My first ever drive-in experience & I'm a convert. Loved it! Super fun, completely novel…read more We bought our tickets for the show & headed on in. $17 for two of us. It's laid out with dirt mounds so you can pull up on the mound & have the hood raised up a bit to see over cars in front of you. We went for the 9:30 showing - it was dark. They have trash cans placed between parking spaces so you can easily dispose of your trash afterwards. We walked over to the snack bar to get some mouth watering treats and left super psyched with their popcorn. It was fresh, hot and delicious. Yum! The movie, Venom, was awesome & the whole experience was fun. A lot of people had air mattresses in the back of their pickups or brought out folding chairs to enjoy the flick. If you've never been to a drive in movie theater I really recommend it. It's campy & a throwback experience.

Nice option for cheaper movie experience in the comfort of your car. Sound is OK since it's…read moretransmitted to your radio. Video is OK since projector and screen are not latest and greatest. One problem I have with the theater is they show kids movies at 11PM and rates R movies go first around 8PM, which is when you would want to take your kids. Not a great movie schedule for families with little kids.

Deltopia is fine I guess, it used to be a lot better. It's basically just a bunch of drunk college…read morekids doing dumb things like keg stands and falling off cliffs. Lots going on, definitely a weekend to remember. Be careful though, because the out-of-towners are WACK.

Signed up for a hand-built bowl making workshop and loved every bit of it. Our instructor was Elise…read moreArnold and she did a great job teaching us the basics and sharing many techniques and tips along the way! She had a lot of options for us with regard to the shapes we wanted to build. The price point is decent - although a bit on the pricier side, but so is everything in SB/Goleta! :) Would highly recommend this place to anyone wanting to try hand-building/pottery. I'm definitely going back there.

I watched too much Great Pottery Throw Down and had to give it a whirl, but where? Fortunately, I…read moreencountered this really amazing resource in Santa Barbara. They have pottery wheels, benches, glazes and kilns plus classes and workshops so you can learn how to do pottery. It is harder than it looks but worth the effort. I can finally center my clay! Yay, I got it, my second time through a Wheel I class. You need to try things a few times to get them, at least I do. I big thanks to Jared for his teaching. Now on to opening the clay . . . learning could take a while. Still, if you have any interest in pottery, you are lucky to live in Santa Barbara. As for the workshops, we tried the Raku Workshop and it was awesome. I don't think you can go too far wrong with that as you don't have to make the bisqueware. Listen to me using pottery lingo. Anyway, you can buy a pot to glaze and the Raku drama is available. So fun!

I am lame and didn't make much conversation, but the bartenders made great drinks. I stopped in for…read moreone and left after my third. Good jazz music playing, dark, clean. Great bar!

This place is my oasis; whenever Monday hands my ass to me, I can recharge here. Josh is a rum…read morewizard, and all the staff is super warm and make you feel at home. Low lights, rad music, mellow crowd, hidden gem of a patio- it's the best.

For a low key family-friendly adventure, this is a lovely option. This past Saturday, while we…read morewere taking care of 6 year old Sweet Granddaughter, we decided to escape the steamy San Fernando Valley and head to Santa Barbara. After lunch in Carpinteria, I suggested going to the railroad museum, where we'd taken SG's older brother when he was young. He was always a train enthusiast. Little sister, not as much, so she initially was grumbling about this choice of destination. Once we got there though, she was okay with the venue. It was still pretty warm even in Goleta, so we spent our time in shady spots around the property mostly. There didn't seem to be too many other guests around, and we enjoyed having the place mostly to ourselves. We checked into the gift shop building to buy our tickets for the train ride. The engineer and conductor were sitting inside with the air conditioning in between anyone asking for a ride. $9 for three tickets - such a great deal for a 13 minute round trip! While we waited for our train ride adventure, we enjoyed lawn games. They had corn hole toss and another game with bolo-like balls on rope. You stand back and toss the ropes toward a stand with three cross bars. The idea is to have the right arc on the throw that the rope lands on the cross bar, and the lightweight balls spin around the bar to secure the landing. Follow-through is key! Fun little challenge. Then it was time for our ride on the mini train. The track winds around the western side of the property, overlooking various historic railroad buildings and train cars, like the Goleta Depot and a Southern Pacific caboose. Two loops are made, with variations on the track layout. Various trees help add shade, and there are some unique plants along the route. The miniature Jurassic playground area brought smiles. The second loop also brought some cooler air hitting our faces, which was welcome. I checked out the interior of the vintage depot building, which has some interesting models to observe in the historic setting. Overall, our visit was a highlight of our pleasant day out together.

