One of the most important things for me when deciding on a beach, is how close parking is to the shoreline. With kids, there's a fair amount of beach gear to carry and the closer the car, the better. Not only was the parking close, there were plenty for both compact and large vehicles. As for the beach itself, the waves are pretty low and kid friendly. I did see a harbor seal swim parallel with someone, popping his head up every now and then. My kids found a loveliness of ladybugs on the beach. Unfortunately most didn't make it. We were however, able to save one. The restrooms were well maintained with showers outside. There is also a restaurant nearby if any snacks you packed weren't enough. I highly recommend this beach for the convenience of parking and kid approved sand quality. read more

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This is a very nice beach with plenty of parking spaces in the paid parking lot. I walked along the edges and sand of the beach with my friend. Then, we walked to the harbor to the restaurants to get some dinner. It was very convenient rather than looking for parking elsewhere. read more

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The beach has great accessibility, great parking, and a great vibe! Loved the restaurant and picnic tables, too. The views are wonderful!

My wife and I love spending time here soaking up the rays and enjoying the relaxed, friendly vibes from the people !! It is so laid back ! This is just one of our "goto" spots when we visit ! Digging the amazing view !! Cheers ! read more

Leadbetter Beach - We love this spot !! Lovely day !! - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Nice beach off the beaten path alittle. Free 90 min parking up front which is nice. Calm waves and calm environment. There's a snack shack here in case you get hungry haha. read more

This is a Gorgeous beach that is clean and easily accessible! I visited different days and there were lots of people there working out/taking a run. read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Saturday family beach trip. I had never been to this beach before but it has its good and not so good. Very easy to find and a great spot to avoid the crowd and traffic of most beaches. I love how parking is in close proximity to the beach, a very short walk with a small park/recreation area in between. The park/recreation is very nice with grassy areas and several picnic tables. While the bathrooms nearby are in desperate need of a remodel, they were fairly clean. This is a nice family beach but not my kind of beach. The beach feels more like a large saltwater lake. Very small "waves" (and calling them waves is an exaggeration) Not only is the beach littered with piles of seaweed and rocks but you may take a little of this beach home with you in the form of tar spots on your feet and/or skin. For a relaxed family beach experience this beach would be perfect, as it was for ours. If you love to hear and feel the crashing waves, you'll have to look elsewhere. read more

There is plenty of parking located near the beach. There are bathrooms and showers. There is a cafe with indoor/outdoor seating. Great views!!! read more

Leadbetter Beach - Facing East. - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Venice for picnics and paddle boarding. Very close to the water. Right behind The Santa Barbara City College. Also allow Dogs‍

We came to hang at Leadbetter Beach on Thursday the 14th for a few hours. The beach is nice, awesome views of the hills behind it, and plenty of space to lay out and go into the ocean, it wasn't crowded at all. My guess is though that the weekends get packed here. They've got a restaurant right now the parking lot, sells burgers, brew, etc, and 2 bathrooms there. They also have picnic tables, bbqs, right next to the parking lot too. One thing I have to say is you need to have on water shoes/reef shoes whatever you want to call them if you want to body surf and kneeboard surf on the shallow end. My feet still hurt from walking on all the little rocks that cover about 15-20 feet of ground there before you get out to about chest high water and it's sand again. I'd recommend a day here if you're looking for a beach to go to though. read more

We absolutely love this spot. The grass area with the picnic tables are right next to the parking lot. It makes family picnics very convenient. Easy access to the beach. Restrooms and showers. A cafe in case you want to get food or drinks read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Beautiful here. Easy parking. Shoreline Cafe has great food. Lots of beach, lots of energy. The iconic scenery always brings me back. read more

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Spent a nice afternoon in august at this beach. Found parking without any problems. You pay the parking at the meter. The beach itself is small makes it easy to carry stuff from car to a nice close spot near the water. Everyone kept their distance both on the sand and in the water which was good. Water didn't have a lot of seaweed in it which I despise on socal beaches. The sand also was rather clean, seems everyone picks up after themselves despite large family groups. People were out paragliding? I think that's what it's called. People running through with their dogs too. 5/5 for my first Santa Barbara beach experience. read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Beautiful sights and views at the end of groomed trails. So many walking/hiking options with gorgeous views of the water and Bluffs at the end. Worth the trek back to the beach to hang out for the day. I could have spent the day here, but was not prepared as thought it was just a hike out and back. read more

