A Weekend in Santa Barbara

A Weekend in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is a place so close to my heart, after living there for 4 years, and here's how you can make the most of it in a couple days!
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Start in Downtown Santa Barbara / Wharf Area

Stearns Wharf
@daniellecohen
Take a stroll on the pier, here there's a great place to eat, Santa Barbara Shellfish Co, some little boutiques, and an ice cream shop. Great views of the water!
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Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
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Sit above the water and enjoy a delicious and fresh meal. Sea food, amazing clam chowder, it's a must!
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Deep Sea Tasting Room
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Overlooking the wharf, go wine tasting or enjoy a glass or two!
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Santa Barbara Sailing Center
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Rent a sail boat or motorboat and enjoy the water!
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Santa Barbara FisHouse
@daniellecohen
Another favorite for dinner. Fresh fish and steaks and great atmosphere.
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Head to the Funk Zone

This area is known for its more "funky" hole-in-the-wall breweries/wineries/eateries. It's a great area to bar crawl/wine crawl. It's called the funk zone for its historically artsy, creative tenants throughout the (now converted) warehouse-heavy neighborhood.

The Funk Zone
@daniellecohen
This area is known for its more "funky" hole-in-the-wall breweries/wineries/eateries. It's a great area to walk around to different wineries or bars
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Mony's Mexican Food
@daniellecohen
I would literally fly from Italy to SB just for these tacos.
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Test Pilot
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Tiki style bar with handcrafted exotic cocktails
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Corks n' Crowns Tasting Room and Wine Sales
@daniellecohen
Craft beer & small-batch wine flights
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Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. Santa Barbara
@daniellecohen
Taproom pouring fresh beers of a family-owned brewery with live music, theme nights & patio.
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Pali Wine Co. Wine Garden
@daniellecohen
Another cute wine tasting spot
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Loquita Santa Barbara
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Farm–fresh Spanish tapas & craft cocktails with a cozy vibe & a patio.
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Lucky Penny
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Combo pizzeria & coffeehouse featuring java, wood-oven pies & pastries in low-key vibes with a patio.
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East Mesa

East Beach Batting Cages
@daniellecohen
Either go and enjoy playing at some of the batting cages or go straight for the East Beach Tacos :)
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East Beach Tacos
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Shoreline Beach Cafe
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A cute spot on the beach for brunch!
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State Street 

State Street is Santa Barbara's main, long downtown street. Walk along it, there's many shops, restaurants, bars, boutiques, you name it!

Superior Court Of California County Of Santa Barbara
@daniellecohen
This place has a great view of the city. It's free to visit and has a beautiful panorama of Santa Barbara. Take the elevator to the top for the view.
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McConnell's Fine Ice Creams
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This is THE iconic SB ice cream
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Jeannine's Restaurant & Bakery
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A cute brunch spot
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The Andersen's
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Another brunch spot
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Cajun Kitchen
@daniellecohen
This place is a great brunch and lunch restaurant when you're craving some southern comfort food. This New Orleans-style restaurant has 4 locations in Santa Barbara, and has a very lowkey, no-frills setting that will make you feel like home.
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In the foothills

Cold Spring Tavern
@daniellecohen
This place is such a fun, unique experience. It requires a little bit of a drive up the mountain, but trust me, this bikers spot is great especially if you go on the weekends for live music and tri-tip BBQ!
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Gaviota Wind Caves
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This is a hike worth the view!
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Ostrichland USA
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Driving up towards Solvang, you can visit Ostrich Land, where you can experience the ostrich and emu ranch in Santa Barbara County, California in between the towns of Buellton and Solvang, just off California State Route 246. It is known for its over 100 ostriches and emus, which people can visit to feed
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Solvang
@daniellecohen
Just a few minutes past Ostrich Land is Solvang, the quiet, but cute Danish town.
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The Sacred Space
@daniellecohen
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Wine Tasting in the San Ynez Valley

Thank you for your support!

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Want to know where to eat/drink? Check out my food guides below!

Be sure to check out my travel instagram for more travel tips and recommendations https://www.instagram.com/awakened.by.adventure/

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ciao! My name is Danielle and I'm a Californian from San Diego, who's been living full time in Florence, Italy since 2020. I studied in Florence in 2016 and absolutely fell in love with the food, culture, and history, and made it my mission to move back. I moved right before the pandemic, and staying here through all the lockdowns and pandemic life really helped me discover slow travel and find all of Italy's beauty, including lesser known gems, and off the beaten path travel spots. During my three years in Florence, I have wrote for publications like The Florentine, done freelance marketing with restaurants and a travel agency, giving me high insight into the best destinations, foodie spots, and more. I am here to help you make the most of your vacation in Italy with curated itineraries for every type of traveler and digital maps to help you enjoy THE BEST food each region has to offer. Let me do the work so you can just relax and enjoy, without any stress! I've had a very unique experience living in Italy the last 4 years, as I made my official move right before the pandemic, after visiting for years. Because of this I learned to travel locally and deeply throughout the numerous incredible destinations in Italy and for that I cater my travel services to finding the most local and mindful experiences, keeping true to discovering and appreciating Italy's culture.
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