Santa Barbara Day Trip

“This “American Riviera” offers beaches, shopping, fine dining, wineries, and more. ”

If you’re up for a longer day trip, Santa Barbara is about two hours south of Avila Beach sans traffic. This “American Riviera” offers beaches, shopping, fine dining, wineries, and more. The options are almost limitless, so if you’re not sure what to do consider catching some of the highlights. Host to a slew of historical sites, Santa Barbara makes a great little day trip for the history buff or museum lover.

The Old Mission in Santa Barbara is the focal point of history and culture for this beautiful beach town. The Old Mission is still home to an order of Franciscan friars. In addition it offers ten acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Offering an inexpensive tour into the cultural past of California, if you have a whole day to do Santa Barbara, make sure to put the “Queen of the Missions” on your “must-see” list.

If you do not have tons of time, the one place to make sure to go is The Waterfront. Sporting three beaches, Stearns Wharf, the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, and Chase Palm Park, this sprawling waterfront can take a whole day to do if you want to see everything there is to see.

Central to the waterfront is Stearns Wharf where the Ty Warner Sea Center offers visitors an interactive opportunity to gain knowledge about the local marine culture and sea habitat. Connected by a local shuttle, from Stearns Wharf you can go to the Harbor.

The Harbor was built to create a safe haven for Santa Barbara’s substantial boat population. Legend has that it was built by a wealthy resident who wanted to keep his boat closer to home. Regardless of how the harbor came about, the reality is that the Harbor is still a popular meeting spot. It features the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and Brophy Bros.-a landmark restaurant.

If you happen to be visiting on a Sunday, you will want to stop at Chase Palm Park. Every Sunday, local artists get together to show their wares and it is one of the highlights of the week for locals and tourists alike. There is a skate board park at one end of the park and consequently this area tends to attract the younger set.

Another ‘must-see’ activity if you are visiting on a Sunday is to head on over to the Courthouse. While offerings vary, it is a rare Sunday that this old world Spanish-Moorish style building isn’t hosting some type of concert or festival. Just what exactly is the attraction to the courthouse? Aside from the hand-painted ceilings and giant murals, the courthouse tower offers a full 360 degree view overlooking the city.

History buffs will want to check out the Reagan Ranch center that chronicles highlights from the life of Ronald Reagan. Preserved in 1998 by Young America’s Foundation, the Ranch, as it is known, seeks to communicate Reagan’s lasting accomplishments and conservative values.

Another ‘must-see’ for history buffs is El Presidio de Santa Barbara, the site of an active archeological dig. The buildings located at this fortress are mostly well researched recreations. With that said, it is one of the most important historical landmarks in Santa Barbara.

If you’re into museums, make sure you visit the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Botanical Gardens, the Santa Barbara Historical Society and the Casa de la Guerra.