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    FreeWalkingTourSB

    5.0 (102 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

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    Along the harbor...
    Kristi C.

    Every time I visit a new place I look up the free walking tour. It's a great way to learn something and take in the sites with a like minded crowd. John was an exceptional host who was well versed in the area. He kept a casual pace with lots of stops and was full of useful info. He was a history teacher before and it shows. You start at the Maritime Museum and end near the Amtrak station near the funk zone. So there is about a 29 min walk back to the start. However the website provides several different spots to park. We chose to make the longest part of the walk up front. We also purchased the 10.00 wine tasting which was a great deal. It is a free tour and very much worth your time. Make sure you bring a tip.

    Barbara G.

    Highly, highly recommended. Our tour guide Mandy was amazing and super knowledgeable. She sure did her homework and introduced us to a lot of cool places. Love learning about the Funk Zone and why it was called like that. Again, check it out. Can't wait to go back and do the other tours!!

    Santa Barbara

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    2 years ago

    Completed the funk zone tour with John. Very friendly and knowledgeable about the information he shared.

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    Excellent tour! We had a great time and learned alot. Thanks for the recommendations!

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    3 years ago

    Thank you John for an informative and entertaining walk around the old town Santa Barbara.

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    Page 1 of 3

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    Review Highlights - FreeWalkingTourSB

    I was looking for options to entertain an out of town guest and signed up for John's Waterfront tour.

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    Santa Barbara Trolley - The Court House

    Santa Barbara Trolley

    4.2(119 reviews)
    2.3 km

    Santa Barbara was a bucket list stop for my girlfriend, and we booked the 2:00 p.m. trolley tour…read morehoping for a well guided introduction to the city's history and landmarks. Unfortunately, it ended up being one of the more disappointing parts of the trip. The seating is tightly packed. I understand maximizing capacity, but at 6'6" it was not comfortable. We moved to the front right side where there is a sideways bench behind the driver, which offered more legroom. That felt like a smart move until we realized most of the sights being pointed out were on the left side of the trolley. It felt like about 80 percent of the tour was oriented that direction, which meant we were constantly twisting around and still missing details. If you book this tour, sit on the left side. The narration also felt disorganized. The driver mentioned he was reading the traffic flow incorrectly and ended up doing much of the route "backwards." Because of that, he would introduce a historical figure or landmark, then later circle back and partially repeat the same information when reaching his usual talking point. There was noticeable repetition and filler instead of a smooth, cohesive storyline. Midway through the tour, there is a stop at Mission Santa Barbara for about 15 minutes. While it is nice to get off and stretch your legs, 15 minutes is nowhere near enough time to meaningfully experience the mission. You can walk through the courtyard and take a few photos, but that is about it. The mission deserves more time than a quick pass through. In practice, the stop felt more like a checkbox than a real opportunity to explore. Another frustration was departure time. The 2:00 p.m. tour did not leave at 2:00. The driver waited past the scheduled time to see if additional passengers would join. When you are visiting from out of town and carefully stacking your schedule, those extra 10 to 15 minutes matter. Overall, for about $30 per person, I expected a more polished and better organized experience. We both left disappointed. If you want a meaningful introduction to Santa Barbara, you may be better off exploring key spots on your own at your own pace.

    This was a decent ride around a small part of the city. My driver was Joe. He seemed knowledgeable…read moreabout the history and landmarks. We stopped at a church to take pics and had sufficient time to snap other photos along the tour. This was especially perfect for a warm, sunny day.

    Photos
    Santa Barbara Trolley - Santa Barbara

    Santa Barbara

    Santa Barbara Trolley - Gorgeous shoreline

    Gorgeous shoreline

    Santa Barbara Trolley - Fig Tree

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    Fig Tree

    Casa del Herrero - Herb Garden Entry

    Casa del Herrero

    4.6(29 reviews)
    7.0 km

    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.

    Photos
    Casa del Herrero - I'm very proud of this color match

    I'm very proud of this color match

    Casa del Herrero
    Casa del Herrero - Crush It Wine educators, Allie and Julie.

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    Crush It Wine educators, Allie and Julie.

    Totally Cali Tours

    Totally Cali Tours

    5.0(20 reviews)
    1.1 km

    Had a quick weekend trip with some girlfriends and decided on the wine & chocolate tasting tour. It…read morewas the perfect weather, Melissa was very knowledgeable about the history of Santa Barbara, provided lots of recommendations. Very pleased with our tour!