Miniature train enthusiasts must go here!!! This museum has a short line train for children and…read moreadults who love trains! It. Is a small but quaint and interesting place to go and explore. The grounds are beautiful and it has free clean bathrooms ( I'm always on the lookout for a free clean bathroom)

Our experience was so awesome! The manager Danny went out of his way to make my boyfriend and I…read morefeel special and welcome. He checked in on us to make sure we were having a good time & everything was going smoothly. The reviews for this place should be higher!! Great experience and 100% will be back.

Rachel is so helpful. My son and I are always greeted with a positive attitude. The gaming…read moreexperience at bolero second to none.

I came here for a party hosted by my work, and it was so much fun! The staff was really nice! This…read morewas my first time ice skating, and it seems like they get a lot of first timers. They were really encouraging and helpful! The party room was not huge, but definitely had a fun, lively atmosphere! There was also a parents night out/kids event in the other rink which is smaller. Yes, they have two rinks! I will definitely be bringing my daughter next time!

Wow. What a great place. I almost don't want to write this review and gatekeep this spot for fear…read morethat it'll be swamped by crowds, but honestly everyone should know about it! It's a great place to skate for all ages, from tiny tots (who they have small ice walkers for) to college students (who they have free ice skate rentals for on Tuesday's at 7) to adults (great date idea if at least one of you has firm footing on ice). We went on Tuesday as College Night attendees, and luckily for us, it was also Taco Tuesday!! Val, one of the guys working the Rinkside Cafe, makes birria tacos and they're absolutely delicious. Completely surpassed my expectations for an ice rink cafe taco for sure. Warm, cheesy, umami delight. A huge reward after falling on the freezing cold ice while sliding around on skates. The veggie taco is also pretty good; a nice complement to all the heavier dairy and meat. Definitely come check this place out, both for the recreation and for the food!

One of Goleta's best hidden gems…read more I have memories of the pre-Girsh Park days when the Goleta Lemon Festivals were held here. It was a real authentic, old-time experience you just can't find anywhere else in the area. I've been here for a few weddings and a few company picnics, along with just casually perusing the lovely grounds on my own. There is a decent parking lot which I've never seen filled up unless there's some sort of event. The whole place gives off a peaceful, whimsical vibe with the towering trees, greenery, and ancient architecture. It's especially beautiful when there's a slight breeze and you can hear the gentle rustling of the abundant vegetation. The venue also offers a limited-hours visitor's center which I'd compare to a small museum. One can find old documents of Goleta's history along with collectible memorabilia and art for sale. If you're looking to see some well-preserved Good Land history, check this place out!

We've been to Stow House several times. First was maybe five or six years ago. We were able to…read moretake a tour of the inside of the historic home at that time. That was before we discovered the "Passport 2 History" program. When we did get the Passport and reviewed which spots were in it, I was glad to see this property listed, as an incentive to go back. We made a return visit two months ago, on a warm Saturday afternoon. It was lovely to see the vintage architecture spotlighted against a brilliant autumn sky. Warmer than usual, with no wind, it was a great time to be at the property. There was a young woman covering the gift shop. She told us that while the grounds were open, they weren't able to offer tours of the house that day. "Shortage of docents". I don't know the situation with who currently owns / runs the house - is it a foundation, the City, the County? Many historic properties were deeded by descendants of original owners to local municipalities to be shared with the public going forward. I'm sure that it's a challenge for any legacy property like this to get enough docents lined up, trained, and scheduled. They would mostly be volunteers, after all. While it was disappointing to not revisit the interior of the mansion, we did collect out P2H sticker, then spent time wandering the grounds. That was something we hadn't done previously. The lawn areas and mature palm trees are serene and beautiful. Going around the perimeter of the main house yielded new views I don't recall before. We snapped some photos, then adjourned to the train museum next door. The next time we're in the area, we'll call ahead to see if they are offering tours that day. Might be wise to do the same!

