My Santa Barbara

It's called the "American Riviera", and not for nothing. After all, like its namesake in the south of France, it’s got the perfect blend of great weather, outstanding ocean views from every angle, palm trees and beaches for miles, great restaurants and bars, unique architecture, and more than a little bit of glamour. My Santa Barbara IS that... but much much more. May I tell you some of the things we love about it?

Land and Sea

The first thing you’ll notice when you arrive is how stunning the area is. Santa Barbara and surrounding towns are wedged in between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains, which rise just a mile or two from the beach and frame the northern outskirts of town. You’re on the beach and in the mountains all at once. All of this beauty is draped in fantastic coastal weather, year round. It’s true that the foggy marine layer comes in most mornings, but that just makes Santa Barbara that much more romantic, moody, mysterious. The mist retreats by midday, revealing a chain of islands across the Santa Barbara Channel—strangely enough, called "the Channel Islands". Uninhabited, except by all kinds of rare animals and plants, it's a hiker's delight, and a legit day-adventure for those who want to take regularly scheduled boats from Oxnard, just south of town, or charters from the marina (Channel Islands Expeditions).

Then there’s deep sea fishing in the Channel, generally considered one of the most productive sea life environments on the planet. From dozens of species of fish, to abalone, shrimp, oysters, lobster, and even one of the most prized sea urchins in the world, you will catch something good, that's for sure. Or, if you’re like me, and prefer your catch to be on the end of a fork, Santa Barbara has many fine seafood restaurants. (More on the restaurants later in this post.)

Hanging Around & Getting Around

What else is there to do? So much! I will begin with my favorite activity: lollygagging. You know, just hanging out, wandering around, seeing stuff, sampling the relaxed life, a real SB specialty. It begins with the beaches... miles and miles of them. There's a very nice concrete sidewalk and bike path along the beach in town, or you can hang out at any number of beach coves extending in each direction, north and south, from SB central. Bikepaths, sidewalks and trails connect the main beach areas in town with those just outside. We like them all, but are particularly partial to Butterfly Beach and Summerland Beach, adjacent to Montecito.

Speaking of bike paths and biking: I highly recommend you consider renting your own bike for the duration of your stay. Some hotels offer free bikes, and we have also included information on our favorite bike rental shop, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. For the most part, all of the areas south of I-10 (the freeway dissecting SB) are beachfront, and thus are fairly flat. You can peddle with ease. However, if you are either lazy (like me), or want to increase your range and speed, consider an electric bike. You may find that you prefer going almost anywhere in the region on your bike, because it's quicker and definitely more fun than a car.

Santa Barbara Style

Besides the stunning natural environment, another thing you can't help but notice is the stunning architecture all over town. SB is a very old town, originally founded about 300 years ago around the Mission Santa Barbara, which is still there, and definitely worth a tour. Additional historic buildings can be found in the middle of town, and are also worth taking a look at. It’s true, most of what you see is not that old, but it still looks very historic and distinctive. That's because SB passed architectural guidance rules about 100 years ago requiring many buildings to follow styling rules interpreted as "Spanish colonial". You’ll see some buildings with that style, but a very unique and extremely captivating amalgamation of Spanish colonial, Andalusian, Morrocan and Art Deco building styles quickly evolved from the original architectural guidance. It became known, simply, as "Santa Barbara Style". You now see it expressed in other cities, particularly throughout California, but nothing can compare with the abundance and variety of expressions to be found in Santa Barbara. It’s truly something to behold. Just drive or walk around downtown , and marvel.

A special shout out to the work of local architect Jeff Shelton. A few of his incredible buildings can be found at 13 West Haley Street (the Ablitt Tower), 407 State Street (the Pistachio House) and 521 Santa Barbara Street (Vera Cruz). The pure magic of these places will get you in the mood to peel the Santa Barbara onion and see what more can be seen. SB is rich on the eyes and on the spirit.

Standout Destinations

About two miles south of State Street (the main shopping drag) are two more iconic establishments. Lotusland, one of the great botanical gardens in North America. But it’s way more than “just” another garden. It's the story of a rich and eccentric opera singer, who could not sing that well but had a unique eye for landscape architecture, and the money to do things whatever the hell way she wished. One finds at Lotusland a combination of plants, trees, rocks, ponds, statues, and such, laid out in ways which initially made the "experts" say, "you can't do that!". But she did. Madame Ganna Walska’s life and story are a tribute to staying true to one's own vision, and letting the world eventually catch up with it, and with you. Take a guided tour if you can, because it's hard to appreciate the place without the narrative that goes with it. Good storytelling, amongst the world's greatest cactus garden, laid out underneath giant California redwoods, cannot be beat!

