For over a century, Santa Barbara has been described as “The American Riviera” for its blissful seashores, Mediterranean local weather and luxe, laid-back way of life. Cradled between the majestic Santa Ynez Mountains and the gleaming Pacific Ocean, town is thought for its distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival structure, down-to-earth wine scene and considerable pure magnificence — to not point out its carefree California cool.
Regardless of sitting solely 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, town feels far faraway from the nation’s second-largest metropolis, and this non-public, under-the-radar mentality is likely one of the many causes numerous celebrities name Santa Barbara house.
Whether or not you’re touring for an extended weekend or making a pit cease on Freeway 1, this charismatic coastal haven conjures up all who go to to pause, reset and turn into the perfect variations of themselves. Under, you’ll discover a weekend information with our prime suggestions for fellow Texans passing by way of.
FRIDAY
After touchdown on the metropolis’s small regional airport, head to The Rosewood Miramar Seashore. With its creamy-colored bungalows perched over manicured lawns and immaculate gardens, the property appears like one of many grand mansions of Montecito, the place the wealthy and well-known stay in luxurious hideaways tucked discretely all through the neighborhood. The 16-acre property is bookended between the mountains and the ocean, and feels decidedly residential, with its flowering footpaths and curated collections by artists equivalent to Marc Chagall and Hunt Slonem.
With baggage unpacked, drive downtown, the place websites like El Presidio de Santa Barbara whisk all who go to again to 18th-century Spanish tradition. Each August, town celebrates its Spanish heritage with the Outdated Spanish Days Fiesta, replete with flamenco performances, horse parades, rodeos and meals mercados.
Whatever the month you go to, the self-guided tour of the Outdated Mission Santa Barbara is nicely well worth the time, and the neighboring A.C. Postel Memorial Rose Backyard rewards with lovely flowers. Structure aficionados will benefit from the Andalusian-styled Santa Barbara County Courthouse, the place a climb up the clock tower affords huge views of town’s ubiquitous, red-tiled roofs. Santa Barbara’s most visited landmark, Stearns Wharf, was inbuilt 1872 and stays the oldest working wooden wharf within the state.
If time permits, cease for an area Mexican meals lunch at Rosales, or proceed exploring downtown. The pedestrian-only State Road Promenade is house to a superlative ARTS District; unbeknownst to many, Santa Barbara is the smallest metropolis within the nation to have full-time skilled symphony, opera, ballet and theater firms. Town’s aptitude for holistic therapeutic and wellness can also be evidenced at locations like SALT, the place massages, salt scrubs, facials and halotherapy classes happen underground amid the biggest Himalayan salt collapse North America.
Earlier than returning to the lodge, sink your toes within the sand at Butterfly Seashore, the place locals sit on the seawall because the solar arcs west. Later, head to dinner at Caruso’s, which appears like eating on a personal yacht, with its teakwood flooring and polished chrome railings. The Michelin restaurant, named for the lodge’s proprietor, Rick Caruso, is considered one of simply 11 venues in California to earn Inexperienced Star standing for its dedication to sustainability. The dishes right here, such because the do-it-yourself gnocchi filled with recent abalone, prawns and Santa Barbara’s prized sea urchin, are spectacular and impressed by native flora, fauna and marine life.
If sushi sounds higher, make a reservation on the lodge’s latest eating institution, AMA Sushi, named for the Japanese feminine free divers who collected pearls and seafood for his or her villages over the ages. Right here, dishes ready within the Edomae custom are served in a classy eating room full with a scalloped sushi bar and oak-paneled partitions harking back to Japanese fisherman huts.
SATURDAY
With a median of 300 days of sunshine a yr, the outside name to Santa Barbara locals and guests alike. Begin the day with a hike at Inspiration Level, The Douglas Household Protect or the Chilly Spring Path, adopted by breakfast at Jeannine’s, the place the employees is aware of regulars by title.
Spend the remainder of the morning purchasing on the array of fashionable shops alongside Montecito’s Coast Village Street. Hudson Grace and Emily Joubert Residence & Backyard are two favorites in The Montecito Nation Mart, with the latter promoting every thing from Parisian teas by Mariage Frères to throw pillows upholstered in Antoinette Poisson materials.
Subsequent door to those institutions lies the relaxed eatery and neighborhood scorching spot, Bettina’s, the place 85% of the menu comes from native farmers markets. The area’s wealthy agricultural heritage, pushed by small household farms and multigenerational ranching operations, is obvious all through Santa Barbara’s natural farm-to-table culinary scene. Seize a desk on Bettina’s patio and dine on golden pizzas topped with hand-pulled mozzarella and a seasonal rotation of farm-fresh veggies, then seize a scoop of artisanal ice cream from Rori’s subsequent door.
