Santa Barbara, California
About
Santa Barbara is a gorgeous beachside town that gives spanish vibes. We had no idea, but our friend, Cynthia, came to meet us while we were there and educated us on the rich history of the California coast. The original residents of Santa Barbara were the Chumash Indians who lived in the land many, many years ago. Early Spanish soldiers arrived in the 18th century to occupy the area and built the original Spanish fort - El Presidio - to protect the alta California coastline from foreign invaders. As they were colonizing the area, the Spaniards established missions to serve several objectives, primarily to convert natives to Christianity and pacify the areas for colonial purposes. There is a rich cultural history in Santa Barbara, so if you are the history-buff-kind, learning about this place and its checkered past will deepen your appreciation of the whole experience.
How to get there
I thought that Santa Barbara was going to be a quick shot up the coast from LA, so we drove. I loved driving there for two reasons, it gave us an excuse to fly into LA and stay in West Hollywood for a night to have dinner and catch a comedy show before leaving early the next morning to get up to Santa Barbara. I did not love it for this reason, it was actually a pretty long drive, albeit beautiful, and you can actually fly into Santa Barbara (but no direct flights from Chicago), so I don’t know what we will do next time — fly into LA and drive OR fly from Chicago to Santa Barbara, with a layover.
Know before you go
Should you stay for the week? A weekend? Or do a day-trip? I honestly think this is a great place to spend a week. There is so much to do, see, and experience in Santa Barbara. We stayed for a long weekend Saturday — Monday, and can’t wait to go back. There is an endless array of activities, from deep sea fishing, to shopping, to hiking, to cultural experiences, and more restaurants than one can try in a lifetime. The whole town is picturesque and the people were wonderfully unpretentious, considering the amount of wealth in the area.
Eat
Coffee — Dune Coffee Roasters has lively artwork and delicious brews.
Smoothies — Juice Ranch is standing room only, with a smiley smoothie-maker behind the counter ready to get your day off to a great start!
Lunch — Santo Mezcal is a favorite for locals and travelers, alike, Joey, the owner of Mountain Air (the outdoor outfitter at the west end of State Street) sent us here for tacos and tequila.
Dinner —
The Boathouse at Hendrys apparently takes some internet sleuthing to discover as a non-local. Head here for the best Halibut of your life and some of the only beachside dining in Santa Barbara.
Did you catch fish during your charter? If so, head to Fishhouse SB where the chef will be happy to turn your catch of the day into your dinner of the night.
Drinks —
Boujee — We didn’t make it here, but it was on my list — O Bar at the Ritz Carlton. Usually, I like to find somewhere ultra boujee to check out, just because. We didn’t make it here, because we made some local friends adapted our schedule to spend time with them. Note: the Ritz is on the far north side of Santa Barbara, so if you want walkability to the tidings of downtown SB, it might not be for you.
Not so boujee — We did make it here — Brophy Bros on the SB Harbor — with the captain of our fishing charter, Garrick, the owner of Mountain Air Sports, Joey, and some of their friends. There were Vodka Soda’s, Beers, and cheers all around.
Boutiquey but not boujee — We also didn’t make it here (well we did, but it wasn’t open), but I soo wanted to Dusk Bar, craft cocktails, beautiful space, live music from time to time.
Party — Red Piano is the spot for live music in SB, so if you’re looking for a spot to have fun on the town, head here.
Bonus spot for anyone with Yacht Club reciprocity — The SBYC is gorgeous, beachside, with ample parking and fantastic bathrooms right on the Wharf. If you happen to have a Yacht Club membership with reciprocity, give them a call and see if you are able to go check it out. The Clam Chowder is delish.
Stay
Boutiquey — I love boutique hotels, and from my research the Drift Hotel (where the Dusk Bar is) is exactly that. This is where I wanted to stay originally, but the hotel was full, so we made other plans. If you stay here, you stay right in the middle of the action of downtown State Street and it’s a beautiful space, however, you don’t have sunset views, and it’s a little bit of a walk to the oceanfront.
