We decided to stop by Los Olivos since it's only a short drive from Solvang, and I'm really glad we…read moredid. It's a small town, but it has such a peaceful and relaxing vibe that it's easy to spend a couple of hours just wandering around. Downtown is full of wine tasting rooms, and while we were there, a few places even had live music for people enjoying a glass of wine outside. Even if wine isn't your thing, it's still a fun place to explore. There are cute boutiques, local art galleries, and small specialty shops that give the town a lot of personality. My favorite part was how quiet everything felt. Nobody seemed to be in a rush. People were simply sitting outside, chatting, listening to music, and enjoying the afternoon. It was a nice change of pace from the busier tourist spots. Since it's so close to Solvang, it's an easy stop if you're already in the area. We ended up staying longer than we planned because it was such a pleasant place to walk around. If we're back this way again, I'd happily spend another afternoon here.

Wow! Like we stumbled upon the perfect street of trendy beautiful shops of children's clothing,…read moresnacks, wine tasting and more. More modern by centuries than Los Alamos with lots of wine tasting, restaurants and shopping. We entered several stores and I pretty much found and bought things from each one.

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!

This little street is Santa Barbara's oldest. It is stop #9 on the Red Tile Walking Tour.read more

When our grandson was younger, there was a weekend when we wanted to take him to Solvang. All the…read morereasonable lodging options were booked, so we expanded the search to Lompoc. Ended up staying at the Embassy Suites for more room, more food, and an all-around better hotel experience than we would have had for 25% more (at least!) in Solvang. I still have fond memories of that trip, and it's lead to a general positive impression of Lompoc. My current impression is that the small-ish town owes it's economy to a mixture of agribusiness, plus proximity to Vandenburg Space Force's base. Military and agriculture spending help keep Lompoc alive, but there are other reasons to consider a visit. Long known for their flower fields, the location in a scenic Central Coast valley setting offers a get-away-from-it-all feel. I've never been to the nearby beaches, but they are available. Wine country is also close at hand. In town, especially in the history Old Town section, hand-painted murals beautify many of the venerable buildings. Some people may decry that there's not a lot to do, but from what I've read, that would be the case if you only wanted to stay inside. There are many outdoor activities to pursue in and around the area. Independent shops and restaurants may not be as plentiful as in Solvang, but they do exist to explore. One of the restored missions is close at hand, along with a killer golf course - La Purisima. We came and went fairly quickly on our last drive through, but I would plan a longer visit the next time. Maybe when the flower fields are showing off Spring color.

I've visited Lompoc a few times over the year but never realized it has a charming side of this…read morerural town about an hour northeast of Santa Barbara. It's easy to see the somewhat rundown neighborhood and antiquated stores on the streets. But after I did a little more research I found a nice AirBnB on a farm (Dare 2 Dream farm), a fantastic eatery ( Eye on I), an idyllic coffee shot (Southside Coffee) and beautiful scenery all around. The La Purisima Mission is just gorgeous and a great place to spend a few hours or half a day wondering. Would recommend this town for anyone who wants to relax and enjoy nature but still stay reasonably close to civilization.

Every time I visit Santa Barbara, I always like coming back to Stearns Wharf. The first 90 minutes…read moreof parking are free, but I usually stay at a hotel nearby, so it's only a few minutes' walk for me to get here. There are many restaurants around Stearns Wharf, from places on the pier to restaurants along the street, so you have plenty of choices. There are also souvenir shops and ice cream shops, which makes it a nice place to walk around. The restrooms are conveniently located near the entrance, close to the souvenir shops. I've been here both in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning, it feels quieter, with fewer people around and a more peaceful atmosphere. In the afternoon, it gets much busier, but the sunset views are absolutely beautiful. On weekends, finding parking can be very difficult because there aren't many spaces available. In my experience, it's easier to find parking farther away and walk over instead of trying to park right near the wharf. There is also a small aquarium here. It's cute and you can easily spend about an hour inside, especially if you're visiting with young kids. It's a nice place to stop by while spending time at Stearns Wharf.

I absolutely LOVE Santa Barbara and this wharf/pier area. We have been coming here for years and…read moreenjoying the beauty and tranquility of the ocean and its surroundings. My son and I came here yesterday around 5:30pm and found street parking about a 10-15 minute walk away from the entrance. It can get very crowded during the day with no parking spaces available, but luckily we found one. Even the walk there was beautiful, with the ocean in the distance and the smell of seawater in the air. There are restrooms right at the entrance which were pretty dirty, as expected from a beach restroom. Once you walk up the pier, there are several shops, restaurants and relaxation areas where you can just chill and enjoy the stunning views of the ocean. You can come here solo, on a date, with your kids, dogs, anyone! It's a perfect place for anyone who enjoys the beach/ocean. We didn't see anyone swimming, but there were plenty of people walking around. After some walking around and chatting with fellow tourists ourselves, we went to the back corner of the pier where we watched the sunset. It was such an extraordinary sight to see, right on one of my favorite beaches. I forgot to mention you can of course park on the pier itself. The first 90min are free and it's $4 per hour after that. Thank you, Santa Barbara, for another beautiful trip.

Beautiful work and you can talk to the actual artists and makers. Amazing venue...nothing like the…read morebeauty, weather and underlying excitement in the air here!

One of my favorite things to do in Santa Barbara! Lots of local vendors with unique pieces of artread more

If you love browsing and buying objects found in antique stores you might find this town lovely…read more Like stepping into a Time Machine and entering the 1800s. Sleepy town with remnants of the past to be cherished. Way before my time but items that held a lot of interest. Friendly shop keepers in two of the antique stores we visited. The first one had beautiful art pieces, enjoyable background music to wander the organized sections of bric a brac and interest worthy objects. I told the two ladies their shop was great and I liked the music. They recommended I walk through side door and follow the path to the huge Antique store in the back. Don't be fooled like us. From the road it looked closed but if you go further in the back to the left is their entrance. I bought a card from the first store and two miniature buildings for my Christmas village display I put up once a year. The lady who rang me up in the second store smiled and said Opera House to one of my findings. When I was very young and watched Twilight Zone I used to be scared of purchasing things belonging to someone unknown to me but in recent years I am intrigued and have sage and fools gold in my house for cleansing.

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.