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This is a great place to take the whole family and your furry babies. Love that you can have dip with you on the sand. Yes you have to still clean up after yourself and your furry babies. There is a cafe near by if you are feeling hungry. What a great place read more

This beach is a nice place to sit and have lunch or even bbq since they have grills. It also has a cafe on the beach called shoreline Beach Café. It's a great spot to have breakfast on the beach literally on the beach toes in the sand and all. I highly recommend to anyone new to the area. read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Easy access and parking Long beach which is good for walking Open picnic areas with grills plus a large grouping for reservations Can get very busy when you add up the sun baskers, surfers, SUPers family get-to-gethers and tourists. The kelp can get bad and you can smell it down wind It's conveinant but there are better beaches in the area. read more

OK beach, but there was A LOT of dried seaweed littering the sand, which made it difficult to find a spot to sit or lay down. Nice views though. And it was fun watching the little sandpipers run around the tide. Just watch out for the seagulls! They are HUGE, aggressive, and not scared of humans in the least! read more

Good beach with good tide pools, not too crowded, parking was okay... nice shells and lots of sea anemones!

Leadbetter Beach is one of my fav beaches in Cali. It has a lot to offer, and I think that each one of us (Assuming all of us love the ocean) can find cool things to do here. You can relax on the sand, or walk by the rocks, see some sea life and smell the ocean (Sometime too much when it is very weedy lol). I know one thing, they will see a lot of me here in this coming Summer. Go out, if it a sunny day there aren't many nicer things than the ocean. You know what,also if it is cloudy. read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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The perfect beach. There is nothing more you could want. The only downside is it can be a little chilly so bring a sweatshirt.

We love this spot. It's pretty quiet on weekdays, but there can be the occasional summer camp with lots of kids. Parking is easy and we like that the restrooms and cafe are nearby. read more

Leadbetter is a magical, leaning towards local spot. The cove and adjacent cliff make for a picturesque scene. It has a nice, accessible point break for families and those learning to surf, paddleboard or just frolic. It's generally mellow and friendly in the line-up. The cove doesn't seem to get as much of the out of town crowd, perhaps because it's a little bit of a walk from the pay lot; although an easier walk from Shoreline Park (free) above. There's plenty of parking at the lower pay lot, BBQ/picnic sites, bathrooms and showers, and the Shoreline Café if you are hungry. I, and then later my kids essentially grew up at this beach. Summers are balmy and calm, winters crisp with dark blue-green water and beautiful sunrises. One can often spot dolphins and seals. I get annoyed sometimes by the number of off-leash dogs that are technically not allowed (I'm a dog owner), these people don't seem to have any consideration for others - it's more a recent thing and not the beach's fault. Leadbetter is a natural and ungroomed beach, with rocks, tidepools, kelp and grass at low tide, and sometimes piles of seaweed on the beach. We like it that way! read more

GOOD GOLLY!! THE TIDE WAS HIGH! BACKGROUND: Leadbetter is an artificial beach, built by accident. When Santa Barbara Harbor was built, it blocked the downshore current, holding up the natural sand flow. The college is built on the original coastline's front cliffs, now about 30 yards offshore; the original beach front lies where the current SBCC football field is located. The blocking of sand from downshore cities prompted several lawsuits against Santa Barbara. STATS: Short shoreline Rocky in areas OUR ROUTE: After filling up at Los Arroyos in Montecito, me and The Crew head back to Santa Barbara, only this time by way of the beach. Walking back on this short shoreline at high tide as the sun was setting on this chilly day, made for a fun run from the cold ocean water as it rolled up and down the shore. While parts of the beach are sandy, others are rocky. Some of us walked the beach barefoot, while others with more sensitive feet kept their hiking shoes on. Walking in the sand and on the rocks for about five miles makes for a great glut workout and if you walk the sand barefoot, it's a great way to exfoliate the feet. There are stretches along the way where the beach is longer than others, however, be warned, there are a lot of peeps hanging out in these areas. In fact, when we were strolling, wedding decorations were going up for an Indian wedding. No lifeguards were called during our trek. The high tide wasn't really all that high. I think a couple toes got wet from the incoming water. But by the end, they were all ok. If you are expecting for a beach to hang out on Leadbetter Beach is a pretty cool beach, especially if you have sand crabs (small fries) that like to race round. With the beach being relatively short, it's not overly hard to see the small ones. Nevertheless, if you're attending for a secluded spot to spend some romantic quality time with your other half, this is not for you. read more

Leadbetter Beach - Out route back. - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

