Santa Barbara

July 29, 2017 tarannosaurus

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Southern California → Southern Pacific Coast → Santa Barbara

Location: North of Los Angeles, California

Time Required: 1 – 4 hours depending on which stops you choose.

Red Tape/Notes: None.

Santa Barbara is a destination in its own right, picturesquely located on the coast with the Santa Ynez mountains as a backdrop and declaring its Spanish heritage with its white stucco buildings and red-tile roofs. In the hills outside of town, a number of wineries have developed, adding wine tours to the list of other tourist attractions in the area. We’re not going to cover these here, seeing as we’re typically driving through on a road trip and road trips and wine tours are probably not a great combo. We’ll cover some of the sober activities here instead – and best of all, these are all free to visit!

Cold Spring Tavern – Established in 1865 during the stagecoach days, this place has somehow changed little with time. Stop here for lunch or just to wander around and enjoy the historic site. Friday nights and the weekends bring live music (think fiddles and such) and the weekends also feature their famous tri-tip barbecue.

Chumash Painted Cave – This is probably the best example of a painted cave I’ve seen, and we make a point of trying to visit these types of sites. The cave is very close to the road, and only takes a few minutes to walk to and view; the paintings inside are thought to have been created over a period from 200 up to possibly 1,000 years ago.

Mission Santa Barbara – Founded in 1786, the mission remains home to an active parish and is home to a community of Franciscan friars. Amidst the beautiful gardens you’ll find a mausoleum, a gift shop, and a museum. Self-guided and docent-led tours are both available – visit their website for information on hours and prices.

Santa Barbara Courthouse – Santa Barbara is a popular destination for various reasons, and there are many things worth doing in the area, but if you only have time for one thing, we really like the courthouse. It was built in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and has great architectural and decorative features. Personal anecdote: we eloped months before our advertised “wedding” and this is where we got married!