MORE FUN!

SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY

The Santa Ynez Valley (otherwise known as "Santa Barbara Wine Country") is an approximate one-hour drive over the mountains and offers a whole other world including ranches and world-class wineries. During the summer it can get quite hot (temperatures can soar to 100 'ish'), so dress cooly.

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ARCHITECTURAL WALKING TOURS

FREE with a reservation. These 2-hour walking tours on Saturday and Sunday mornings (10 -noon) are a great way to start your day and see the wonderful architecture in Santa Barbara. The Saturday tour focuses on architectural styles, significant and historic buildings, aesthetics, past and present building usage, and landscape history. The Sunday tour continues the history of art and architecture of downtown Santa Barbara as it was reborn after the 1925 earthquake.

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HIKING

When it comes to combining the mountains and the sea, it’s tough to think of a better place in the country for hiking than Santa Barbara. Nicknamed The American Riviera, Santa Barbara exudes a Mediterranean feel with its coastline, vegetation and architecture. Tucked between the Pacific and the Santa Ynez Mountains, which run east to west through the Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara creates a postcard-perfect backdrop for your next hiking adventure. Check out some of the best hikes in the area at the website below. We recommend parking at the trailheads and hiking from there.

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OLD MISSION

Situated on 15 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Mission grounds include the beautiful Mission Church, historic cemetery and mausoleum, a nine-room museum of historical artwork and artifacts, and multiple lush gardens.

Self-guided tours include an audio tour available in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Korean.

One-hour guided tours of the Mission are available most Fridays at 12:30 pm, Saturdays at 10:30 am, and Sundays at 12:30 pm.

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SANTA BARBARA COURTHOUSE

A distinctive landmark in downtown Santa Barbara, the Courthouse's clock tower is one of the best viewing spots for the whole Santa Barbara area. It is open to the public, even though it is still an active courthouse. The sunken garden is a community gathering spot as well as a place to relax or have a picnic.

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SANTA BARBARA HISTORIAL MUSEUM

Founded in 1932, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum is committed to preserving and sharing local history. The Museum’s extensive holdings include paintings, furniture, saddles, decorative arts, and costumes that represent over 500 years of Chumash, Mexican, Spanish and American history.

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SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART

The Museum’s collection of the arts of Asia, Europe, and the Americas includes paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, ceramics, glass, jades, bronzes, lacquer, and textiles. The broad areas in which SBMA holds a significant number of works of exceptional quality include international antiquities from China, India, Greece, Rome, Egypt, and the Near East and 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century art from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Particular strengths of the collection are 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary American painting, photography, and the arts of Asia, especially China. Advance ticketing reservations are highly recommended and guarantee your entry time. Reservations are available (for purchase) on site at the Visitors Services desk or online at tickets.sbma.net.

LOTUS LAND

A world-renowned botanical garden with a variety of gardens such as Japanese, English, Italian, and succulents. It requires ADVANCE reserved tickets and the FREE docent- led guided tours are the best way to learn about the eccentric woman, Ganna Walaska, who was the last owner of the estate and established the gardens as well as the history of the plants.

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SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM

At the Harbor, there is a charming Maritime Museum that includes an interesting history of the Chumash tribe of this region, the history of surfing, exhibits on oil drilling off our coast, plus the lighthouse lens from the lighthouse at Point Conception. There is an observation deck in the same building that you can enter for FREE. It has beautiful views of the harbor up to the mountains surrounding Santa Barbara.

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SURREY BIKE RENTALS

Located right at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort), these surreys are fun for the whole family and you can take them safely on the sidewalks to the Wharf and all along the beachfront.

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THE LANDSHARK

This is a bus that transforms into a boat. Enjoy an open-air tour of Santa Barbara and then marvel as it transitions to a boat and you cruise around Santa Barbara Harbor enjoying the view.

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