Santa Barbara is a city and metropolitan area less than 100 miles (160 km) from Los Angeles but vastly different in pace from its huge neighbor to the south. With a temperate climate and lush natural environs, the "Riviera of the West" is a pleasant day or weekend trip from L.A. Its wide beaches, highly rated wineries, and a large variety of shopping and dining choices enable the town of just 90,000 residents to enjoy the sort of cultural and social amenities which are usually found only in much larger cities.
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Although the common perception of Santa Barbara is as a playground for the rich and famous, the reality is that the average income within city limits is only slightly higher than California as a whole. Notable for its California Mission-style architecture (a long-standing local ordinance ensures that all commercial construction follows the Mission theme, which results in a plethora of red-tiled roofs and faux adobe supermarkets), local residents are intensely proud of their city's roots and traditions, and a number of hugely popular festivals throughout the year celebrate the many cultures found in the city. In addition, the city's large Latino population, concentrated in the east side of th…
The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (SBMTD) runs buses all over Santa Barbara proper, and neighboring Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria. Routes and fares are on their website. It's a cheap and fairly comprehensive way to get around town, but not particularly fast. The SBMTD also runs shuttle bus services along State St between downtown Sola St and the waterfront, and along the waterfront between the Zoo and the Harbor, leaving every 15 or 30 minutes between 9AM and 6PM (till 10PM F-Sa in summer).
1 Santa Barbara County Courthouse, 1100 Anacapa St. M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-4:30PM, Guided tours, M-Sa 2PM and M, Tu, F 10:30AM. Built in 1929 and the grandest building in the town. A working courthouse, this Spanish-Moorish castle has frescoes, murals and Tunisian tilework. The El Mirador Bell Tower provides great views of the city and the bay. The grounds contain a collection of palms and specimen trees from more than 25 countries, and a printed guide to the plants is available. Free, but donation suggested. 2 Santa Barbara Mission, 2201 Laguna St (from downtown State St., turn east onto Mission St.
Although Santa Barbara is an atypical coastal town, it offers the typical Southern California variety of outdoor activities, from surfing to whale-watching. Golf. Santa Barbara has numerous private and public golf courses located in and around the city. 1 Hidden Oaks and 2 Twin Lakes are nine-hole courses that provide budget prices for a round of golf. For those wishing to play 18 holes without spending a lot, the 3 Santa Barbara Golf Club, located at 3500 McCaw, provides reasonably priced rounds.
Santa Barbara does French-inspired California cuisine quite well. Locally sourced food is a point of pride for many chefs, who are able to draw from the bounty of fresh produce grown within a few hundred miles of the city, as well as the fresh seafood that's pulled in from the ocean daily. The town's elevated cultural status attracts high-powered chefs from all over the world, and the selection and sheer variety of local fare is quite astonishing for a community of 90,000. In addition, Santa Barbara's Mexican food ranks with any other town in California and the food truck scene born in L.A. has emerged in the city as well.
In addition to Santa Barbara wine tasting, the region is also full of bars. Many of them cater to crowds of students from the nearby university. Thursday nights are the official college night of downtown bars at which time the drinks are particularly cheap. Really any bar on lower State Street is Fun on Thursday nights to relive those college days. 1 Dargan's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 18 E Ortega St, ☏ +1 805 568-0702, info@darganssb.com. 11:30AM-. Sportsbar with Irish music. Good lamb stew. 2 Elsie's, 117 West De La Guerra St, ☏ +1 805 963-4503. Neighborhood beer and wine joint with good music. Meet the locals out back in the outdoor smoking area or over rounds of pool inside.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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