Nature lovers will admire the considerable pure magnificence on show on the metropolis’s Botanic Backyard and Lotusland, the second of which is ranked one of many prime 10 gardens on the earth, to not point out the primary natural botanical backyard within the nation. Yearly from February to November, 20,000 guests flock to Lotusland to expertise the legacy of its inimitable founder, the late Polish opera singer and socialite, Madame Ganna Walska.
Immediately, the 37-acre backyard — visitable solely by reservation — is a veritable wonderland crammed with flowering lotuses and water lilies, aloes and historic cycads. Visitors would possibly really feel like Alice falling by way of the rabbit gap as they go koi ponds and backyard labyrinths, animal-shaped topiaries and considered one of largest functioning astrological clocks on the earth.
If Lotusland is booked, Casa del Herrero is a good second choice. The Nationwide Historic Landmark was designed by George Washington Smith and boasts magnificent Moorish gardens.
Later, mosey to the luxurious sanctuary that’s San Ysidro Ranch. This unique property is laden with historical past and nostalgia, from its origins as a Spanish land grant to its evolution as a working citrus ranch within the 1800s. Over time, many well-known company have laid their heads right here, together with Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, and John and Jacqueline Kennedy, who spent their honeymoon on property.
Certainly one of San Ysidro Ranch’s latest choices consists of a day tea service within the property’s verdant gardens. Sip on chilly Champagne and scorching tea whereas sampling an array of snacks, together with tarragon hen salad sandwiches and poppyseed scones, as pollinators and hummingbirds hover among the many aromatic citrus timber. The lodge’s non-public cellar and intimate wine-tasting expertise is one other common choice for guests, together with nonhotel company, who don’t have time to discover the grape-strewn Santa Ynez Valley. Most particular, nevertheless, is a dinner on the Stonehouse restaurant, which is perhaps probably the most romantic eating choice in all of Santa Barbara. If The Stonehouse is booked, make your approach to Tre Lune in Montecito, the place loyal locals go to weekly for the homey atmosphere, heat service and soulful Italian delicacies.
SUNDAY
In your remaining day, greet the solar at Miramar Seashore and admire the grand oceanfront mansions earlier than a morning on the spa. The Rosewood is house to the one five-star spa in Santa Barbara, with specialty remedies just like the Vagus Nerve Meditative Therapeutic massage, which makes use of blended California botanicals and craniosacral remedy to induce a zenlike state.
Submit-breakfast, drive to the quaint hillside group of Summerland, the place native retailers overlooking the ocean await on Lillie Avenue. The Properly, Botanik and Area + Fort are only a few favorites right here, with the latter serving a stunning lunch at its on-site eatery, Feast.
Wellness gurus will admire The Sacred Area’s flowering gardens, therapeutic crystals, books and candles, together with the medley of breathwork, sound therapeutic and floral arranging lessons provided on-site, whereas bookworms gained’t need to miss the Godmothers bookstore. The latter is the most recent addition to city, attracting native celebrities equivalent to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Oprah, to call just a few.
Because the day wanes, return to downtown Santa Barbara for a stroll by way of the Funk Zone. Situated simply minutes from the seashore, this vibrant neighborhood has the City Wine Path with tasting rooms, together with artwork galleries and sensory eating places like Loquita. The favored venue serves genuine Spanish tapas and paellas with ice-cold gin and tonics, whereas close by eating places like Flor de Maiz whip up memorable margaritas and elevated Mexican delicacies. Each are worthy choices for a Sunday supper. Nevertheless, if recent seafood and ocean views entice, seize a seat on the basic Brophy Bros. clam bar and restaurant, the place you may toast the weekend’s waning hours because the solar units over the American Riviera.
A few Concepts for Prolonged Stays
VISIT THE CHANNEL ISLANDS: Outdoorsy guests in search of an off-the-beaten- path journey ought to take a day to go to the close by Channel Islands Nationwide Park and Marine Sanctuary. This ecologically wealthy archipelago, nicknamed the Galapagos of North America, is thought for its excessive biodiversity, fascinating historical past and geological phenomena. Tour operators equivalent to Channel Islands Expeditions and Santa Barbara Journey Co. can prepare each element, from climbing journeys to naturalist-led kayaking expeditions into one of many world’s largest sea caves to snorkeling, picnics, scuba diving and tenting.
EXPLORE THE WINE COUNTRY: The 2004 Oscar-winning movie, “Sideways,” introduced an inflow of consideration to the burgeoning Santa Ynez Valley, situated just one hour’s drive from Santa Barbara. From the cooler coastal Santa Rita Hills to the Santa Ynez Valley farther inland, grapes thrive within the area’s numerous microclimates. With nicely over 200 wineries, seven American Viticultral Areas and greater than 75 distinctive grape varieties, led by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, you may simply spend a day or two exploring the strong wine scene, which is basically led by small manufacturing, household run winemaking operations.
