This page is intended to help our guests enjoy the full spectrum of activities, food, drink and scenery, in the Santa Barbara and nearby surroundings. Many of SB's treasures are not in-your-face, but found subtly. Hopefully we can take the learning curve out for you so you can enjoy your weekend in our seaside town. Two decent overall sites for SB are www.santabarbaraca.com and www.Santabarbara.com -- the first appears to be a work in progress. These are in no particular order, and we haven't tried everything here (except for the restaurants!), but we have tried most.
Leisurely SB
For the Active Type
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Truth Aquatics (Dive Trips to the World Famous Channel Islands) | This diving operation is run by Kelly's uncle Glen, and offers trips to the channel islands just offshore from Santa Barbara. The channel islands are famous in the diving world, and are just awesome to visit. The crew is experienced and they will take you to all the right dive spots. Trips leave from the Sea Landing at SB Harbor. Be sure to make reservations well ahead of time. |
Island Outfitters | Day Island Trips -- leaves from Ventura, about 30 mi. south of SB). |
Ocean Kayaking | Rent a kayak and paddle around the calm summer waters near the wharf and in front of the harbor. |
Hiking | |
Sportfishing | 1/2 Day and Evening Trips (rentals available). These trips also run from the Sea Landing in SB harbor. A great friendly crew. |
| Wheel Fun Rentals |
Play the tourist role, and rent a family "bike" cart to ride around our beachside community.
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Surfing Lessons | Santa Barbara reeks of surfing year around, even though the biggest it will get in summer is double-over-toe. This makes a great time of year to take a surf lesson. There are several outfits, so feel free to research online, but the company linked here is famous for their surf lessons and programs. |
From the Culinary Enthusiast to the Simpleton Pub Food Lover
| Dargans | Kelly's favorite bar in town. There's pool, foosball, darts, cold Guiness, and a good selection of traditional Irish food. |
| Longboards | Great views and drinks – the casual upstairs half of the restauraunt where Alisa and I met. Make sure to wash down an order of the Maui onion rings with your favorite ale. This is a bar and grill. However, pass on the Harbor Restaurant downstairs -- unless you are paying for the view. |
Fish Enterprise | Seafood mainly. But, we both love their non-seafood too (since we don't eat fish)! |
| Brophies | Sea food and boats. This is a locals joint which can be crowded, but it's always happening. |
| Rudy’s | Mexican joint with the best fried taco known to mankind. Get the shredded beef fried taco and you will not be dissapointed. Other stuff is good too. |
Super Rica | No official website, and you’ll see why -- great Mexican food, cash only, hole in the wall. This place is well revered in SB, and lines are often out the door (which only takes about 2 people). Small portions, cheap plates. |
Coldsprings Tavern | Sunday fun, occasional live music, and a local’s watering hole off highway 154. A great noon-time 1/4 day trip is up Camino Cielo West or East to get a view of all of SB and the surrounding coast, then on to Cold Springs for a beer and lunch. It's about 20-30 minutes outside SB -- mainly just up into the mountains overlooking SB. |
| Roy’s | A hole in the wall place that's not super cheap, but great food. |
| Opal | Delicious contemporary food. This is a nicer restaurant, so you'll want to leave the T-shirt at the hotel -- do the dinner date by seeing a show at the historic Arlington Theater which is right next door. |
Milk and Honey | A bit dark and loungy, but great gourmet food and service! One of our favorite places in SB for killer appetizers and tapas. |
Holdrens | Good Steak House, but not the cheapest |
| Emilio’s | A fancy-like italian place. Excellent food (one of Kelly's Favs in SB). |
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Vineyards and Wine Tasting
A good site start at is provided here. There are a TON of wineries and vineyards that have popped up in the area of late. A couple longtime favorites are provided, but there are plenty of hidden gems out there. Some local favorites are:
Sunstone,
Firestone (and the Brewery too!)
Sanford
Gainey
Foley
Santa Barbara Winery
Foxen
Meridian
Laticia (on the way through Arroyo Grande if coming from the North).
There’s also a group small tasting rooms within Santa Barbara proper, if Santa Ynez is too far for you -- see the map on the site above.
There's also a listing on http://www.santabarbara.com/winecountry/wineries.asp.
