Santa Barbara, what to see in the great Spanish colonial city of California

If in your trip along the west coast of the United States you also want to take the opportunity to enjoy the idyllic California beaches, the small town of Santa Barbara It could be an ideal place.

Located 150 kilometers north of Los Angeles, at the foot of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara offers a beautiful beach with characteristics similar to that of Santa Monica, with a long pier included, but with considerably fewer people.

Santa Barbara is also known as the California Riviera.

However Santa Barbara It is more than a charming city of low houses next to a paradisiacal beach surrounded by palm trees, the typical image that we can all have in our heads.

In Santa Barbara you will also find a city whose architecture has great reminiscences of the Spanish colonial style.

When was Santa Barbara in California founded?

Although the current city of Santa Barbara It extends through a territory that was historically occupied by the Indians chumash For thousands of years, the city was Founded by the Spanish in 1782, and only passed into the hands of the United States in 1846.

You should know that the shopping center of the city ​​of Santa Barbara was practically destroyed by a earthquake in 1925, which gave way to its reconstruction.

The best things to see in Santa Barbara

In this way, in your walk through Santa Barbara, together with victorian style houses from the beginning of the 20th century, you will be able to see numerous Spanish colonial style houses.

You will see this walking around the State Street, the city's commercial hub where brand name stores and restaurants congregate.

Mission Santa Barbara, Spanish colonial architecture in California

The main exponent of the spanish colonial architecture is Mission Santa Barbara.

It is a colonial mission built in 1786 by Fray Fermín Lasuén, missionary who replaced Friar Junípero Serra as head of the network of missions that the Franciscans built in California during the 18th century.

El objetivo the Santa Barbara Mission was to evangelize the Chumash Indians who lived in that area of ​​California.

Of the importance that the Santa Barbara Mission It is an example of what was known as the “queen of the Californian missions.

Likewise, it was the only mission whose building had two bell towers.

Although, as I have said, the Santa Barbara Mission It was built at the end of the 1812th century, the truth is that the original building was completely destroyed by the earthquake that affected this Californian city in XNUMX.

For this reason the Franciscan building It had to be rebuilt, works that were completed in 1820.

When you get to visit this beautiful building colonial architecture, you will see that the interior of the mission has remained intact since 1820.

As for the two towers, they had to be rebuilt again in 1925 after being badly damaged by a new earthquake.

Also noteworthy is the water network which was built at the beginning of the 19th century, which continues to be part of the supply network in the city of Santa Barbara.

Next to the Santa Barbara Mission you can see one Moorish style font and some laundries, all original from 1906.

As for the two towers, they had to be rebuilt again in 1925 after being badly damaged by a new earthquake.

Also noteworthy is the water network which was built at the beginning of the 19th century, which continues to be part of the supply network in the city of Santa Barbara.

Next to the Santa Barbara Mission you can see one Moorish style font and some laundries, all original from 1906.

The  visiting hours of the Santa Barbara Mission and its gardens are open every day of the week from 9,30:17 a.m. to XNUMX p.m., with last entry one hour before closing.

El price of admission It is $17 for adults, with discounts for seniors +65 ($15) and children ages 5 to 17 ($12).

Courthouse in Santa Barbara

But you can also visit the building of the Courthouse, which is located in the downtown area of ​​the city, in an enclave surrounded by gardens.

It was completed in 1929, after the earthquake of 1925, with a style called Moorish-Spanish.

It is a complex of four buildings, which even includes a prison, and is also used for numerous civil events in the city and even for weddings.

To visit the Santa Barbara Courthouse you must go to 1100 Anacapa Street, in it downtown of the city, and you can visit it with Time Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on weekends, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

You can also sign up for the free guided tours which take place from Monday to Friday at 10,30:14 a.m. and 14 p.m., and on weekends and holidays at XNUMX p.m., and for which no prior reservation is required.

The visits begin in the Mural Room on the second floor, from where you can take a tour of various rooms in the building and the gardens.

Also during your visit you can go up to the Glass Viewpoint, which is what the Clock Tower, and after overcoming its 82 steps, you will have one of the best views of the city of Santa Barbara.

Another building reminiscent of the colonial era is the Garrison, a fortification built by the Spanish.

What to see around Santa Barbara

And in addition to visiting natural attractions such as Jardín Botánico or his famous Zoo Garden, from Santa Barbara You can take excursions to the wine areas of the area, as in the Santa Ynez Valley, to taste the famous California wine.

Or you can also make a whale watching boat cruise in the natural landscapes of the Channel Islands, or approach the curious Danish village of Solvang.

Map: how to get to Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara It is located just under two hours by car from the city of Los Angeles.