Jeannine's Restaurant & Bakery, State Street, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Stearns Wharf, Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Santa Barbara Harbor, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Brophy Bros., Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Flor De Maiz, East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Paddle Sports Center, Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Toma Restaurant & Bar, West Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Reunion Kitchen santa barbara
Hotel Californian, State Street, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Santa Barbara Inn, East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Chad’s Cafe, West Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Best Places for Breakfast in Santa Barbara
Chad's Café
Fill up for the day’s adventures at Chad’s Café, which has served up hearty breakfast for locals and visitors for decades. Super hungry? Give the “monster stack of pancakes” or a loaded breakfast burrito a go, or try a corned beef hash benedict or huevos rancheros.
Best Things To Do in the Morning in Santa Barbara
Walk to the end of Stearns Wharf and snap selfies with Santa Barbara’s iconic scenes in the background. For a quick land-and-sea tour (90 minutes total) board the Land Shark, or sign up for an afternoon or sunset harbor cruise through the Santa Barbara Sailing Center, Celebration Cruises, or the Condor Express (see below).
Stearns Wharf
Local lumberyard owner John P. Stearns built this wharf in 1872 so deep-water ships could park here and offload goods and passengers safely onto dry land. It was the longest deep-water pier between San Francisco and Los Angeles at the time. Today the historic wharf is SB’s most visible and visited landmark. Walk to the end for great views, and check out the shops, restaurants and the Sea Center along the way.
Whalewatching
Santa Barbara is home to a variety of marine life, including migrating whales (gray, humpback, blue, fin), dolphins, sea lions, and all manner of birds. Join a whale-watching tour to see these majestic creatures up close and learn about their behavior and habitat.
Best Places for Lunch in Santa Barbara
Many cafes and restaurants cluster at the western edge of the harbor and along Cabrillo Boulevard.
Brophy Bros.
Nosh on fresh-from-the-boats seafood at this lively second-floor restaurant overlooking the harbor that’s stayed a local favorite for nearly 40 years. Try to snag a seat on the deck, and don’t pass up the oysters and clam chowder. Mid-range.
Best Things To Do in the Afternoon in Santa Barbara
After lunch it’s time to enjoy Santa Barbara’s gorgeous waterfront. Sign up for an afternoon or sunset harbor cruise through the Santa Barbara Sailing Center, Celebration Cruises, or the Condor Express.
Options:
• Relax on the beach: With more than 20 miles of coastline, Santa Barbara has plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from. Whether you’re looking to sunbathe, swim, or surf, you’ll find the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the California sunshine. Main waterfront beaches along Cabrillo Boulevard include East Beach, West Beach, and Leadbetter Beach.
• Take a walk along the half-mile breakwater in the Santa Barbara Harbor — if your schedule permits, visit the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (see below) or at least the Outdoors Santa Barbara lookout deck atop the same building (free and one of the best views in town)— then walk back to the wharf. Look for Syuxtun Story Circle, a tile mosaic mural embedded in the sidewalk that tells the story of the native Chumash and honors the former site of a major Chumash village.
• Rent a bike or surrey cycle from Wheel Fun Rentals and ride along the 3-mile-long bike path to the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge and back, or up to Shoreline Park, on the bluffs above Leadbetter Beach.
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Learn all about Santa Barbara’s salty heritage and 13,000-year human relationship to the sea at this hands-on, high-tech center in the harbor. It’s filled with fun exhibits, including shipwrecks, a handcrafted Chumash plank canoe, old-time diving suits, periscopes, whales, and the original 1856 Fresnel lens that once beamed light from the Point Conception Lighthouse. Don’t miss Surfs Up! — a fantastic display about local surf legends, board shapers and other pioneers who influenced the world surf scene.
Best Places for Dinner in Santa Barbara
Toma Restaurant & Bar
Across from the harbor and West Beach, Toma serves classic Italian-Mediterranean fare with a contemporary flair in a romantic, candlelit space in an historic building. It’s especially known for its extensive, well-chosen list of international and local wines.
Reunion Kitchen + Drink
American comfort food with a modern twist in a hip space with indoor/outdoor dining, steps from the white sands of East Beach. Favorite dishes include Rosemary’s chicken and biscuits, short rib stroganoff, and the ahi poke stack appetizer with sriracha cream, avocado, and mango relish.