Very close to Lotusland is the San Ysidro Ranch. Smack dab in the middle of deepest darkest toniest Montecito, lies a former tangerine orchard (complete with thousands of trees bursting with that wonderful orange fruit), and a truly lovely group of stone cottages and other structures, all adding up to one of the most romantic hotel/restaurant locations you will ever see. I must say, just the drive up to the Ranch is worth it, because you will pass some truly spectacular houses and estates. If you’ve ever wondered where Oprah and Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan live, this is the area of town, and it definitely looks like it. If you have a few hundred dollars burning a hole in your ApplePay wallet, have dinner at the Michelin star restaurant at San Ysidro. Or, if you are like me and want to have most of the glory without all of the expense, have a drink at the bar next to a roaring fireplace flanked by flower arrangements which might cost more than my house.

Hiking

Hiking? Yes! Numerous trailheads lead into a variety of wilderness settings, right from town. There are challenging hikes like Tangerine Falls Trail, Hot Springs Canyon Trail, or the moderately challenging Inspiration Point Trail, or you can just walk down the beaches for miles or explore the Santa Barbara Coastal Trail. If you crave a walk but are in the mood for something a bit more tame, try the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: it's very nice.

Area History

Before the botanical gardens, restaurants, missions, etc., the Santa Barbara area was home to a thriving indigenous community. You can hike through a very nice representation of the Chumash people, their land, life and work, adjacent to the Ritz Carlton Bacara Hotel (I know, I know: that sounds weird), along Haskell's Beach. And by the way, their descendants are still living in and around the area.

Art & Wine

Where ART thou? SB is art-friendly and art rich. You could start with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, The Westmont Ridley-Tree museum of Art, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, or any of the numerous art galleries.

Bar hopping. Everyone likes to go to the Funk Zone, right in the middle of SB, likely near your hotel so you can walk. Lots of bars, restaurants, and wine tasting rooms.

Wine country. Right on the other side of those giant mountains you have been looking at for days, lies the San Ysidro Valley, home to one of the finest wine regions in the world. This is where the movie "Sideways" took place and the Valley is almost another character in the movie. You can even find the very restaurant the two dudes would dine at every night, in the town of Los Olivos, called the Los Olivos Café. And yes, you’ll find a lot of Pinot Noir in the San Ysidro Valley production area, but lots of other varietals are produced there as well, most extremely good. There are too many vineyards to list here, and lots of resources online if you want to tour. But I will shout out our favorite, Beckmen Vineyards. Biodynamic, made with great skill; simply one of the best California vineyards there is.

Food

Restaurants. Santa Barbara is about eating, my friends! I can give you a list, or you can research yourself, but there are just too many to name. SB is one of those places where just about any restaurant you drop in on will be great. But I can't help myself, here are some all stars:

My favorite oyster bar: Brophy Bros, at the Marina.

Seafood: Kanaloa Seafood (best fish tacos in the world!)

Italian: Toma

Mexican: La Paloma (try the Santa Maria style BBQ beef tips)

Spanish: Loquita

Dive Taco bar: La Super Rica Taqueria (on N. Milpas St.)

Bakery: it's a tie, and both have gluten free choices. Oat Bakery, and Lilac (both Montecito and State St.)

Ice Cream: McConnell's

Coffee: Lighthouse Coffee (all over town)

Brewery: Third Window (food, winery and cocktail bar adjacent, so it’s full service, and where the locals go)

Montecito people watching: (LOCAL, on Coast Village Rd.)

Steak: Lucky's

Best Lobster Roll: White Caps Beach Club food truck (next to Summerland Winery) with take out wine

Overall: The Lark... of course!

Yoga

SB has our favorite yoga studio, Yoga Soup! If you like yoga, or are even just curious, this one is worth a visit and they have good walk-in rates. If you consider yourself a "yogi", take a class from the founder, Eddie. Not like any yoga class you have experienced, and no telling what the heck he will do or say, which is part of the fun and adventure of it.

Love Santa Barbara!

As you can probably tell, we love Santa Barbara and hope you love it too. That "American Riviera" moniker seems high falutin’ to me because SB is also a real place, with lots of regular people living there who might not recognize anything with "Riviera" attached to it. The place is chill, normal, and glamorous, all at once. So, I urge you to make it what you want it to be, and perhaps explore parts that are more adventurous to you.

We look forward to spending time with you in Santa Barbara, and thank you for joining us to celebrate Noelle and Sean, and their beautiful life together.