Santa Barbara Vacation - What to do and see suggestions solicited.

[7T1240]

I will be travelling to Santa Barbara this coming Sunday, 05/14, and staying 6 days. To those who are familiar with the area, I would be grateful for suggestions on things to do, things to see, places to go, etc. (both car/Z-car related and non-automotive).

Thanks, Gary S.

[xxjoeyxxeb]

Walk State Street, the Beach, the Zoo if you're into that kind of stuff. Where are you from? You can also drive up the pass to Santa Ynez (not sure if spelled right) but its a nice town, also has Chumash casino. Wine tasting is also fun, if you have someone to drive...

[jmkm000]

I'm not sure how far it is (not very) from Santa Barbara... but make sure you get to Solvang... a little "scandanavian" town with grat restaurants, bakeries and shops. Good way to pass an afternoon. An I agree... Santa Ynez wineries are great... the movie Sideways was filmed in and around this area. Enjoy!

[jmortensen]

Solvang is close to SB maybe an hour drive, and it's a nice trip up there on the 154. The 154 goes right past Painted Cave where they had that HUGE wildfire about a decade back. Lots of hiking and that kind of stuff around that area. Figueroa Mountain is back there in the Los Olivos area near Solvang. You pretty much go right past MJ's Neverland Ranch to get into Figueroa. Beautiful camping spot or just go and enjoy the view. It's a REALLY twisty road getting in there. Then there's the beach, downtown shopping if you're extremely rich, clubs and bars and all that good stuff. Wish I was going!

[DatsunZGuy]

As xxjoeyxxeb mentioned, Santa Inez has the Chumash Casino. Even if you don’t gamble, and you like seafood, the buffet every Wednesday is a good deal. It’s the only place I know of in the area where you can feed yourself until you burst eating lobster tails! The trick is to get there about 30 minutes before the buffet opens or hit it around 4:30 PM after the first wave of people get their fill, and before the after work crowd hits. Oh yeah, the casino is just a few minutes from Solvang too. http://www.chumashcasino.com/dining/buffet/seafoodbuffet.cfm

Speaking of food, Chef Karim’s Moroccan Restaurant, Downtown, is an awesome dining experience! http://chefkarim.com/

Another nearby attraction of sorts is Vandenberg Air Force Base. I work there during the week, and I believe they still have public tours of the base and museum on a couple of Wednesdays a month. http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/

If you want to venture further north, there is always http://www.hearstcastle.com/ and catching the San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market on Thursday nights http://www.downtownslo.com/farmers.html

[7T1240]

Guys...thank you! Great suggestions from each and every one of you. DatsunZGuy, the links are very helpful, I'll check Vandenberg's schedule. jmortensen and jmkm000, Solvang sounds intriguing, as does 154. Santa Inez sounds like fun (Sideways was great, wasn't it!), as does the Casino (thanks xxjoeyxxeb) and Hearst Castle (maybe the evening tour).

Again, thanks to all.

G.S.

[sunga93101]

If you come to SB, make a point to go to the Santa Cruz island. Not many do it, but you'll be glad you did. They have a short ride (about 1 hour by high-speed catamaran) leaving from the wharf to take you out there. Lots of activity in the Channel (dolphin, whales, killer whales, etc.).

If you do Heart Castle, stay in Cambria that night (great deals at Cambria Pines Lodge). Hearst has several tours and I highly recommend all of them.

When in SB, make sure you go to Brophy's (seafood and great view), SB Brewing Company (great beer and better than Hooters - trust me on that one), and the Brewhouse (don't let the facade fool you - best food in town).

If you're one for a drink, Joe's is the place.

[kinfish]

I live on the other coast but do visit a good friend in Santa Barbara regularly. Great town and perfect weather. Stop by Brophy's Bar/Restaurant overlooking Marina on the north end of town. Small but great drinks, food and customers.