What: - Family friendly beach - View of Santa Barbara Harbor More Info: - Free admission - Free parking; dedicated parking lot for the beach Being a family-friendly beach near the Santa Barbara Harbor, the Leadbetter Beach attracts a lot of crowd. The mellow beach tides also make it popular among surfers. It is a long sandy beach that stretches from Santa Barbara Harbor till the Leadbetter hills. Leadbetter hills as seen from the beach - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/leadbetter-beach-santa-barbara-2?select=b0pTw9ef_FYTTC7urBujfQ#b0pTw9ef_FYTTC7urBujfQ It is a nice place to spread your beach blankets and relax on the sandy beach or have a picnic. A stroll along the beach is a pleasant experience. While my friends were relaxing on the beach after a long day in Santa Barbara, I decided to stroll all the way till I reached the Santa Barbara harbor. Santa Barbara Harbor, seen from one end of the Leadbetter Beach - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/leadbetter-beach-santa-barbara-2?select=b0pTw9ef_FYTTC7urBujfQ#kp4XWMSXg9nB5V_gnrJ8zg Kids playing with their sand kits, families taking pictures, people ambling along the harbor and sunbathing are a common sight in this beach. There is not too much to do here, we just wanted to hang loose at the beach and this just served our purpose. A yatch sailing on the beach - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/leadbetter-beach-santa-barbara-2?select=b0pTw9ef_FYTTC7urBujfQ#BF6B8-jrTaZJnlve5Balfg read more

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I do agree with Joan H. this is one of the more crowded beaches but it's because of the location and how much they cater to crowds. They have lots of picnic tables, bathrooms, and parking for people to use. We came here to see this beach and it was a very sunny and beautiful day. This beach would be great for groups and kids because it caters to them. I really liked this beach and would come here again but if you're looking for something more low key I would not choose this beach. read more

I like this beach. The sand is good, but there is a by of seaweed due to high tide. It doesn't smell bad, but the water is a bit murky at times. Parking isn't so great if you don't plan it and it can get a bit busy. Still, it's a solid option when you're looking for sun and sands. One thing...saltwater SUP can be dangerous! I had my behind handed to me trying to get it out there on my own...toppled and terrorized. I had no idea that the waves came in irregular and thus did not judge the break well. I had a nice male bystander offer to help me finally get out there. I suggest if to your first time SUPing on this beach get some help and know the waves are irregular. read more

Leadbetter Beach - The beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Great beach. Come here early if you want parking. Although we did come during peak August and stayed through the day for $12. Plenty of parking not sure if it just wasn't busy or not like the crowded beaches of Santa Monica. The Shoreline cafe is right there. You can use theirs bathroom which is nice. You can stop in and have a drink but can't bring to the beach. Clean, not a long walk to water but the water itself is a bit muddy. read more

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Amazingly, gorgeous and stunning Southern California coastline. On thanksgiving weekend, 2018, this beach offered a peaceful, serene and quiet escape to the beach. It was clean and had plenty of parking. The sunset was beautiful and there are coves that help shelter you from the wind on breezy days. read more

I'm writing this during Covid times so I'm not sure what this place is like in normal times. Parking was wide open. We arrived at 9am but even by 12:30 there still were plenty of spaces. Our rv fit in a normal space but there are also oversized spaces available. You pay at the kiosk and put a tag on your dash. This beach is a melting pot. Young, old, families, couples, and homeless. The picnic tables are quarantined off but several people were still sitting inside the temporary fences. This beach has a grass area but the grass is not healthy and watch where you step as people have not picked up after there dogs. The sand has a lot of debris from the ocean and other plant life. Set up chairs on the sand. Cool wind here. I didn't notice until we biked south on Shoreline and it felt so much warmer. 4 for amenities, parking and location. 3 for the beach itself. Around 3 pm on this Sunday, it became quite crowded. Shoreline Cafe is an easy walk and you have my favorite Brophys at the other end of the parking lot. You can hop on the bike path and go either direction for a nice ride. read more

Leadbetter Beach - RV at the beach and the quarantined picnic seats - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Beach was a good place to relax after hitting up some wine tasting rooms in Santa Barbara, being about a mile or so away. We went on one of the quieter days so there weren't too many people around. Perfect for watching some kitesurfing (plenty of that going on) and we even had a few dolphin sightings. Lots of dried seaweed (and bugs around the seaweed) that you pretty much have to cross if you want to get into the water. Good parking and clean restrooms. Showers also available, if you don't mind washing off around bums. read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Love being able to walk across the street from SBCC to take a walk or jog along Leadbetter to the Mesa or to the Wharf or Harbor! This is a great beach to also bring a book, pull up.a chair or towel.and sun bathe. There aren't many waves so if you want to do ocean swimming or just wade in the water this is the spot! read more

