Santa Barbara is known as the “American Riviera” with its beaches, shopping, and leisure lifestyle. Not only does it have gorgeous Spanish Colonial architecture, there is much to do to keep you busy or relaxed for a nice getaway.
Stay
We stayed at Ramada By Wyndham Santa Barbara during our visit. We loved their beautiful lush tropical gardens and lagoons that most of the rooms looked out on. Once we stepped out onto our patio we were able to see the ducks, turtles, and koi fish in the garden along with the running water of the fountains that made the whole feeling very relaxing. Their service was very friendly and helpful and the location was very accessible off the freeway with their own parking lot.
Eat
We love our noodles and Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar was a must visit. They are located in the Santa Barbara Public Market and serve Thai comfort street food. Sit at the noodle bar or get your food to go to enjoy at one of the tables in the market, at the park or beach, or take home.
We had a delicious brunch at Convivo which is located in the Santa Barbara Inn across for East Beach. They focus on “nomad Italian” food and have a great patio with views of the ocean. They serve Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner every day with delicious and unique items such as their Seaweed Malfadine pasta.
Sachi Ramen & Robata Bar is the perfect place to grab a quick and casual meal. Located in downtown Santa Barbara they have indoor and outdoor seating options and has a big menu full of appetizers, robata, salads, rolls, ramen, soups, and rice bowls. We enjoyed their Spicy Chasu Black Garlic Oil Ramen and their Soft Shell Crab Miso Ramen made with bone broth cooked for 48 hours!
Be sure to stop by The Andersen’s Bakery which has been a Santa Barbara staple for over 40 years. They are a local, women- owned Danish Bakery that bakes many traditional Danish pastries and meals. They provide freshly prepared breakfast and lunch boxes that you can pick up as well as specialty box kits with their High Tea To-Go and Weekend Brunch To-Go.
Ice cream is always a good idea so don’t forget to stop by the downtown Santa Barbara location for McConnell’s Ice Cream. They make all their ice cream, cookie pieces, chocolate swirls, and jams in house from scratch at their family owned and operated Dairy. They have been making ice cream for over 70 years with the finest local ingredients. They also ship their ice cream nationwide through their website!
Do
What’s an ocean side vacation if you don’t get on a boat? Celebration Cruises Santa Barbara has a number of different cruise options. We decided to do a short ride on their water taxi Lil Toot which takes you between the Santa Barbara Harbor and Stearns Wharf. You can also do a private charter of Lil Toot which would be perfect for kid’s parties.
A great way to enjoy the ocean air is to rent a Surrey from Wheel Fun Rentals Santa Barbara. The surreys come in two sizes and they also rent other types of bikes, e-bikes, cruisers, kid bikes, and even roller blades. Santa Barbara has a beach front bike path that is perfect for riding easily and safely.
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