California to various families in order to reward service or build alliances. These land grants commenced the "Rancho Period" in California and Santa Barbara history. The population remained sparse, with enormous cattle operations run by wealthy families. It was during this period that Richard Henry Dana, Jr. first visited Santa Barbara and wrote about it in Two Years Before the Mast.

Santa Barbara fell bloodlessly to a battalion of American soldiers under John C. Frémont on December 27, 1846, during the Mexican-American War, and after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo it became part of the expanding United States.

Change came quickly after Santa Barbara's acquisition by the United States. The population doubled between 1850 and 1860. In 1851, land surveyor Salisbury Haley designed the street grid, famously botching the block measurements, misaligning the streets; wood construction replaced adobe, as American settlers moved in; and during the Gold Rush years and following, the town became a haven for bandits and gamblers, and a dangerous and lawless place. Charismatic gambler and highwayman Jack Powers had virtual control of the town in the early 1850s, until driven out by a posse organized in San Luis Obispo. English gradually supplanted Spanish as the language of daily life, becoming the language of official record in 1870^. The first newspaper, the Santa Barbara Gazette, was founded in 1855.

While the Civil War had little effect on Santa Barbara, the disastrous drought of 1863 ended the Rancho Period, as most of the cattle died and ranchos were broken up and sold. The building of Stearns Wharf in 1872 enhanced Santa Barbara's commercial and tourist accessibility; previously goods and visitors had to transfer from steamboats to smaller craft to row ashore. During the 1870s, writer Charles Nordhoff promoted the town as a health resort and destination for well-to-do travelers from other parts of the U.S.; many of them came, and many stayed. The luxurious Arlington Hotel dated from this period. In 1887, the railroad finally went through to Los Angeles, and in 1901 to San Francisco: Santa Barbara was now easily accessible by land and by sea, and development was brisk.

Just before the turn of the century, oil was discovered at the Summerland Oil Field, and the region along the beach east of Santa Barbara sprouted numerous oil derricks and piers for drilling offshore. This was the first offshore oil development in the world; oil drilling offshore would become an contentious practice in the Santa Barbara area to the present day.

Santa Barbara housed the world's largest movie studio during the era of silent film. Flying A Studios, a division of the American Film Company, operated on two city blocks centered at State and Mission between 1910 and 1922, with the industry shutting down locally and moving to Hollywood once it outgrew the area, needing the resources of a larger city. Flying A and the other smaller local studios produced approximately 1,200 films during their tenure in Santa Barbara, of which approximately 100 survive.

The earthquake of June 29, 1925, the first destructive earthquake in California since the 1906 San Francisco quake, destroyed much of Santa Barbara and killed 13 or 14 people. The low death toll is attributed to the early hour (6:23 a.m., before most people were out on the streets, vulnerable to falling masonry). While this quake, like the one in 1812, was centered in the Santa Barbara Channel, it caused no tsunami, and most of the damage was caused by two onshore aftershocks. It came at an opportune time for rebuilding, since a movement for architectural reform and unification around a Spanish Colonial style was already underway. Under the leadership of Pearl Chase, many of the city's famous buildings rose as part of the rebuilding process, including the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, sometimes praised as the "most beautiful public building in the United States."

During World War II, Santa Barbara was home to a Marine base, at the site of present-day UCSB; a Navy installation at the harbor; was near to the Army's Camp Cook, present-day Vandenberg Air Force Base; and contained a hospital for treating servicemen wounded in the Pacific Theatre. On February 23, 1942, not long after the outbreak of war in the Pacific, a Japanese submarine emerged from the ocean and lobbed about 25 shells at the Elwood Oil Field, about 10 miles west of Santa Barbara, the only direct attack on the U.S. mainland during the entire war, and the first wartime attack by an enemy power on U.S. soil since the War of 1812. Although the gunners were terrible marksmen, and only caused about $500 damage to a catwalk, panic was immediate. Many Santa Barbara residents fled, and land values plummeted to historic lows.

After the war many of the servicemen who had seen Santa Barbara returned to stay. The population surged by 10,000 people between the end of the war and 1950. This burst of growth had dramatic consequences for the local economy and infrastructure. Highway 101 was built through town during this period, and newly built Lake Cachuma began supplying water via a tunnel dug through the mountains between 1950 and 1956.

Local relations with the oil industry gradually soured through the period. Production at Summerland had ended, Elwood was winding down, and to find new fields oil companies carried out seismic exploration of the Channel using explosives, a controversial practice that local fishermen claimed harmed their catch. The culminating disaster, and one of the formative events in the modern environmental movement, was the blowout at Union Oil's Platform A on January 28, 1969. Approximately 100,000 barrels of oil surged out of a huge undersea break, fouling hundreds of square miles of ocean and all the coastline from Ventura to Goleta, as well north facing beaches on the Channel Islands. Two legislative consequences of the spill in the next year were the passages of the California Envirnomental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA); locally, outraged citizens formed GOO (Get Oil Out).