Leadbetter Beach - Beaches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Enjoyed a nice job back and further the cafe is great and they have picnic areas with bbq pits. They have people wind surfing and it's a clean beach not a lot of homeless. They have some volleyball putts and a water way that runs into a little river. We love coming here dogs are allowed and I just love the beach honestly any beach I can hear the waves crash and take a nice barefoot jog is a ok with me - I was surprised how crowded it is, though. read more

This was a nice beach. You pay to park at a little kiosk. It was $10 for the day. There is a restroom and small restaurant.

This is a perfect, easy to access local beach walkable from several hotels. It was clean, with no seaweed/rocks to disrupt my swim, and lots of affordable parking! Love it. read more

Super cute beach , windy so nice to Watch the wind surfers . The restaurant on the beach is really good food , reasonably priced and tasty . We sat inside and could see the beach well right by sand . Dog friendly for our pup . Great pit stop & place to eat with your dog ! read more

Leadbetter Beach is one of the more crowded beaches in Santa Barbara. It is located right near the harbor and is usually packed with lots of tourists and families. There is plenty of parking in the lot nearby. The free lot allows up to 90 minutes, or you can choose to pay for parking and stay as long as you want. Shoreline Cafe is close by if you get hungry or want a scoop or two of ice cream for a snack. And there are plenty of restrooms and shower facilities for you to use if needed. We headed here for a day of fun in the sun, and there was a rowing competition which was really fun to watch. But with all of the people who beat us there, there wasn't much room for all of us to play volleyball or Frisbee. There was also a lot of washed up seaweed, and we were too lazy to pick it up so we decided to head over to East Beach. Overall, Leadbetter is a great beach, but really.. what beach isn't? read more

We hosted a 80-ish person BBQ at the large picnic area at the end of Leadbetter--what a great spot for friends and family to gather! There are approximately 12 or so large tables, plenty of space for lawn games, and a shaded area under the big palm trees. The concrete picnic area is adjacent to the sand, so unlike Shoreline park (which has particularly amazing views and a playground), Leadbetter provides easy access to the sand. The restrooms are a tiny bit of a walk down the parking lot - about midway next to Shoreline Cafe. Parking is a few bucks an hour, but you could definitely walk down from downtown or take an Uber. We also used a Bose Bluetooth speaker to play music which was plenty loud for guests to enjoy. So how do you throw an amazing party here? Contact SB Parks and Recreation and ask them to reserve the spot. The reservation covers the entire day and allows you to bring alcohol as long as it's not in glass. We had a catering company bring a trailer BBQ - something like this you arrange with the Parking Authority. In retrospect, it was all very simple and I think I worried way too much before hand. For wedding events, birthday parties, etc...this is an awesome spot. Please, remember to clean up your mess and keep Santa Barbara beautiful! read more

I was coming to Santa Barbara for an orchid show and decided to devote some time to the beach. I did a quick Google search and found a ton of places that people have recommended but this one came out on top. When I initially plugged it into the GPS and found the parking lot I was disappointed because there was really not beach around. It was a cliff walk, a nice one with a gorgeous view with a park and all. Then I saw it... the staircase that went down. People were coming back up wet in bathing suits so I knew that this was the location. We went down and found this tiny strip of beach (high tide at the time) where people had managed to plant themselves. Not nearly as busy as the beach down the road and was a nice little secluded area that people have devoted their afternoon to. All in all, a great little find. It's about a 40 min walk from the main downtown so I opted to drive rather than walk but definitely doable. Plenty of parking and we came on a Saturday afternoon. Loved it! read more

We meant to go to the beach "next door", but my husband walked the wrong way and we ended up here. With a 4 year old in tow, we were not going to backtrack - although we should have. The end of the beach where we were had lots of flies and clumps of seaweed everywhere. There were 2 dead lobsters surrounded by flies as well. Although not the worst that I have seen, it definitely was not nearly the best. The sand was nice - not rocky or anything - it just needed to have seaweed and the like picked up. The water seemed cleaned and my son and husband sat in the waves while watching a stork dive for fish over and over. I won't be back to this particular beach, but I do look forward to other Santa Barbara beaches in the future. read more