See sunsets from your balcony and walk 10 mins to State Street — the Hilton Beach Resort is a just slightly dated, but honestly, a great value for the money. It’s soo close to downtown SB (walkable) with free bike rentals, an onsite spa, and sunset views from your balcony. If you are a sunset worshipper like me, this is probably the best spot for you (plus you get your Hilton points!). I would definitely go back here, especially traveling with kiddos, and especially for a longer stay.
The boujee-est — Ritz Carlton SB looks stunning, we considered staying here, but I didn’t like that it was so far north of all the things I wanted to walk to on State Street. I could see staying here on a return trip, but it is a little far from the action of downtown and it’s not necessarily budget-friendly.
Workout
Outdoor Workout — Take a bike ride from the East end of State Street to the West End, to the wharf, to the pier, and then go along the beach for as long as your heart desires. Ronnie and I got free bikes through our hotel (we stayed at the Hilton Beach Resort) and spent 6 hours biking around the town. It was a great workout and a lot of fun.
Studio Workout — F45 is next door to Dune Coffee and it was a vibe.
Play
Go fishing with Garrick Hyder at Santa Barbara Boat Charters, he specializes in Spearfishing, but I was pregnant when we went, so we opted for Sportfishing. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch anything on this trip, but it just means we have to go back.
Go shopping on State Street, I’d recommend starting on the west end of State Street at Mountain Air Sports, the outdoor outfitter in town. Say hi to Joey, the owner’s son for us. He and Ronnie became fast friends when they bonded over Kayak fishing. He also was able to hook us up with Garrick for our fishing charter. Since we were in town on our Baby Moon, we picked up an epic souvenir here, a Gozney Pizza Oven in matte black (Got a pizza oven? Here’s our fav homemade pizza recipe, which we learned from our Italian friends, Tomasso and Giovanna, who are from southern Italy).
For a relaxing morning or afternoon treat, head for a massage at the Spa Del Mar at the Hilton Beach Resort, while the spa is a little dated, the service was impeccable!
The Wharf has a bunch of cool little eateries, shops, and spots, plan to spend an hour or two putzing around. If you’re feeling adventurous, you gotta try the fresh Uni from the Santa Barbara Fish Market. While the Uni wasn’t my personal favorite, I did fall in love with the fish tacos from On The Alley, omg yum.
We didn’t make it to the wineries I had mapped out for us (about a 45 min drive from SB) but, these are the ones I had on our to-do list. I guess we’ll have to go back!
A Dream Day
I think you need more than a day in SB to really enjoy it all, but if I had to pack it in like crazy, here’s what I’d do…
Morning workout at F45, followed by coffee at Dune, then I’d walk back to my hotel (Hilton Beach Resort) stopping at Juice Ranch on the way. Once at the hotel, I would shower before my massage at Spa Del Mar. Post-massage, I would rent a bike from the hotel and putz around State Street and the Wharf. For pre-lunch, I’d grab tacos at On The Alley and try the fresh Uni from the SB Fish Market. Then, I’d head to Santo Mezcal for a margarita, parking my bike there and walking this area of State Street, making sure to stop in at Mountain Air Sports. Once I got tired of that area, I’d ride my bike to the East end of State Street, parking my bike in front of Dusk bar and doing some shopping around there until I was ready for another margarita. Then, I’d have Ronnie drive me to one of the wineries on my list above, if I could only choose one, I’d probably pick Fess Parker, because it looks like they have the most to do onsite. On our way back from wine country, I’d drop by the O Bar at the Ritz for appetizers and perhaps, another drink before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Dinner would most certainly be at Hendry’s Boat House, followed by dancing at Red Piano. Again, if I were really packing it in, I think you could do all of this in a day.
Summary
I can’t wait to go back to SB. It really offers pretty much everything I love, all in one spot — great food, great people, great adventures. The perfect mix of places to relax and feel like you are decompressing and getting away, with just as many places to feel like you are in the mix of things, part of the action, and on an endless adventure. ALSO, I hear that Mammoth Mountain is only a 6 hour drive away, which sounds like a lot, but I wouldn’t put it past us if we wanted to go from SB to Mammoth, and back, for a Sea to Ski adventure.