"When life gives you lemons...head to Goleta!" The Goleta…read moreLemon Festival is the 'biggest' celebration in our small town. Goleta hosts this festival to showcase its rich agricultural history when it became a highly prominent lemon growing center with a thriving packing industry. Visit the Stowe House and Rancho Patera to learn more about this. If you glance into the surrounding foothills, you'll see many short trees with the perfectly round and fragrant yellow fruit. Here at the festival you can purchase all things lemon or lemon-flavored including: beer, pie, churros, bundt cakes, pie, lemonade and more. This family-friendly festival takes place in Goleta's Girsh Park usually the last week in September. Parking can be a bit tricky but if you're comfortable walking, park at the nearby strip malls. There are a lot (around 80) of local businesses and vendors selling merchandise and a classic car show. Cash is great to have on hand. A large kids activity area and carnival rides are also available. For adults, there is a beer tent near a stage for live bands. The end of September is the perfect time for an outdoor festival under the sun. Personally, I prefer Carpinteria's Avocado Festival. Shh!

My friends and I had a great time! (We insist on having fun when we go out!!) We drank beer... ate…read morefood, and danced. The weather was great. (A bit windy on Sunday) For sure they could of had more lemon themed foods, but the food that we ate was good. Some of it was typical food that you find at a fair... funnel cake... deep fried items, etc. They also had a great local gourmet ice cream! (Rori's) My friend's kid had a great time. We will be back next year for more beer... food... dancing... and fun.

I am so happy that I joined this sorority at University California of Santa Barbara (UCSB)…read more I thought I never would be into the whole sorority thing but I had a Gphi in one of my classes and she mentioned something about going through Rush. My mom really wanted me to expand out of my circle to meet more people so she paid for it. And talk about being a DIVERSE group. UCSB is known to be predominantly Caucasian but this house had EVERYONE. So I through this week of rush where you go to all the different houses, meet the many many girls, in heels, trying to remember everyone's names and figure out which house is for you. On my final night it was between Tri Delta and Gamma Phi beta and I knew that if I didn't get Gphi I wouldn't even go through the whole sorority thing- I just knew this has to be it... and it was! We also had an amazing Sorority Advisor named Lois Abbott that had been with the house since opening the doors in 1983! Talk about commitment. Of course she was a Gphi too at San Jose State. :) Here goes my 3 years of adventure with Gamma Phi Beta. I graduated in 2007 and my best friends that I talk to everyday were in this sorority with me. I lived in the house for 2 years first in a 4 person room and my senior year with 2 different girls. Yes people say that you don't need to join the Greek system when you go to UCSB because the social life is going to be amazing anyway but it just opens up so many more doors in the long term. I have been able to network and get my foot in the door by being Greek. Its so neat to go through traditions that were long established in our case from Syracuse in November 11, 1874- Yes it is ingrained in your brain forever! Some of the roles I had there were: - Big Sis/ Lil Sis coordinator - Executive Board- as recording secretary - Song Chair - In charge of making a yearbook of my senior year! There are some of the events that I got to be a part of college and I have all the pictures on facebook to prove it! - Bid Day - Pancake Breakfast - Monday night dinners -Rush - Pre Rush - Pref Night - all the socials with the frat houses - all the sporting events with the other Greek houses - senior house on DP I can go on and on and on about how great it but I want people to know don't let those preconceived notions of what the Greek system is deter you from trying it out. I am going to be living with my sorority sister later this year and I am attending another's one wedding in April. Talk about sisterhood. :) I love the Crescent moon!