Santa Barbara's business community strove to attract development until the surge in the anti-growth movement in the 1970s. Many "clean" industries, especially aerospace firms such as Raytheon and Delco Electronics, moved to town in the 1950s and 1960s, bringing employees from other parts of the U.S. UCSB itself became a major employer. In 1975, the city passed an ordinance restricting growth to a maximum of 85,000 residents, through zoning. Growth in the adjacent Goleta Valley could be shut down by denying water meters to developers seeking permits. As a result of these changes, growth slowed down, but prices rose sharply.

Four destructive fires have affected Santa Barbara: the 1964 Coyote Fire, which burned 67,000 acres of backcountry along with 150 homes; the smaller but quickly moving Sycamore Fire in 1977, which burned 200 homes; and the disastrous 1990 Painted Cave Fire, which incinerated over 500 homes in only several hours, during an intense Sundowner wind event. In December 2008, the Tea Fire destroyed over 200 homes. It was caused by an illegal bonfire on uninhabited private property by ten local college kids that had flared up hours later due to Sundowner winds.

When voters approved connection to State water supplies in 1991, parts of the city, especially outlying areas, resumed growth, but more slowly than during the boom period of the 1950s and 1960s. While the slower growth preserved the quality of life for most residents and prevented the urban sprawl notorious in the Los Angeles basin, housing in the Santa Barbara area was in short supply, and prices soared. In 2006, only six percent of residents could afford a median-value house. As a result, many people who work in Santa Barbara commute from adjacent, more affordable areas, such as Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Ventura. The resultant traffic on incoming arteries, particularly the stretch of Highway 101 between Ventura and Santa Barbara, is another problem being addressed by long-range planners.

Motel 6 - Did You Know???

2009-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Motel 6 was founded in 1962 in Santa Barbara, California, by two local building contractors, William Becker and Paul Greene. The partners developed a plan to build motels with rooms at bargain rates. They decided on a $6 room rate per night that would cover building costs, land leases, mortgages, managers' salaries and maid service, hence the company name.

Before starting Motel 6, Becker and Greene specialized in building low-cost housing developments, and they wanted to provide an alternative to other major hotel chains such as Holiday Inn, whose locations were becoming increasingly upscale in quality and price in the 1960s, after starting out with a budget-oriented concept. Becker and Greene spent two years formulating their business model, and searched for ways to cut costs as much as possible: during the chain's early years, Motel 6 emphasized itself as a "no-frills" lodging chain with rooms featuring coin-operated black-and-white TVs instead of the free color TVs found in the more expensive motels, along with functional interior decor (to reduce the time it took to clean the rooms). The first location in Santa Barbara had no restaurant on-site, a notable difference from other hotels of the era; most locations to this day have no on-site dining, though there is a considerable choice of restaurants nearby most properties.

As the 1960s progressed, the Motel 6 idea became very popular in the lodging industry and other chains began to imitate the concept, as Motel 6 was slowly beginning to take a small share of the market away from the traditional hotels. Becker and Green set out on an ambitious expansion program and had 26 locations in operation by 1966. The occupancy rate by then was about 85 percent, well above the industry average, and as a result of the overwhelming success, Motel 6 became an attractive acquisition target. Becker and Greene sold the chain to an investment group in 1968.

In the 1970s, the coin-operated black-and-white TVs were replaced by free color TVs that received local over the air channels, plus HBO and later ESPN and CNN at no extra cost. By the 1980s, these rooms cost 25 dollars a night nationwide. Rooms also have telephones (with free local and toll free calls, and long distance calls charged to a major credit card), towels, soap, shampoo, and cabinets, and free wake-up calls. The chain does not provide extras that might increase costs, like hair dryers, continental breakfasts, or clock radios. But free coffee is served in the morning in the lobby. In most locations, an outdoor pool and a guest laundry are also offered.

Motel 6 founder William Becker died on April 2, 2007, of a heart attack. He was 85 years old.

Motel 6 No. 1, which opened in 1962 in Santa Barbara, California. It is still in business today. (pictured above)

Museums

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Many artists make Santa Barbara their home, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is home to a significant permanent collection. Other art venues include the University Art Museum on the UC Santa Barbara Campus, various private galleries, and a wide variety of art and photography shows.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is located immediately behind the Santa Barbara Mission in a complex of Mission-style buildings set in a park-like campus. The Museum offers indoor and outdoor exhibits and a state-of-the-art planetarium.

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is located at 113 Harbor Way (the former Naval Reserve Center Santa Barbara) on the waterfront.

The Contemporary Arts Forum, located on the top floor of Paseo Nuevo shopping mall, contains exhibits of new works in all media.

The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum (free admission) houses a collection of historical documents and manuscripts.

Performing Arts

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Santa Barbara contains numerous performing art venues, including the 2,000 seat Arlington Theatre, the largest indoor performance venue in Santa Barbara; the Lobero Theatre, a historic building and favorite venue for small concerts; the Granada Theater, the tallest building downtown, originally built by contractor C.M. Urton in 1920, but with the theatre remodeled and reopened in March 2008; and the Santa Barbara Bowl, a 4,562 seat amphitheatre used for outdoor concerts, nestled in a picturesque canyon northwest of Santa Barbara at the base of the Riviera.

