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!

The knowledgeable and friendly staff at the Stow House ensured that our visit was both informative…read moreand enjoyable. They provided insightful details about the history of the house and its significance to the Goleta community, adding depth and meaning to my tour. Their passion for preserving the heritage of the Stow House was evident, and their commitment to its upkeep was truly appreciated. Inside the house, I was transported back in time as I wandered through the rooms filled with old furnishings and captivating artifacts. The attention to detail in preserving the authenticity of each room was impressive. I found myself envisioning the lives of the Stow family and the lives they used to live. Beforehand, we watched a show "Ghost Adventures" claiming the house was haunted and the stow family members may still live there, which kind of gave the tour a spooky touch. All in all, it is a great way to appreciate what it used to be like here in old town Goleta. Check it out!

We played a round here and had a really great time! Can't complain about the pace of play since we…read morerarely needed to wait for the group in front of us. It only slowed at the Par 3s but quickly picked up again. Shout out to the front desk, they were really helpful since it was our first time playing this course. We were fortunate to also be partnered with someone that played here many times so he gave us tips on where to aim. As other reviewers mentioned, it is a little pricey.

Glen Annie is a nice track w beautiful vistas. It's also hilly and can be challenging…read more challenging. It's fair and in B+ condition as of summer '25. It's one of those courses you want to play again, because you'd know better where to aim and what club you might better use. Maybe next year! It's next to a Goleta high school. We were out on a Friday morning, and so was the cheer squad and marching band, practicing for a game that night. We couldn't see them, but they sounded great on the other side of the hill and trees

The Goleta Valley Community Center is a great local venue for local concerts and other…read moreperformances. The center also has pickleball courts that are available to the community. These are few of the many activities and resources available which include opportunities for kids to seniors to partake in.

My senior band members and I have been volunteering /performing at the Senior Center for more than…read moreten years now. We feel so welcomed and so at home at this place. We enjoy singing oldies but goodies music to the delight of our senior friends. I'm personally grateful that we have this place available to fellowship with seniors. ( Thursdays from ten am to one pm). I am giving a commendation to Charles who manage the center and to Claudia who is the Activities Manager ( she is efficient and amiable). Now that the global pandemic is over, I call on fun loving and healthy seniors to come to GVCC senior center (after it's renovated) and have fun with us.

I had an excellent experience at the Roof Top Bistro & Bar. We came for the 4th of July to check…read moreout the New Vibe band. I was pleased to see that happy hour was still being offered despite the holiday. The menu offers a nice selection of bites and discounted drinks at great prices! For food, we ordered the carne asada flatbread, onion rings, garlic herb fries, and chicken wings. All of which were enjoyable! Although, I will mention that the carne asada had a slightly funny taste that wasn't very pleasing. It was tolerable, but could have been better. Despite that, the food was delicious. We also ordered the white chocolate & raspberry cheesecake. The cheesecake comes from the Cheesecake Factory! So, you know it's going to be good and it was. The presentation was beautiful as well. For drinks, I had the Prickly Pear margarita and Paloma. Both were well made and refreshing to drink. I love the rooftop vibes here! The layout is great and the views are amazing. More like Mountain View's, but still nice to be up high with sky views. There's also a restroom available, so you don't have to go downstairs. Our waitress Caitlyn was such a sweetheart throughout our visit. She had great recommendations and consistently checked on us. The music was great and it was good vibes all around! They have different bands that play here. Check out their website or instagram for more information on that. Overall, a lovely time was had and I would definitely come back here.

The atmosphere and view alone are reason enough to pay a visit. Located at the top of the Hilton…read moreGardens Inn gives an amazing 360 degree view of the Central Coast. The food and bar are well above standard and I cannot say enough about how delicious the menu varieties are having eaten here several times. The food will not disappoint!

Outstanding Service That Turned a Minor Hiccup into a Memorable Stay…read moreMy family and I had a wonderful weekend at the Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta. From the moment we arrived, the staff went above and beyond to ensure we had a comfortable and enjoyable stay. We had requested an upgrade, but it wasn't quite ready when we checked in after a long three-hour drive. I was quite tired and eager to settle in, but the team handled the situation with genuine care and professionalism. Molly at the front desk, along with a helpful gentleman (who I believe may have been a manager and who was wearing glasses that Saturday), personally took ownership of the situation. They worked quickly to make things right and did everything possible to accommodate us and get us into our room as soon as they could. Their kindness and attention to detail truly turned what could have been a frustrating moment into a non-issue. Molly stood out in particular. She remembered us the next morning and made a point to check in and see how our stay was going. That personal touch meant a lot. Both Molly and the gentleman on Saturday displayed excellent service, patience, and a real commitment to making guests feel valued. The rest of the staff was equally friendly and attentive throughout our stay. We truly appreciated the professionalism and warm hospitality shown by the entire team. We would gladly return to this hotel and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Santa Barbara area. Thank you, Molly, and the whole team at Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta ,you made our weekend special!!

