What a cute yet sophisticated town. It's a little gem away from the busy Santa Barbara and the…read moresnooty Montecito. Young and old seem to populate this quaint city. A nice place to escape the hustle and bustle.

ROUGH LITTLE TOWN w/ GREAT Views! Carpintería is a neat seaside town with smooth roads and a…read morestretch of road that takes you down the Pacific Coast Highway. It's on the way to Santa Barbara and an affordable option if you don't want to stay in Santa Barbara proper! I haven't stayed here but I've seen local listings and it's not too bad. My only suggestion is that some of the homes and surrounding structures need to a touch up or full remodel. The salt air has wrecked some of these homes and structures, so the municipality needs to get on it!

Camping here requires a reservation a couple months in advance, make sure to plan accordingly for…read moremajor holidays as it fills up quick months in advance, we stayed a couple nights and it is peaceful and lovely. The amenities include some good showers with hot water, pick up coins at the entrance before setting up. Restrooms available as well, take something to clean the seats, sometimes people leave a little mess, but overall the cleanliness is good for a campsite restroom/shower.. Great town for bike riding and some hiking along the coast. Weather can be a bit unpredictable, sometimes really windy sometimes calm, gets cold at night. If you prepare with care, the campsites are an awesome time, the beach can get windy and cold, check the weather.

Beautiful beach in Santa Barbara county. There is state beach parking for $10, but there's also…read morefree street parking right next to the beach, although it's limited to two hours. There's a nice wooded walk way that runs along the entire beach right next to the sand. You can also camp out there. A great spot to spend the day, and night.

Unsuspecting spot, empty when we got there w/ lots of open space inside on 9/12/25 morning... but…read moreit's a GEM. So good, so flavorful, w/ generous portions and lots of seafood. Helpful staff. FETTUCCINE w/ SHRIMP $16.95 Tiger shrimp, mushrooms, scallions, light cream, sherry wine, garlic LINGUINE $17.95 Green and white linguine, tiger shrimp, bay scallops, mushrooms, green onions, white wine, light marinara, crushed red pepper

Wow the portions are huge, food is flavorful, and our to go order was piping hot when we picked it…read moreup. Kids ate up the spaghetti without complaint, adults enjoyed the lasagna, tortellini, and linguini. Each meal came with bread so we happily ended up with a huge bag of leftover toasted buttered bread. The star of the show was the linguini bursting with shrimp and scallops. Worth a train ride from LA for that alone (and a bag of bread).

Great service. Felt like family. Food was outstanding. The whole place was wonderful. They were…read morebusy when we got there but still took care of us. Beautiful restaurant.

Hubs and I dropped into Giannfranco's Trattoria about a hour before closing time on a weeknight…read more The front dining area was empty except for a table of four. The owner advised us that we can sit in the front dining area but kitchen and wait service might be slow due to the back patio being full of customers. I appreciated that she told us and we decided to stay. She had a lighthearted sense of humor as well. Luv her wit and authenticity. We told the waiter it was our first time here. Hubs ordered a drink and the meatball appetizer (meatballs with crostini) but asked to be brought out for dinner with my spaghetti and palette (meatballs). The waiter asked if we wanted bread. We said yes. He didn't suggest this as an added appetizer. He just asked if we wanted bread knowing it was our first time here. But we found out later when the bill came that it cost $15, priced more than the meatball appetizer. So for first timers, if you are asked if you would like some bread, it's $15. The bread was lightly buttered and slightly grilled and cut into 8 one inch pieces and served with a side of marinara. The meatball appetizer crostini looked similar to the bread in the other appetizer, and I believe the same marinara. My dish was tasty. The marinara had a subtle flavor along with the meatballs and spaghetti. Housemade authentic flavors. I'm totally apt to come back and try other menu items. They are located on Linden Avenue in downtown Carpinteria, a few blocks from the beach. The parking is free street parking.

Such a hidden gem of a beach. We stumbled upon it after randomly getting off the freeway. Passing…read morethe beautiful beach houses , there's an open area to park by the railroad. Walking across the railroad, the beautiful beach is kept hidden and beautiful. It was nice to come relax in the sun and hit the waters for a bit. It is NOT hard to find, don't be mislead by these reviews. There's also a surf store, a restaurant, and other stores going more down the road! Nice area.

Last month, on a weekday in the middle of summer, is when I dropped in to this beach known by…read moreseveral names... Santa Claus Beach (unofficial name) and Padaro Beach (offical name). It was so hectic to get to this beach due to all the road construction. And the beach was packed due to the various local children's summer camps and tourists. First, thing to note is the road construction. Possibly it's over by now. But when I visited, the road had no parking for the stretch right along the public access to the beach. It's free access and parking. The normal spots were taken by the construction crew and their equipment and materials. They were digging up the road. I saw a lot of folks parking in the road construction zone. The crew were calling tow trucks depending on where those cars were parked. Anyway, we parked really far away and hoofed it in while dodging dozers, street traffic, and construction crew. The access to the beach is limited to the open stretch where so happened the construction was occurring. Other access points are private property. Don't be tempted to cut through, it's illegal. Once you get to the public access area, you'll need to hike a wee bit of sandy elevation to cross the train tracks. Have your wits about while trekking near and on the tracks. Look both ways from afar and be ready to move to a safe distance if there is an incoming train. We ventured further to the far edges of the beach. The beach was clean. Sand was soft. Good vibes. Watch out at high tides if you venture to the far sides, the beach shrinks at high tide. And a rocky outcropping is beyond the sand. Plus there are no plumbed public restrooms, but I did see porta toilets.

First, the ambience is really cozy! It looks like an old farm house with mismatched chairs, dishes,…read moreetc. feels like visiting Grandma! Love it! We were greeted by Pierre, our server, and he's probably the best server we've had in a long time! He's young but has great people attitude! Now onto to the food... It was spectacular! We had different dishes and all were equally delicious- lasagna, puttanesca and chicken piccata! I am a California native and although I was raised in LA, I spent my summers in this area but haven't had a chance to discover this hidden gem. It is definitely a must try and you hopefully the ocean breeze, and Thario's Kitchen will remind you why life is good.

Oh my gosh, what is not to say about this amazing hidden gem, true farm table quality ingredients…read more The Chef is the owner and her husband is the front of the house concierge. Located, of course on one of my favorite Beaches so whether it's a walk before or after your lunch or dinner, you've really can't beat this place, but don't tell anyone! Cheers, Tobias 805realestateguy.com

we loveddddd our tour. soooo funn. best thing you can do in santa barbara is book this tour. and…read morerod was an awesome tour guide! great experience!

Went to the website and couldn't make a reservation. Tried calling them a few times, got no…read moreresponse. Voicemail not even set up. Emailed them and go no response. A few days later the website wasn't even functional. Tried DM-ing them on Instagram, but they don't take messages there either. Groupon wasn't helpful. I'm sure this place is a scam.

I spent the week in Santa Barbara and had the pleasure of attending a beautifully curated event by…read moreSanta Barbara Tours & Experiences! I also had the great joy of meeting the owner, Joseph. He's immensely personable and knowledgeable of the SB area and kindly shared some locals only recommendations for restaurants and sightseeing. Looking forward to visiting again to enjoy a food and sightseeing tour! Thanks again for helping me with a memorable week in Santa Barbara!

I discovered Santa Barbara Tours and Experiences when I was looking for different ways to discover…read moremy new hometown and I am so glad I did. Joseph was professional, knew his stuff, and made the tour a lot of fun. I look forward to the next one!