Santa Barbara
Southern California is blessed with
beaches up and down the coast so you have many options for a quick getaway. One
of my favorite day trips is to Santa Barbara(bahr-bruh). It’s only ninety(nahyn-tee)
miles and takes about an hour and half from Los Angeles without traffic. So it’s
close enough to be able to take the kids on a road trip or a great place to
plan a wedding(wed-ing).
There are many different ways to
get to Santa Barbara; train, bus or car. With popular(pop-yuh-ler) beaches, you
should arrive early to get a good spot on those hot summer days.
Santa Barbara has everything from
beautiful cafes on the coast to wine tasting and olive farms to enjoy. There
are more than 15 wine tasting rooms including Au Bon Climat, Margerum, and
Kunin to sample within walking distance. For those warm nights, you’ll probably
want to enjoy a meal on a patio breathing in the fresh ocean(oh-shuhn) air.
After dinner you can take a long stroll(strohl)
on State Street, a frequent spot for University of California at Santa Barbara college
students. State Street is one of those great
blocks that you will never forget with small fun shops in artistic overtones to
fancy restaurants and loads of great shopping. And don’t forget to sample the many
different varieties of local olives that Santa Barbara is famous for.
For the athletic(ath-let-ik) in
mind there are always bikes or kayaks(kahy-aks) to rent. The beautiful beaches
are filled with green grasses and lots of space to spread out. There are bike
paths along the coast. For the brave since Santa Barbara is surrounded by
Islands, there is kayaking, these islands can be visited by boat or kayak and
offer a fresh and exciting time.
For those that love flowers and
gardens you should not miss the Santa Barbara Botanical(buh-tan-i-kuhl)
Gardens. With more than 5 miles of trails and 78 acres of wildlife to see it is
a sanctuary that should not be missed. Where else can you go from Redwood Forests
to Yucca plants?
Santa Barbara is also filled with
many great farms(fahrm) who join together at the weekly farmer’s market to show
off their latest wares. You can find everything from fresh olives to fresh cheeses
to organic(awr-gan-ik) produce—great for those snacks later on.
For those that rather wheel around
you can easily rent bicycles for the day. You can ride up and down the Pier(peer),
then up to State Street and back down to ride up the coast on a beautiful path.
You can stop for lunch at The Shoreline park, a long beach of land overlooking
the ocean or ride all the way to the Mission(mish-uhn) rose garden with plenty
to explore.
If sailing is your passion, don’t
forget to visit the Santa Barbara sailing center, there you will find a helpful
staff that can direct you to a variety of guided tours and maps explaining the
rugged coast.
Santa Barbara is full of galleries
and plenty of folk(fohk) art. There are pottery stores and lots of artists. And
if you want to visit a great museum there is also the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
and the historic Courthouse to visit.
Finally, for dinner, there are so
many great restaurants to choose from, but I just gave up and went to one of my
favorite places, the Santa Barbara Shellfish(shel-fish) Co. on the pier. It may
look touristy and its upscale, but the food and service is excellent and the
giant fish tanks are fun to look at.
So for your next day off, pack some
sun lotion and, take a drive to Santa Barbara, it’s just a few hours away and
it will seem like another world(world), for all the family to enjoy.
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