A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
Santa Barbara has it all! We have awesome views, great museums, incredible dining opportunities and lots of enjoyable activities.
Sunrise - Slip into the Doubletree Hotel and climb to the rotunda. You can observe the sunrise over the Rincon and as there is no traffic on Cabrillo Blvd, hear the waves and the seals barking. (Free) Other choices would be the wharf and anywhere along East Beach. (Yes, the ocean is east of the city at this point, something that my father would never accept)
Sunset – A walk on Arroyo Burro Beach or above to the lookout point at the Douglas Family Preserve will reward you with a glorious sunset.
Walk with dogs – Elings Park, Arroyo Burro Beach and the Douglas Family Preserve are all dog friendly.
Hike – The trail up Rattlesnake Canyon isn't too strenuous and is very rewarding. A walk along the beach at low tide can take you from Santa Barbara to Hope Ranch.
Biking – There are miles of biking trails throughout the area. You can bike from Ventura all the way above Goleta. The city has a significant number of bike lanes in the downtown corridor. I have maps available.
Music – Wow! So much and so varied. We have an incredible symphony that plays in the newly renovated Granada Theater which also houses the opera and ballet. For a more casual atmosphere I like Soho which has a wide variety of music nightly, low cover with food and drink. Another personal choice is the James Joyce on Saturday night for Ulysses Jazz (7-10) or the Irish Band Shepard’s Pie at Dargans, 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Thursday evenings in the summer, you can almost always find me on a blanket as a large number of Santa Barbarians gather for a free concert put on by the City Recreation Department at Chase Palm Park.
Sports – Santa Barbara is a great place to walk, bike, and play. Every summer we host Semanica Nautica, Santa Barbara's annual sports festival includes activities such as ocean swimming, age group and masters swimming, fishing, water polo, volleyball, beach biathlon, 15k road race, cycling, sailing, lawn bowling, spearfishing, adaptive paddling, tennis, water polo, inline hockey, basketball, gymnastics, softball, semipro baseball, tug-of-war and the perennial favorite, the Krazy Kardboard Kayak Race! There are kayaking races, rentals, sailboat rentals, whale watching year round. There is tennis (and lessons) on the city courts, dances (and lessons) at the Carrillo Rec center.
Golf Courses- We have numerous beautiful courses, ranging from the prestigious La Cumbre and Birnam Wood, to the still lovely and more affordable Sandpiper and Santa Barbara Community.
Museums – The incredible SB Art Museum offers docent tours at 12 and 1 daily. The Natural History Museum has planetarium shows and Chumash artifacts. The Maritime Museum offers some super interactive displays while the Ty Warner Sea Center has a touch tank and pulls sea creatures up from below the pier to study. Lastly, the History Museum boasts 400 years of Santa Barbara history beautifully displayed.
RESTAURANTS
Coffee Houses - What better place to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee than in Santa Barbara with our warm weather and outdoor cafes. We have the nationals such as Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Peets all of which are excellent; however, there are some great local spots such as Coffee Cat (1201 Anacapa across from the Courthouse), Daily Grind (Mission at De la Vina), Santa Barbara Roasting (Paseo Nuevo and lower State at Gutierrez), and Vices and Spices on upper State at Ontare.
Ethnic Food – Santa Barbara is known for its Latino influence. We have some awesome Mexican restaurants such as La Super Rica (622 N. Milpas), Palapa (4123 State), Super Cuca’s Taqueria in the Albertson’s parking lot on the Mesa. A little more “up scale” would be the historic El Paseo in El Paseo. Dutch Gardens (4203 State St.) for German not Dutch, The Chase (1012 State St.) and Palazzio (1026 State St.) for Italian, The Palace (8 E. Cota) for Cajun and Spice Avenue (1027 State St.) for Indian (buffet lunch and Wednesday Evening).
Asian– Saigon In and Out for Vietnamese (State Street, Milpas, Five Points, Kyoto for Japanese (3232 State St, they have tamani rooms by reservation), Madame Lu (3524 State St.) for a great luncheon buffet, Your Place (22 N. Milpas) or Your Choice (3404 State St.)for Thai.
Seafood – You can’t beat Santa Barbara for great seafood. I especially like the Beachside Restaurant at Goleta Beach near UCSB, Enterprise Fish (225 State St.) (Monday-Thursday Lobster Special) and the Waterfront Grill at the Breakwater.
Breakfast– The East Beach Grill (great pancakes and usually open on holidays) under the Cabrillo Arts building, Moby Dicks (end of the wharf – great view as well), and Tupelo Junction (1218 State St.).
Special occasion– Nothing beats the Biltmore for elegance and charm (their Sunday brunch is incredible), The Arts & Letters Cafe for lunch or dinner (summer Opera on Thursdays), Holdrens (512 State St.) or Ruth’s Chris (3818 State St.) for steak, or Louie’s (1414 De Le Vina) or Tupelo Junction (1218 State St.) for a nice meal.