Santa Barbara ​

Central CoastCity·Santa Barbara County, CA
~92KPopulation
Year-RoundSeason
70°FAvg Temp
~1.5 hrsFrom LA

Santa Barbara earned the "American Riviera" nickname and honestly, it's not wrong. Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, east-facing beaches (a rarity on the CA coast), and a wine scene in the Santa Ynez Valley and the Funk Zone that punches way above its weight. Stearns Wharf, the Mission, and State Street are the tourist circuit, but the real charm is in the smaller details — the Saturday farmers market on lower State Street, sunset from Shoreline Park, and the Funk Zone's tasting rooms where you can sample Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir without the pretension.

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Good to Know ​

Wine: The Funk Zone downtown has walkable tasting rooms. Santa Ynez Valley (30 min drive) for the full vineyard experience — yes, the Sideways movie was set here.

Beaches Face South: Santa Barbara's coastline faces south, not west. Sunsets are over the mountains, not the ocean. Sunrises over the water though.

101 Traffic: Friday afternoon LA-to-SB traffic on the 101 is a special kind of misery. Leave early or go midweek.