5 Things to do in Santa Barbara in One Afternoon
Santa Barbara, CA 93101 | More Information: County of Santa Barbara
Visit the Beach
Unlike most Los Angeles or Orange County beaches, the beach is Santa Monica wasn’t busy with easy to find parking. We chose a spot after turning off our freeway exit and walked in the sand.
2. The Chromatic Gate
721 East Cabrillo Boulevard Santa Barbara, CA 93103
I saw this gate on a travel site and immediately it was on my bucket list. This steel architecture displays 6 colors, ranging from yellow to blue, extends upwards as each color gets bigger. Standing right across the from the beach, the chromatic gate can easily be your second spot. It stands near a patch of grass and walking trails, but it’s picturesque and makes for cute photos.
3. Chocolate Maya
15 West Gutierrez Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Santa Barbara has very quaint shops to peak into. With easy to find street parking and lots, we popped into Chocolate Maya. We picked up some stoneground hot chocolate and picked out an 10-piece assorted box of truffles infused with flavors ranging from lavender, hibiscus, thyme and caramel.
4. Los Agaves Mexican Restaurant
2911 De La Vina St. Santa Barbara, CA 93105
A short walk from Chocolate Maya is the delicious modern cantina, Los Agaves. With delicious cocktails and entrees, it’s a win-win. I ordered the crab enchiladas (the best I’ve ever had) and Jordan got pulpo–cooked to perfection. We sat outdoors, soaking up the summer sun on this beautiful day. Here’s their menu.
5. Jeff Shelton Home Walking Tour
Jeff Shelton is a local architect who grew up in the Santa Ynes mountains of Santa Barbara. His unique style buildings stand apart, but also embody the Spanish/Moorish designs of the city. He has five buildings within the Santa Barbara downtown. We chose to drive, which in hindsight was silly, because each building was a walking distance apart. Jeff offers a walking tour map, so you can search them out. I loved finding each one with such beauty in design, detail and structure. Here they are:
The Pistachio House
407 State Street
The Pistachio House is two stories tall with a white exterior. It’s facade has wavy rugs, constructed from a mozaic, and each was absolutely beautiful.
2. Ablitt Tower
13 West Haley Street
The Ablitt Tower is tall, but still I had a hard time finding it. It’s hard to see from the street as the main features are visible from the parking lot. As I walked around back the details became apparent. The again, white exterior, was a perfect backdrop for the magenta trellis veiling over it. Another detail I fell in love with and wish I had for my own home, was the olive mozaic style garage door.
3. El Andaluz
53 Chapala Street
The beautiful El Andaluz mimics the white exterior with wavy lines and curved arches for walkways. The stunning entrance with an iron staircase opens up to an apartment living as the back stuns with it’s geometric designs and vivid colors.
4. Vera Cruz
Our last stop of our self-toured architecture tour was of Vera Cruz. Maintaining the mozaic and vibrant colors this residential address was covered in tiled paintings.
Overall, Santa Barbara is a wonderful day trip from Los Angeles and a beautiful peaceful city visit!