A Santa Barbara Guide for Visitors

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The view from Stearns Wharf

Santa Barbara is called “the American Riviera” due to it’s exceptional climate, surroundings and scenic beaches. It is one of America’s top resorts. The halfway point between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the resort makes a top notch destination from both cities, for people all around the country, and even for people from all around the world. It is said that it is the starting point of Southern California.

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You can reach the resort from the California 101 highway, which serves as the longest Californian road and you can sway to any location from there. You may also catch a train from main cities to Santa Barbara.

Although it’s a popular destination for tourists, Santa Barbara is also very expensive because of it’s location and high standards of living. It features numerous colleges and parks. Some essential parks of the resort are the Alameda Park, Leadbetter Park, The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and the beach itself. It is also close to other resorts and locations like Carpinteria, Goleta, Isla Vista and somewhat both Ventura and Oxnard.  You may also visit the Los Padres National Forest easily, as it is close to the city.

Many films and TV series were set in Santa Barbara because of it’s landscape, some of them include An American Family and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. These films and series eventually made the place more famous around the world, thanks to their success.

Santa Barbara’s clear sky

Around Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is an out of common resort as it has got no skyscrapers at all. The architecture largely dates back to the Spanish Colonization and the Mission Revival which are dominant styles all around the resort. The city itself has 10 neighborhoods, each neighborhood has it’s own distinctive background.

The Mesa embodies the beach line. It is a preferred neighborhood because of it’s accessibility to some beautiful beaches like Mesa Lane Beach and Thousand Steps Beach. Construction of the Neighborhood began in the 20’s but was halted by the discovery of the Mesa Oil Field. After World War II the construction resumed.

Mission Canyon is Santa Barbara’s most rustically beautiful yet also fire prone areas thanks to it’s luch natural vegetation. It is a popular spot for foothill hiking.

Topographically speaking, The Riviera is very perpendicular, making the place a top reason for constructing homes because of it’s exceptional and outstanding views of the resort. It’s name “The Riviera” was give due the fact that it has a uniformity to the Mediterranean towns of Italy and France. The streets and the architecture was widely influenced and built by Italian Immigrants.

Samarkand‘s name comes from Old Persian which means ” The Land of Hearts Desire”. It’s one of the resorts most populous areas.

San Roque is located in the northwestern part of downtown Santa Barbara and north of Samarkand. The area is said to be the warmest, as it is the longest way from the ocean out of the other neighborhoods of Santa Barbara. Hope Ranch is also located in this neighborhood.

Top tourist attractions of Santa Barbara

Stearns Wharf is the pier of Santa Barbara. It has an outstanding view of the whole beach and the surroundings. It also has many great restaurants for all tastes and budgets. Stearns Wharf is one of the best places to hang out, for people watching and also to enjoy a spectacular view and many boats. You can also have a fascinating view of the whole mountain. The Wharf was built in 1872 and it became the longest deep water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. You can also have an outstanding view of the Santa Barbara harbour, which is an important place for the resort. The Wharf itself along with State Street is a popular meeting point for both Santa Barbara’s residents and visitors.

Mission Santa Barbara is a Spanish mission founded by the Franciscan Order near the resort. It was established in 1786 by padre Fermin Lausen. Padre Fermin Lausen was a Basque Spanish missionary who founded and cultivated the California Franciscan mission chain. It is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains. Today it is used by the community as a parish church yet also has a museum and a gift shop. It’s one of California’s oldest structures.

Mission Santa Barbara

The East Beach of Santa Barbara is longer then it’s counterpart, West Beach. Like West Beach, it is a popular tourist destination with many hotels facing this beach, making it as an ideal place to stay. It’s very renowned for being a world famous volleyball destination. Annually the beach hosts several volleyball tournaments. It’s prominent for having a well developed lifeguard system, having 3 lifeguard towers.

The Whole State Street

The Whole State Street is a shopping street and technically speaking the center of the resort, it is a very popular destination for those who are into shopping and relaxation. It offers you a variety of fine and famous shops, cafes, boutiques and both restaurants and fast food vendors. The street itself is very out of common. It has many beautiful Spanish colonization era buildings, most of them are white. The Whole State is also very beautiful because of it’s palm tree lines through the street. You can do a lot of things because the street itself is long and ofers all kinds of activities.

The West Beach is one popular surfing destination. Due to it’s natural beauty and fine weather, it’s one of California’s top rated places. Exceptional palm trees, sands and mountains surround the Pacific coast of Santa Barbara. It’s located between Santa Barbara’s harbor and Stearns Wharf. Together with East Beach, it is connected by Cabrillo Blvd, which is one of the resorts major roadways and also a main road to different cities. The beach is also home to Santa Barbara’s New Years Eve and 4th of July fireworks.

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