Santa Barbara, California, is all about the outdoors. The weather is comfortable year-round, and visitors as well as residents can ride bikes, walk along the beach or take lazy drives into the hills or through the outlying vineyards.
Santa Barbara has been a celebrity hideaway since the early 1900s, with the carefree attitude and architecture of a Mediterranean town and a sunny, Californian disposition. As you bicycle along the Santa Barbara waterfront, you'll see why this seaside city north of Los Angeles is a special place. Clear, blue skies shine over the golden beach, and the Santa Inez Mountains loom over the city's signature white-stucco buildings with red-tile roofs. Joggers smile, beach volleyball players wave, and brown pelicans flap their wings methodically overhead.
In addition to its picturesque waterfront and abundant attractions, including the well known Santa Barbara mission, the city offers museums, trendy restaurants and boutiques. But there's plenty more to see and do in the area. Montecito to the east is the place for exclusive shopping—it's often compared to LRead More ... .A.'s Rodeo Drive. To the west is the lively campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara. To the north are the Santa Ynez Mountains, where you'll find dozens of wineries as well as the old-time Danish town of Solvang.< Show Less
