Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara—less than 100 miles from L.A. up the PCH—is one of my favorite weekend getaways or makes for the perfect day trip. If you love beautiful dog friendly beaches, farm-to-table restaurants and wine tasting, Santa Barbra is the perfect place to visit!
Things to Do
The Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens
If you and your pup enjoy plants and breath taking views, a visit to the botanical garden is a must! The gardens spans over 78 acres and is a great place to wander. I highly recommend packing a few healthy snacks and taking in the spectacular ocean view at the top of the mountain Pritzlaff Conservation Center. Also be sure to check out their Redwood section, Teahouse Garden and Desert!
Butterfly Beach
Butterfly Beach is in Montecito, directly across the road from The Biltmore. I recommend using a restroom and grabbing food before going since the beach does not have public bathrooms.Coast Village Road is a five-minute walk from the beach and has many food, drink and retail options. Also check the tide before your trip. When the tide is high is can make it difficult to walk the beautiful stretch of beach ( which is one of my favorite things to do) The beach is very dog friendly and my pup loves it there!
Hikes
Santa Barbara offers a multitude of hikes to enjoy hikes in the mountains overlooking the ocean. Inspiration Point is a nice short hike that isn’t too hard. Make it to the top to see awesome views of the city, the ocean, and The Channel Islands. It's also dog friendly!
Old Mission Santa Barbara
Okay so here’s the deal with the mission. I highly recommend stopping by and taking some photos infant of this beautiful, pink historical landmark that dates all the way back to 1786. But if I had to do it all over again, I would have skipped the payed tour and just enjoyed the exterior. I found the inside underwhelming and would have rather taken the $15 I spent on the self guided tour and treated myself to lunch or a fancy coffee.
Places To Eat
Santa Barbara Public Market
This adorable market is comprised of individual artisanal vendors specializing in local and sustainably-sourced fare. Check out a list of their menus !
Convivo
I found this gem of a restaurant by calling the concierge at the fanciest hotel in Santa Barbra ( The Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel) where I was not a guest and asked for their favorite restaurant. They recommend Convivo, a restaurant located at The Santa Barbara Inn and it was fantastic! If you eat meat, I full heartedly recommend their Spit roasted chicken | harissa, charmoula, olive, almonds, cauliflower. My fiancé and I ordered the full order and split it. It was perfect and was absolutely incredible.
Oliver’s
For my vegetarian and vegan friends I wanted to share Oliver’s which offers upscale plant based dinning that has a imaginative menu that even meat eaters will enjoy. I recommend requesting a table on their tree-laden patio strung with lights.
I hope you enjoy touring this picturesque beach town! Did I miss anything? Comment Below!