This park is a place you must stop by if you are ever in the area and looking to relax or take a…read morenice stroll. It is located right across from the historic mission and has a beautiful rose garden with a variety of flowers.

One of my fav places in town. If we have guests, we always suggest grabbing a blanket and packing…read moresome wine and snacks or food to go and enjoy at sunset at the Rose Garden. The kids love rolling down the hill, climbing on the trees, or wandering the little paths on the side. Plus, you learn all the fantastic rose names when you simply take a walk around the pattern of colors.

When I arrived, I saw a couple taking wedding photos outside the courthouse. The setting was so…read morepeaceful and quiet, and it was easy to see why people choose this place for special moments. I liked that admission is free, and the guided tours are free as well. I took my time walking through the different floors, checking out the spiral staircase, the murals, and the glass area where you can see the clock mechanism inside. I also went up the clock tower, and the view of downtown Santa Barbara from the top was really nice. I parked at a nearby lot with 75 minutes of free parking, which was enough time to explore without rushing. I enjoyed my visit here. It's a beautiful and peaceful place to walk around, take some photos, and experience a little bit of Santa Barbara's history.

If you happen to find yourself in Santa Barbara, CA, (aka America's Riviera) carve out a couple of…read morecouple of hours to check out the County Courthouse. No, not to hang out and gawk at folks at court. But to soak in the beauty and history of the building. This place is gorgeous. Spanish colonial architecture, mural paintings, tower overlook, clock room, sunken garden, and you might catch a glimpse of a wedding or two. I saw four. I held back on wedding crashing though. Apparently you can rent the Mural room or Sunken garden terrace for weddings. Plus small wedding ceremonies are allowed in the public areas of the Sunken garden lawn, in first come first serve basis. The 4 story Spanish Moorish style building was built in 1929. It was built after the original courthouse, that was built in 1872, suffered damage in the 1925 earthquake. -Sunken garden The foundations of the original courthouse is where the sunken tropical gardens are currently. There is a big swath of lush green lawn. The multitude of palm trees that tower around the garden are from various countries. 35 specimens of palm trees. -Sandstone water fountain In the front of the courthouse building facing Anacapa Street is a sandstone water fountain "Spirit of the Ocean". It was built by a Venetian sculptor in 1929. -Free tours Step inside the building to see take a tour, a free self guided tour or join a free docent led tour. There was a huge crowd of folks waiting to get in, the crowd included an entire wedding party along with the tourists and everyday county residents. Security funneled everyone quickly through the security checkpoint. - Clock tower viewing platform I chose to do a self guided tour and took the elevator to the 4th floor to the clock tower viewing station. There was an option to climb stairs, which I choose to take going down. From that vantage point, I noticed that downtown Santa Barbara has no high rise buildings. This building was the tallest. The 360 degree views of the mountains, ocean and valley were beautiful. -Bison Schnell clock gallery display room Then I took the stairs down. On the 3rd floor was Bison Schall clock gallery. The room is a display showing the tower's functioning Seth Thomas clock timepiece and the history of classic cos and timekeeping. It's super cool to see the actual clock hammers move and strike. The room is not always open since it's staffed by volunteers. But not to worry, the glass wall allows you to view the clock and room contents from the stairwell. - Mural room and hallway I entered the 2nd floor and began walking down a hallway with huge oil painted framed murals depicting the early days of European contact with the Native Chumash. The hallways were vast with its high vaulted ceilings and arches The Mural Room is located in this floor. This is where folks rent out for wedding ceremonies. It has wooden pews. murals covering its walls and high vaulted ceilings. I didn't go in because a wedding was just finishing up. -Tiled staircase I then took the outdoor spiral, Spanish tiled, staircase to the first floor. But right next to the staircase is a beautiful mosaic tiled wall alcove. Don't miss that photo opp. On the first floor near the elevators is another set of stairs, this one is an interior set with beautiful tiles.

I hadn't been to the Mission in years. This year I went to the Madonnari Chalk Festival - what a…read moregorgeous time. My mom and I had the best of times! Art, Music, food and just sooooo much fun! I danced so much and got to meet many wonderful artists. I def will be back next year and make a whole weekend out of it. I live nearby but I think, next year I'll stay a few days in SB. My mom is already looking forward to it!

