Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara lies in southwestern California, on the Pacific Coast. Visiting Santa Barbara for a beautiful weekend not only makes your weekend memorable but also leaves an imprint on your mind and heart for a long time to come.

This is because of the citys perfect climate which gives rise to a number of attractions worth going to. From the long walk through the Santa Barbara Botanic gardens to view the beautiful flowers to the hiking trails in Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara is a unique experience. The wide stretches of clean blue beaches, the cool coastal breeze and the white sand, leave you awe-inspired.

The city is home to the University of California, Santa Barbara, Westmont College, Brooks Institute of Photography, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

The location of Santa Barbara owes greatly to the popularity and serenity of this city. It lies between a 3,000 foot tall mountain range and one of the quietest stretches of the Pacific Ocean. It is commonly believed that Santa Barbara is a place for the rich and famous.

However, in reality, people with average income and a diverse ethnic makeup and heritage reside here. This city is popular for preserving its traditions and roots and celebrates many festivals throughout the year in remembrance of the many cultures found here.

Culture
You can easily trace back Santa Barbaras heritage to the original missionaries and Spanish land grant ranchos. Santa Barbara thinks of itself as Spanish, rather than Hispanic or Mexican in origin. The urban design and architecture of Santa Barbara also show imprints of the Spanish Days.

The Experience of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is frequently referred to as the American Riviera, a land full of majestic breathtaking sites. Santa Barbara is known for its beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, colorful culture and warm hearted welcome to its visitors. This is why it is a wonderful choice for spending your holidays.

Santa Barbara enjoys remarkably consistent weather throughout the year and the ocean location makes it a perfect spot for year-round sea activities. People usually engage in the following activities when they visit Santa Barbara:

Museum of Natural History
A tour to the fine collections at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, or the Museum of Natural History will enrich the visitors with a great learning experience. The most popular among visitors is the grand Mission Santa Barbara. Exploring the galleries in this museum bring solace to the visitors, thus making this museum a worth visiting sight.

Beverly Hills North
This is a famous nearby town of Montecito, lying east of Santa Barbara. The hills that you see here are estates owned by celebrities and many important personals that prefer a secluded locality than Beverly Hills.

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
The famous University of California, Santa Barbara, lies on the ocean cliffs to the west. The campus is blessed with a beautiful view. This university has to its name, a huge number of Nobel Laureates. A successful research park surrounds the campus and the airport.

Parks
Santa Barbara is known for its numerous parks and wonderful natural places.Although the entire metro area is densely populated, but the abundance of parks give the city a green and serene look.

Shoreline Park
This long, narrow ocean-side park offers fabulous views of the harbor, the Islands and the mountains. Scattered parking and picnic facilities, as well as a small playground, make this a popular spot for family gatherings. People engage in various activities here such as walking, skating and playing Frisbee. Narrow wooden stairs to the beach take you to a secret tidal pool area. You will often see dolphins skimming through the surface of this park, adding ambiance to the environment. People bring their binoculars and gather around to catch a site of the whales swimming through deep waters.

Mission Rose Garden
Directly across from the Mission, this park offers over a thousand different varieties of well-tended roses, a bubbling fountain and exquisite views of the mountains and city. There is also a large grassy area perfect for lounging in the sun or tossing a Frisbee. The surrounding homes are of historical importance - meaning most of them are real Spanish colonial, not neo-colonial - and give the area a distinctly authentic feel.

Activity Guide
Santa Barbara and the surrounding area have loads of activities, many restaurants and seasonal events for families of all ages.

Trolley Tours
These trolley tours take you on a fully narrated ride of Santa Barbara. These open air trolley cars stop at all major attraction spots for shopping and dining, giving you an opportunity to discover the enchanting paradise on earth. Each of the stops have been carefully selected for their exceptional entertaining, dining, shopping or historical significance.

Whale Watching
Santa Barbara is an excellent location for whale watching. The city is on a southern facing coast and sheltered behind the Channel Islands. It offers you a fabulous opportunity to witness the migration of the gray whales, as well as spot other species of the large marine mammals.

Over 27 different types of whales and dolphins inhabit the Santa Barbara Channel at various times of the year, making these waters, one of the best whale watching areas in the world. All season long, you have an excellent chance of seeing dolphins, seals and sea lions.

Wheel Fun Bike Rentals
You can enjoy and sightsee the city on a fleet of unique vehicles. These bikes are rented, thus giving you a touch of exercise in addition to sightseeing.

Kayaking
Plan a kayaking tour to visit the sea lions resting on a buoy outside of Santa Barbara Harbor, near the end of Stearns Wharf. Santa Barbara offers guided kayak tours of the harbor including lunch at a secluded resort.

Beaches & Surfing
The city has an abundance of sand, surf and sun. Santa Barbara County has some of the best surfing opportunities in the entire California. Rincon Point is a popular surf spot among youngsters who are crazy about surfing.

Seafood
For a fresh and delicious seafood dinner, the restaurants on Stearns Wharf offer cuisine with a view. Stearns Wharf, is also a great place to buy Santa Barbara souvenirs.

You can also rent bikes across the street and ride along the paved bike paths that run along the beaches and marinas.

Conclusion
Like San Jose and other nearby communities, Santa Barbara has 300 sunny days a year and only 15 inches of rain. However, fortunately, Santa Barbara is blessed with gentle ocean breeze all year round and there is no humidity. Indeed a heaven on earth.

In short, there are a great deal of good hotels, resorts, motels and many other exciting places where you can not only stay but enjoy the beautiful nature which surrounds you. Most of the hotels offer good deals wherein you can stick to your budget while surrendering yourselves to the natural beauty.

The after effect of such surrender is a wonderful experience of lifetime which surely prepares you for the hectic schedules back home. This place is an ideal choice to make for your vacations. The land full of exciting promises is waiting for your arrival to embrace you in its cozy surroundings.