Santa Barbara's Delightful Assortment of Attractions

Santa Barbara, CaliforniaMy first trip to Santa Barbara wasn't just my first time in this beautiful city, it was my first visit to California. The weather was as glorious as I expected, and I was delighted with the variety of outstanding cultural and historical attractions I was able to visit in addition to gorgeous beaches.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Zoo were two attractions I thoroughly enjoyed visiting, but wandering through downtown was equally entertaining - especially since I'd never seen an adobe or Mediterranean architecture in person. Virtually every activity in Santa Barbara seems interesting and upbeat, in part due to the terrific weather, but also because the city is so picturesque.

I knew in advance I had just a few days to spend in Santa Barbara, and I wanted a hotel in a convenient location that also fit my personal business travel budget. I opted to stay at the El Prado motel, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Booked through HotelsCombined.com online, I got a terrific, budget-traveler rate. This isn't a fancy hotel with deluxe amenities, but my room was large, immaculately clean, and the service was outstanding. There is a big courtyard pool for swimming, parking is free, and the location is incredibly convenient.

There are loads of Santa Barbara attractions within easy reach of El Prado. It is located at the corner of State and Arrellaga streets, just a few blocks from the historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse and Queen of the Missions, Karpeles Museum, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

With limited time to spend in Santa Barbara, I chose to briefly visit the two famous historic buildings near El Prado. I visited the beach for one lazy afternoon, and made it a point to visit Stearns Wharf for a seafood meal. I explored the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in depth, and also spent most of a day at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Santa Barbara MissionOne of my favorite things to do in whatever city I'm visiting is tour art museums, and I have been to many throughout the world. I was very impressed with the interesting and eclectic collections at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. A huge variety of unique artwork is exhibited here, including Ancient Art, American Art, European Art and Asian Art from a variety of cultures. Sculpture, photography, pottery, paintings, works on paper, textiles and many other types of art can be viewed at this outstanding museum.

If you enjoy visiting art museums, you know it is impossible to explore all of the exhibits of a large museum in depth on one visit - unless you plan to spend a whole day. The best approach is to pick a few exhibits or galleries that peak your interest, spend as much time as you like exploring those, and move on for as long as you have for your visit. This is how I approached the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and I was delighted with the exhibits I took the time to tour in depth.
The contemporary art galleries at the Santa Barbara Museum were among those I chose. I wanted to explore and learn about Latin American and Californian contemporary art, and the Museum provided an excellent opportunity to do so. If you plan to visit the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, a visit to their website at SBMuseArt.org will provide you with plenty of information about permanent and temporary exhibits that can help you decide what you most wish to see.

The Santa Barbara Zoo

Santa Barbara ZooAlthough I love touring art and historic sites, the sunshine and blue skies over Santa Barbara inspired me to have some fun at a great outdoors attraction, too. There are tons of options to choose from if you'd like to spend time enjoying outdoors attractions at Santa Barbara. Of course, you can participate in your favorite beach recreational activities, but you could also choose to hike at Los Padres National Forest, or take a stroll through the Botanic Garden. I opted to spend a morning at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

In addition to many of the Zoo standards you expect to see at most zoological parks such as lions, elephants and gorillas, the Santa Barbara Zoo features some very interesting animals you probably won't have seen elsewhere. One of the most impressive animals I saw were the pair of Amur leopards that are so endangered, it is thought there are less than 35 in existence in the wild today.

An impressive Channel Island fox exhibit presented another opportunity to see an endangered animal I was unfamiliar with up close. If you like hands-on encounters with animals, the friendly lorikeets will hop right on your hands or shoulder to take a sip of nectar. I bypassed the opportunity, but you can also feed giraffes at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Cultural, historic and outdoors attractions are just a few of the things you'll enjoy on a visit to Santa Barbara. In between spending time at the beach and visiting your choice of attractions, exceptional dining and shopping will ensure there's never a dull moment during your stay.