Mission Santa Barbara is a historic California landmark that also doubles as a museum. They even…read morehave actual mass in the mission, as well as Sunday service. It is a beautiful space filled with so much historic value. It was founded in 1786!! We got there around 3pm and purchased the Self Guided tour for $17 per person, which was a little high in my opinion. You walk through the museum and Mission grounds at your own pace and enjoy it on your own time. There are QR Codes that provide information to go along with your tour. We checked out the museum, garden, mausoleum, and even sat in the church for about 30 minutes just enjoying the beauty and peace. There is a gift shop you exit through that sells some lovely items such as shirts, sweaters, magnets, artwork, sculptures, candles and so much more. We bought a nice sweater with Santa Barbara written on it, a beautiful candle in a glass, and a small bookmark with a prayer symbol on it. They even have snacks/refreshments. They close at 5pm but sell their last ticket at 4pm. Parking is also free, which is always a plus. This was our third time here over the last 2 decades, and I'm not sure it's necessary to come back again. Once you've seen it, you've seen it.

Was a fun roadtrip got there a bit late and it was cloudy unfortunately but it was still a…read morebeautiful sight and relaxing to sit and view with your significant other

Given it being Valentine's Day Eve, it seems quite appropriate to review a Santa Barbara gem. The…read morelocals--particularly UCSB students--know it as "Kissing Point." You don't need to use your imagination why: Simply venture here at sunrise/sunset and you'll be macking with whomever is closest to you due to the natural romance in the Californian air. It also helps that the temperature is sometimes +10* warmer since it is in the mountains. ;) History: Kissing Point is about a third of the way up (or three-quarters of the way down depending on your route) Old San Marcos Road. This was the original stagecoach route to cross over the mountains prior to the current San Marcos Pass/Route 154 between 1861 and 1901. There are a few weathered historical markers along the way but anyone will easily be impressed by the hard work put into carving out the road. How to get here?: The easiest route to reach Kissing Point is by exiting off the 101 Freeway at Patterson Rd and going toward the mountains, turn right on Cathedral Oaks, then turn left when you've reached San Marcos Rd. Kissing Point consists of only two unmarked dirt pull-offs (one now with bollards due to erosion). There is also a third and fourth pull-off much further up hill but with very limited space. What do I see?: The views are from the Santa Ynez Foothills down into Santa Barbara and Goleta Valley with easy landmarks being the Santa Barbara Airport, University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), Old Town Goleta, the Pacific Ocean's Santa Barbara Channel, and almost all of the Channel Islands in the distance on a clear day (from north to south: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz--the most obviously, and Anacapa Islands). I am spoiled to have this scenic drive only minutes from my house since it offers not only some of the best aerial views (ie particularly from Kissing Point) but also a backroad option to access Route 154 that goes over the Santa Ynez Mountains toward popular destinations including Lake Cachuma, Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country, and Solvang. A few tips: - I have included the precise location on the Yelp map, in addition to GPS coordinates, in the Quick Tips. - Check out my video of the drive down this twisty road with views for days: https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select_video=OgU4LsTKlJ7Eqyh60KKdcA&userid=4DyMRBKrokax6d8LCI3GAw. - People love to drive extremely fast up and down (including myself). Be cautious of mountain bikers and motorcycles, particularly around the two hairpin U-turns toward the top. - As the signs heed, put on your headlights during the night AND day. - Please clean up after yourself. Unfortunately there is plenty of trash and glass bottles left behind. Don't be this person.

Beautiful sculpture called Chromatic Gate by Herbert Bauer in Santa Barbara. The Austrian-born…read moreartist studied at the Bauhaus under Wassily Kandinsky. Walk around the sculpture from all angles, frame yourself in a photo. This was in a park by the water. I do remember a man made fun of my polka dot dress.

I'm all for Public Art especially because it is free for everyone! I usually stop and check out…read morethe meaning of why and by whom it was created. I was checking out "Local Flavor" on Yelp and this was the first place listed. I had to go see it. It is located at the corner of Calle Puerto Vallarta & E. Cabrillo Blvd. in Cabrillo Park. At 21 feet tall, you can spot it from down the street. Plus it does stand out with it's blue, purple, red, mauve, orange and yellow colors! This gate was installed in 1991 and it had become faded and easy to miss, so it was restored! The restoration was completed in 2013. The new paint is highly durable aircraft specialty paint. Hopefully, it will last longer than the initial paint! Herbert Bayer is the man behind this art. He designed it but passed away in 1985 before it was built. This Gate is a Memorial to Herbert and his wife, Joella. You may recognize Herbert Bayer's other works. For example, Arco's red diamond shape called the ARCO "Spark" logo. And for Angelenos, we have a sculpture in Downtown Los Angeles called the Double Ascension. It is located in front of the City National Plaza (previously known as Arco Plaza) surrounded by a pool of water. He also designed the Articulated Wall which looks like a stack of French Fries, located in Denver, CO. I've seen these three in real life and with research, realized each one was created by Bayer! As stated in other reviews, this makes for a nice Photo Op and is Instagram worthy! If neither of these is your thing, then just come see it as an Art Installation. The next time I come back to Santa Barbara, I would love to see this lit at night!