I work in aviation industry and this was a business trip, where I convinced my whole crew to stay…read morehere because of the location, which is very nice. We had to suddenly shorten our stay and leave early. This hotel refused to understand the situation and billed us for an extra night even though we left before official checkout time. Staff was pointing fingers at each other while the GM was hiding in the back room and refusing to even come out to speak with us. First time in 6 years with Marriott we were treated like this. Assistant GM straight up told me that our Ambassador status means nothing at this property. If your plans have any chance of changing, stay away from this place. Never again. The second star is given only for the location. I have to remain positive, unlike these guys, right?

We hired SPARK for a corporate event at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farms. It is a unique venue for a…read morecorporate event because the location does not have wifi, has bad cell service, and has minimal electrical outlets.  SPARK provided a very detailed quote and included things I forgot to even mention or didn't know we needed. They're very familiar with the venues in the area. They worked well based on the budget we had. Alex and his team also went to the venue for a site visit where we discovered a huge echo in the venue. They were creative and worked on ways to fix it. They also made sure our video wall wouldn't have a glare and we would have shading for when the sun hit directly on the greenhouse. Alex was also great as we had a bunch of performers who needed additional A/V support. He reached out to them and knew exactly what they needed. The team spent hours and hours setting up. It really was a huge production. On the day of, everything was great! The wifi went smoothly and the on-site techs were helpful. One thing to note is that our event was not completely waterproof so when it rained between day 1 and 2, SPARK had to make a few adjustments as some outlets weren't functioning and there was water on some things. They did so quickly before guests arrived. The before & after pictures don't even show all the work put into this! Alex and his team should have been hired for Fyre Fest because they are amazing with producing great events no matter what difficulties there are.

Mind blowing, quite simply mind blowing! What Lani + team do is over the top creative and just…read morereally changes the whole event to an incredibly elegant soirée! And super fun!! I own pure joy catering and I have seen him transform 100's of basic spaces into...well look what he did last night!

Lovely space, excellent food Fair prices , great service…read moreWould definitely visit again

Jane's is my favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara my friends and I have been coming here over a…read moredecade. I always order their burgers or sandwiches with fries and their coconut cake. The best thing about this restaurant is their fries! I never had fries quite like there fries. Their fries are so crispy and is one of the main reasons why we come here. I would usually rate this restaurant 5 stars but after this recent visit I am giving 4 stars. They raised their prices and were extremely disappointed they cut the fries portion in half. Especially since this was one of the best things about this restaurant. I have attached a photo of eating here at Jane's and Aug 2025 and coming back 4 months later to be severed fries that is half the size. They now put the fries in a fry container to make it seem like it's more fries but once you put it on the plate it's such a small amount of fries. The second reason why we come here is for the coconut cake. The cake is always moist never dry when we order the cake however sometimes it can be a hit or miss with how much cake you will actually get. Because sometimes if you order the cake you will get a slice that has more cream and frosting and not as much of a cake layer. Not to mention they raised the price to $14 for a single slice of cake?! Which is so expensive. $14 is almost like ordering half a cake. I really hope that Jane's Restaurant can consider making these changes because their fries and coconut cake is what makes this restaurant amazing Service -Staff is always friendly Note: -They have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating -They are in the same plaza that has a few stores and other restaurants close by

I would like to be able to recommend this restaurant because it's very cute and the bartender was…read moreso friendly, but overall it was a disappointment. The food is so-so. I tried the Cali Hummus, shrimp quesadilla and chicken tacos while staying at the hotel the restaurant is in. The tacos were pretty good, but the pita bread with the hummus was burned and the quesadilla was lacking seasoning. The margarita on Margarita Monday was quite good though, so maybe just grab a drink before going elsewhere for food. The biggest problem though is that they don't open on time and the service is overall really spotty. One morning I was down for breakfast 30 mins after they should have opened and the front desk told me it could be 30 mins more because they were still waiting for someone to show up. The next time I tried to do breakfast they were open, but after standing around for a few minutes with nobody in sight, I decided to try something else. Fortunately there are some good options in walking distance. Sunshine cafe and Lighthouse coffee were both enjoyable.

Service was really good and the view was very peaceful. The outside patio has a nice view of the…read moremountain with palm trees and the pool. It made me think, this is the type of place I would have my family stay at if they were to visit. The last place we visited made me think I was getting burger week flavor fatigue... until Caya proved me wrong. Caya was our 5th burger of the day and WOWED me! This place was marked as "?" (we weren't sure if we really wanted to try it). Everything about the burger was cooked to perfection. The egg's yolk drips down the burger after you take your 1st bite, the flavor was a beautiful marriage in my mouth and the burger was juicy! At first I thought it was fat on the plate, but upon a closer look it was the burger juice (want to clarify it was not bloody). The jalapeños added a nice texture and slight heat, the chipotle was the perfect sauce for it. This burger is definitely worth trying for burger week!