The best things to see and do in Santa Barbara (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 came under the control 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 and do in Santa Barbara (California)

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 in California

The main exponent of Spanish colonial architecture is the Mission Santa Barbara, which dates back to 1786.

This is one of the numerous missions that the Spanish Franciscan fathers Junipero Serra y Fermin Francisco de Lasuen They settled in California.

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.

For 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 that take place every day of the week at 14 p.m., and on weekdays, also at 10,30:XNUMX a.m.

You can also go up to Scenic overlook, which is what the clock tower is called. 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 near Santa Barbara in California

And in addition to visiting natural attractions such as Botanical Garden or his famous Zoo Garden, from Santa Barbara You can take excursions to the wine areas in the area, such as 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.