Many years ago, my boyfriend Matt B. told me about Lotusland, a beautiful botanical garden in his…read morehometown of Montecito. I assumed he had plans to take me--like why bring it up and not take your relatively new girlfriend?--but if he did, he certainly took a while to implement them. He married me first, then waited until we had two kids before buying tickets, for a Wednesday afternoon last month. I guess it used to be hard to get tickets here, and even now, you have to plan in advance, as it's only open part of the year and the hours are short and limited. Tickets are also expensive, running $70 apiece. If you're local and likely to go more than once a year, you might want to get a membership. Lotusland is a remarkable place, and I greatly enjoyed this long deferred date. The property covers 37 acres in a residential part of Montecito, where it was once just some eccentric rich lady's house (her name, a stage name, was Madame Ganna Walska). The reason the hours are so restricted is that the neighbors are Montecitans, perhaps the nimbiest clan on the planet. The location does add to the magic, I admit, the sense of quiet and seclusion as you walk the grounds. Everything was easy once we arrived. The parking lot was right by the entrance, and there were both maps and docents ready to help get us oriented. The docents were volunteers, I believe, and very friendly and helpful. One of them saw us wandering aimlessly near the entrance, searching for the stairs to the rest of the gardens, and walked with us to show us the way. The gardens were incredible--gorgeous, of course, but also vibrant and strange. A lot of the plants were fully Seussian, wild and whimsical. The water garden in particular was unlike anything else I've ever seen, with these enormous lotuses and lily pads like rimmed dinner trays. I also enjoyed the quirky swimming pool bordered with seashells and the silly topiary garden. But nothing was more impressive than the extraordinary range of plants. Pre-historic cycads and funny-looking bromeliads. Dracena trees, cousins (or maybe ancestors) to the little potted one we have in our house, allowed to grow freely into giants with clustered branches like maitake mushrooms. It took us around an hour and a half to make our way through the gardens, a bit faster than the two hours suggested for self-guided tours. (We are, to be fair, a bit younger than the average visitor, despite my husband's procrastination.) We had a wonderful time, stretching our legs and seeing some spectacular sights. Better late than never, Matt, and now I look forward to going back.

Lotus to Proceed…read more Historic (circa 1941) 37-acre nonprofit botanical garden, located in Montecito within a mostly residential neighborhood, was started and is owned by famed Polish opera singer Ganna Walska. It was named one of the top ten botanical gardens in the world by Christopher Bailes, a retired Royal Horticultural Society curator and Chelsea Flower Show judge; it is one of only two in the U.S., with Oregon's Portland Japanese Garden being the other. The Good: * Friendly staff * On-site parking * Nice gift shop * Tour options * Over 3,000 species of plants, many of which are considered rare or endangered. * Trails are well-maintained and easy enough for people of all ages to visit. * If you are lucky enough to see the eponymous lotus in bloom, you are in for a real treat. They truly look surreal. The Meh: * Due to its location and county law, the number of guests allowed per day is limited, so admission is restricted. * It is one of the pricier botanical gardens we have visited, at $70 ($85 with tour) per adult (12+) and $35 per child (3-12). * No pets. The Ugly: * They are only open from March through October, so it can be tough to plan your visit; we have tried several times only to be skunked by the time of year we were visiting the area. Conclusion: It is a really awesome garden and a fun place to visit, but I am not 100% sure it is worth the high price; I guess if you like botany and plants, then it is a must-see.

