Santa Barbara

[jmainaz]

I've started a second thread to discuss:

I plan on visiting Santa Barbara after our Disneyland trip.
I will be going with my wife, my 4-year old daughter and my mother-in-law.

Any suggestions on where to stay and do?
My wife and I like wine and spas. And Grandma will be able to babysit while we are there.

Thanks guys!

-Jason

 

[kim3339]

For spas, there's one just north of Goleta, where UCSB is, called Bacara Spa and Resort. Haven't been there, but have heard good things about it. It's supposed to be really fancy.

For wine, I know Santa Ynez Valley has tours, or used to. I know there's more, but right now, that's all that can come to my mind.

State Street is a really nice area to walk around, shops and good restaurants. A good Italian place is called Aldo's, never really had bad food there. They also have little electric trolleys that you can ride down State Street for 25 cents. At the end of State Street is the beach and pier. Some good restaurants as well~ Harbor Restaurant and Moby Dick.

There's a small zoo as well, wasn't that big when I lived there, but if your kids are young enough, they might like it.

Don't know when you're going, but the 1st week in August they have a huge Fiesta over a few days and there's good music, dances, parades and food. It's a lot of fun!

Hope this helps! If I remember anything else, I'll let you know.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I really recommend the zoo, both for the zoo exhibits itself but also for the stunning views.

 

[My<3BelongsToMickey]

Bacara Resort is the first place I thought of when you said spa... I'm not sure if there are any other hotel/ spa combos in the area. (Just day spas). But just for hotels- Fess Parker DoubleTree, Oceana, or the Biltmore.... if you want to splurge

For restaurants, I would highly recommend:
- Jeannine's for breakfast, brunch, or lunch (In Montecito and off of State Street)
- The Boathouse for lunch or dinner (located at Hendry's beach)
- Carlito's on State Street and Los Arroyos in Montecito if you like Mexican food (for a nicer meal).
- Cupcakes from Whodidily or Crushcakes.

In terms of what to do:
- Go to the top of the clock tower at the Courthouse downtown (beautiful views)
- Also, if you can see a movie at the Arlington theater, it's really beautiful- and fun for the kids (It's difficult to describe, but the decor inside the theater is decorated so you feel like you are watching a movie outside....)
- Rent a 4 person bicycle by the pier
- Kayak
- There is no shortage of wine tours up in Santa Ynez!

 

[slp1650]

I would definitely go to the zoo. Especially since you have young kids it's the perfect place to walk around and relax. Plus you can see the ocean from one side of it! I also do believe they have a new baby giraffe born earlier this year and baby otters born last year I think (they might not be so baby anymore).

State street is fun to shop in and walk around for the day and there's a few really nice restaurants there. As a college student at UCSB I really liked Palazzio's because while it was slightly higher in price than normal (aka I went with my parents) they gave you a ton of food (Chicken dinner had half a chicken and 2 generous sides- I'd suggest the squash ravioli).

If you're there on a Sunday there's an art walk on Cabrillo. I used to love going there every Sunday, usually after having breakfast at Summerland Cafe which is in Montecito and about 5-10 min South of SB.

There's also the Land Shark which is an Amphibian tour and drives around downtown Santa Barbara and then goes into the harbor. It doesn't go too far out, but I had friends who did it and really enjoyed it.

Of course there's whale watching excursions as well. Recently we've been seeing various dolphins, Blue Whales, and Humpbacks. If you go to the Condor Express's website they have a calendar that details what you might see.

Finally, if you have ever see My Favorite Martian with Christopher Lloyd (I forgot when it came out... mid 90's? He's an alien with a suit that's alive...). The scene in that movie where he goes crazy after eating ice cream is the ice cream shop in the Wharf. It's a nice little shop and another great place to take kids.

I hope you enjoy SB!

 

[Judy from Boise]

Is the original Big Dog store still on the pier? Also SB had the original Sambos pancake house.

 

[slp1650]

Is the original Big Dog store still on the pier? Also SB had the original Sambos pancake house.

Sambos is still there and is still quite popular. Get there early, otherwise you're waiting in line.

The big dog store wasn't on the pier, but close to it. Unfortunately it closed 5-6 years ago.

 

[tinkermomma]

I live in Santa Barbara.

One of the best breakfasts (the best in my opinion) is at Tupelo Junction, If it's the weekend the wait can get a bit long since they don't take reservations, but the food is absolutely worth it and there are a lot of cute shops nearby.

There are a handful of tasting rooms in Santa Barbara a couple blocks from the beach. Santa Barbara Winery is pretty decent but our favorite is Kunin just down the street. There are enough for a fun afternoon in that area, but the real wineries are in Santa Ynez about 45 north. If you have the time I highly recommend it.

Ditto on Palazzio's. It's a great value for the amount of food you get and it's good quality.

The museum is free on Sundays and it's a great quality museum for such a small town.