The city is considered a haven for classical music lovers with a symphony orchestra and many non-profit classical music groups. The Music Academy of the West, located in Montecito, hosts an annual music festival in the summer, drawing renowned students and professionals.

Neighborhoods,

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As with most cities, Santa Barbara has a range of neighborhoods with distinctive histories, architectures, and cultures. While considerable consensus exists as to the identification of neighborhood names and boundaries, variations exist between observers. For example, real estate agents may use different names than those used by public utilities or municipal service providers, such as police, fire, or water services. The following is a list of neighborhoods with descriptions and comments on each.

The Mesa stretches 2.5 miles from Santa Barbara City College on the east to Arroyo Burro County Beach (or "Hendry’s/The Pit" to locals) on the west. This is considered to be a desirable neighborhood due to its proximity to the ocean as well as the college.

The Riviera encompasses an ocean-facing hillside extending approximately two miles span between Mission and Sycamore Canyons. For the past 65 years, it has been known as "the Riviera" due to its resemblance to slopes along the Mediterranean coasts of France and Italy. Most of the area has curving streets with mature trees and foliage, and most of the topography of the Riviera is relatively steep.

The Westside

The Eastside

The Waterfront

Lower State Street

Upper State Street

San Roque is located northwest of the downtown area and north of Samarkand. It is a good spot for families within the Hope School District. This area is said to be a constant 5 degrees warmer than the coastal areas, due to its greater distance from the ocean than other Santa Barbara neighborhoods, and being separated from the sea by a low range of hills to the south, occupied by the Mesa and Hope Ranch. San Roque is also the most popular spot for Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween.

Samarkand currently has approximately 630 homes on 184 acres with a population of about 2000 people. The name Samarkand comes from an Old Persian word meaning "the land of heart’s desire." It was first applied to a deluxe Persian-style hotel that was converted from a boy’s school in 1920. Samarkand later became identified as its own neighborhood located between Las Positas, State Street, De La Vina, Oak Park and the Freeway. Earle Ovington built the first home here in 1920 at 3030 Samarkand Drive. As a pilot, Ovington established the Casa Loma Air Field with a 1,500-foot runway that was used by legendary pilots, Lindbergh and Earheart.

Hope Ranch is an unincorporated suburb of Santa Barbara, west of downtown. As of the 2000 census, the area had an approximate population of 2,200. The neighborhood occupies a hilly area immediately adjacent to the coast; the highest elevation is 691 feet. Hope Ranch is one of the wealthiest areas in California; the median price home was $2.61 million in 2006.

Noleta is an informal name for the unincorporated suburban area west of Santa Barbara. It is bounded on the east by Santa Barbara and Hope Ranch, on the west by Goleta, on the north by the Santa Ynez Mountains and on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and largely includes the zip codes 93105, 93110, and 93111. Approximately 30,000 people live in the area. The area is called Noleta because of its history of voting "no" on incorporation with the City of Goleta (i.e. "no" to "Goleta"), and as a pun on the more famous neighborhood "North of Little Italy" in New York City. Residents have the address of Santa Barbara.

Geography

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Santa Barbara is located about 90 miles WNW of Los Angeles, along the Pacific coast. This stretch of coast along southern Santa Barbara County is often referred to as the "American Riviera" because its geography and Mediterranean climate are reminscent of the French and Italian Riviera coastline along the Mediterranean. The Santa Ynez Mountains, an east-west trending range, rise dramatically behind the city, with several peaks exceeding 4,000 feet. Covered with chaparral and with sandstone outcrops, they make a famously scenic backdrop to the town. Nearer to town, and directly east and adjacent to Mission Santa Barbara, is a hill known locally as the "Riviera," traversed by "Alameda Padre Serra" (shortened APS), "Father Serra's pathway." The hillside, made accessible by the advent of the automobile early in the 20th century, is now built with relatively expensive homes. A spectacularly beautiful area looking south toward the Pacific and the Channel Islands and having sunrise to sunset views, Santa Barbara became the winter destination for the titans of post-Civil War America. Private railroad cars clustered on the sidings at Santa Barbara. The Potter Hotel overlooking Santa Barbara's West Beach was a world renowned resort. Owners of industry visited Santa Barbara and chose Santa Barbara hillside locations for their grand estates. Others preferred the beach and built palatially there, from Sandyland Cove, Padaro Lane, the city beaches, and west to what is now Goleta.

The architectural image of Santa Barbara is the Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture adopted by city leaders after the 1925 earthquake destroyed much of the downtown commercial district. The domestic architecture of Santa Barbara is predominantly California bungalows built in the early decades of the 20th century, with many Victorian homes adorning the "Upper East" and Spanish style homes designed by well known California architects in Santa Barbara and on estates in Montecito and Hope Ranch. The city has passed ordinances against billboards and regulates outdoor advertising, so the city is relatively free of advertising clutter.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.4 square miles, of which, 19 square miles of it is land and 22.4 square miles of it (54.17%) is water. The high official figures for water is due to the city limit extending into the ocean, including a strip of city reaching out into the sea and inland again to keep the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) within the city boundaries.