There is a humongous tree in Santa Barbara that you need to see ... IRL (in real life)! It's the…read moreMoreton Bay Fig Tree originally from Australia. It was from a cutting given to a girl who and planted it on 201 State St. in 1876. She moved a year later and her friend dug up and transplanted it here. It's been here at Chapala St. & Montecito St. ever since. In 1970, this tree was designated a California Historical Landmark (No. 837) & later was listed on the California Register of Big Trees. I heard it is the largest Moreton Bay Fig Tree in the Continental U.S.! "Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig or Australian Banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the mulberry and fig family Moraceae. It is native to eastern Australia." - Wikipedia Fun Fact: In 1984-85, the homeless people who were registered to vote had attempted to establish this tree as their mailing address. They even put up a mailbox near the tree, but the Post Office refused to deliver mail to a tree. (This was from a Huell Howser interview with Dan Condon, City Arborist for Santa Barbara in 2001) The circumference of the tree was 42 feet around its base, 80 feet tall and had a branch spread of 176 feet in 2001. I wonder what the statistics are today! I saw it in 2020 when it was not as overgrown as it is today. There was no chain link fence, just the smaller black one that is still there. However, there is now a tall chain link fence around the perimeter. It is very overgrown and in serious need of a trimming. A lot of the branches have grown to the ground. This tree is now around 150 years old. I hope it continues to endure and remain healthy for years to come!

How could a tree possibly have so many five star reviews?? Well it is a very beautiful tree…read more Historic and stately. Took away a star for the location, it's in the middle of busy roads. But that's not the trees fault :(

This has to be one of our favorite places to visit in Santa Barbara. I've personally been coming…read morehere for over 25 years, and I still love it every time. It's peaceful, relaxing, and the nature is absolutely beautiful -- minus all the poison oak during the summer, LOL! Whether you have little ones, teenagers, or just want to take a relaxing walk with your partner, this is a great place to visit. You don't need to spend the whole day here either. A couple of hours is perfect to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and unwind. Definitely one of our Santa Barbara favorites. Highly recommend!

What a fun little add on to a trip with kiddos to Santa Barbara. Enough places for learning but…read morealso for the kiddos to get some play in the day as well. I have a 4.5 yo and 22 month old and they both had lots of fun. Random but I do wish the gift shop was a bit more stroller friendly.

I'm a huge history nerd, so I loved this place. The person who helped and checked us in was truly…read moreknowledgeable and had a PHD in history. I could truly feel that when he was giving historical facts about the Presidio. I truly enjoyed walking around this piece of history. They do have a building that has original tile (from 1812 after an earth quake that destroyed another room on the presidio). I recommend anyone studying California history to visit and walk around a piece of our states history!

Fort Order State…read moreHistorical site located in Downtown Santa Barbara that preserves the last Spanish military fortress built in California. The Good: * Free street parking and lot parking. So that shouldn't be an issue unless there happens to be a special event that day/weekend. * Free admission if you signed up for the state's Historian Passport this past spring. Otherwise, it's a mere $5/adult (free for kids 16 and under). * Lots of cool old historic relics, as well as the second oldest building in CA. The Meh: * It was undergoing some construction work at the time of our visit, so the place was a bit of a mess with construction supplies. The Ugly: * There was some kind of, uh, "garden" that was, uhhh, yeah... I'll just blame the construction. 0_o Conclusion: Great place to visit if you like history and/or are looking for some time to kill before checking into your hotel. Otherwise, not really a destination-worthy location.

I came here for an event today so really my review is tailored more towards the events that Casa is…read moreholding but also to acknowledge the fabulous grounds and building though I admit I don't have full context for the history or background. I would definitely come back here to learn about the house and to take the guided tour. This wasn't the purpose for me coming today but the gentleman who works here noted that it's a great tour and I know friends who have enjoyed learning about the family and the history of the house, getting a deeper dive of information. I came here with some friends for their first hosted event Sound Bath. A wellness day if you will. From start to finish everything was very organized and thoughtful. The staff hosting the event and the spiritual wellness guide and sound healer was wonderful. Everyone was nice and you felt welcomed. Not pretentious and just very positive and good vibes. We had a nice group and everyone was respectful and on time for the sound bath so it went off without issue. It was a relaxing experience and the grounds were very nice to hold this outdoor event. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, we found an area with shade, very nice. Very faint sounds of cars in the distance here and there which wasn't ideal but out of their control and once things settled in you really couldn't hear much external noise. After the relaxing sound bath we were offered tea and light pastry snacks. I opted for a water and began exploring the grounds instead of partaking in the refreshments. The grounds are lush and lovely, very zen. Loved the beautiful trees and walkways with small fountains and running water. It was green and pretty all around from the recent rains. Definitely a great location for events and to learn a little SB history. I will definitely do my research and come back again soon.

Yikes, this is an expensive tour but it is a rarity to see a period house with most of the original…read moreoccupants furnishings etc. The tours are docent led and very informative. If you like these types of tours, this one is quite worth it.