Santa Barbara, California

If you're looking for the sunny shores and seaside living of Southern California, Santa Barbara fills all your California dreams. The charming ocean side town has great beaches with big waves crashing on the sandy shore. The downtown area is filled with stucco and red tile Mission Era buildings. Although Santa Barbara CA is three times larges than it was 50 years ago, you can still enjoy a relaxed coastal town atmosphere.

The Santa Barbara waterfront is great place to enjoy outdoor activities like rollerblading, jogging and beach volleyball. Stearns Wharf extends out into the bay, giving you prime views of the ocean and the nearby beaches.

State Street has a lot of pedestrians taking in a nice walk through the fine shops, restaurants and bars of the downtown area. You can get the bird's eye views of Santa Barbara CA from above at the observation tower at the County Courthouse. You can look out across the lush gardens of the Courthouse grounds and the red-tile roofs beyond.

About a mile from State Street is one of the well-known landmarks of Spanish revival architecture, the Mission Santa Barbara. Well-kept gardens and manicured lawns frame this lovely rose-colored building, from which you can enjoy excellent views of the city below and shoreline beyond it. You can visit here every day from 9am to 5pm, and there is a $2 admission fee.

Whether you're passing through or on a Southern California vacation, you'll want to spend a day here. Enjoy an evening at one of the fine Santa Barbara hotels as a comfortable end to your enjoyable day. The West Beach Inn Coast Hotel is a great value, since you get excellent perks like free continental breakfast, central location, a fine pool, and excellent service that you would expect to find at more expensive Santa Barbara hotels. This is a great place to recharge before you start a scenic drive up the Central Coast. For those on a smaller budget looking for reasonably priced Santa Barbara hotels, the Banana Bungalow fits the bill.

Aside from the historic buildings downtown, which were all built after an earthquake many of the cities' buildings, there are other old buildings, and one is now a charming Santa Barbara Bed Breakfast. The Barberry Inn is an intimate place to stay that has all the comfort and charm of a homely setting. This house has been standing for over a hundred years, and it has a long history. This Santa Barbara Bed Breakfast was once a residence when it was first built in the late 1800s, then as a sorority house in the 1950's. The Barberry Inn is designated as a historic structure, so this place has character and char you would expect from a fine Santa Barbara Bed Breakfast.

The city of Los Angeles is 100 miles to the south, so Santa Barbara CA is a pleasant alternative to the teeming California Beaches that are more popular around the bigger cities to the South like San Diego and Los Angeles