    Melissa was a fantastic tour guide who went above and beyond to make sure me and my boyfriend had…read morethe most amazing weekend in Santa Barbara - so much that we are seriously considering moving out there one day! She took us to 2 wine tasting spots - Riverbench & Cebada Wine Tasting - and 1 beer tasting spot - Night Lizard. Each wine tasting gave us 4 to 5 wines to taste and the brewery gave us a flight with 4 glasses! We started our tour at the train station, walked all throughout State Street, and finished our tour in the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Melissa carried so much historical facts and knowledge about the city, from the architectural design, past earthquake effects and the rebuilding process, the city's Old Hollywood vibes, significance of museums and historical landmarks, and all the delicious food spots to visit! She was so kind as to give us recommendations on places to visit as we made our own personal stop to Solvang the next following day. We couldn't have asked for a better tour and tour guide! We love the city of Santa Barbara and we enjoyed learning its history and greatly admired how the city has successfully preserved its culture, architectural traditions & vibrant patterned designs! We will see you soon!

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    Totally Cali Tours
    Totally Cali Tours
    Totally Cali Tours - H

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    H

    Red Tile Walking Tour - Church at the El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park

    Red Tile Walking Tour

    4.0(3 reviews)
    0.0 km

    What: - Walk along 22 historic places in the Santa Barbara…read moredowntown More Info: - Free admission inside a few historic landmarks - Free parking on the streets - Check out the map of the Red Tile Walking Tour here: http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/pdf-files/redtile.pdf The Red Tile Walking Tour is a walk in the Santa Barbara downtown, along the historic places. We totally underestimated the amount of time that it would take to complete the tour. It covers about 12 blocks and we did not have sufficient time to cover all the 22 historic places. After parking the car on the streets, we started the tour from Presidio Avenue, the oldest street in Santa Barbara. The Spanish style architecture of the buildings and shopping malls impressed me a lot. I could not help but keep staring and admiring the beautiful Santa Barbara downtown. Our next stop was at the El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. It was founded in 1782 and was built by the Spanish along the coast of Alta California. There is a $7/adult admission fee to explore this historic park. A map serves as a guide to explore the park and the placards in several rooms educate one about the history of each room. One can easily spend at least an hour exploring this park and more time if you are a history lover. We then walked to the Santa Barbara County courthouse. I was looking at the courthouse for a very long time thinking how beautiful a courthouse could possibly look. Designed in a Spanish style with an 80-foot clock tower, the courthouse seemed to attract a lot of people. One is allowed to go to the clock tower for free We entered the courthouse and were amazed to see the interior décor, murals, tiles, painting, etc. A 360 degree of Santa Barbara invited us when we walked up to the clock tower. The ocean could be seen from one end, the Santa Ynez Mountains could be seen from another end and several other landmarks. After enjoying the magnificent view, we walked down and ended our Red Tile Walking Tour.

    When I was researching for someplace for my wife and I to vacation on our anniversary, I was having…read morea hard time choosing Santa Barbara as I was unsure of what all we would do. Then I came across the Red Tile Walking Tour and we decided on SB. The walk is flat and only a couple of miles that winds around and near State Street. Download the podcast by John O'Hurley (Seinfeld's J. Peterman) that gives a nice audio/video spin to the walk. You can also pick up a small pamphlet at the County Courthouse (where the walk starts) that gives a little synopsis of each location on the walk. Take the time and actually go into the places that you can (some locations are not open to the public) it is worth the small fees to visit the museums.

    Photos
    Red Tile Walking Tour - Inside the church

    Inside the church

    Red Tile Walking Tour - Santa Barbara County Courthouse

    Santa Barbara County Courthouse

    Red Tile Walking Tour - View from Observatory Tower inside the Courthouse

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    View from Observatory Tower inside the Courthouse

    Santa Barbara Walking Tours - Step beyond the Ordinary

    Santa Barbara Walking Tours

    4.5(2 reviews)
    1.2 km

    This was hands down one of the best tours I've ever had of any city. My father and I took a private…read morewalking tour of Santa Barbara with Ellen, owner of Santa Barbara Walking Tours. Originally slated for 90 minutes, the tour lasted a full two hours. What's more, Ellen was perfectly willing to keep on going. We only stopped because my father and I were worn out and hungry, our brains full while our stomachs were empty. Ellen showed us no shortage of historical and cultural and artistic sites while narrating a bevy of fascinating back stories, from a park that was originally the site of a hotel, to a church that had been rebuilt and moved, to a gorgeous old historic movie theater with an auditorium built to simulate the inside of a mission, to Charlie Chaplin's sometime residence. And so much more. And did you know Santa Barbara had literally no trees at all when the Spanish missionaries first arrived? Ellen also offers customized tours tailored to particular interests (e.g. the Sue Grafton murder mystery tour). Next time you're in Santa Barbara, be sure to reach out to Ellen through her website (http://www.santabarbarawalkingtours.com) to arrange a walking tour of this awesome and beautiful city.

    Cute and funky tours of Santa Barbara... a bit of art and history (but keep in mind this isn't an…read moreancient European city by any means ;). I spent a couple decades in SB growing up yet saw and learned many new things I had no clue about which was cool. Quirky, funny and informative guide.

    FreeWalkingTourSB - walkingtours - Updated May 2026

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