Santa Barbara / Santa Cruz things to do

[starvenger]

Hi everyone!

We're going up the coast at the end of the month, and stopping for a couple of days each in Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. I have my kids (8 & 11) with me and trying to figure out things to do with them. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I’ve been to Santa Barbara once for just a day & a half. Went to mission, beach & the “ downtown” area where all the shops & restaurants are. Santa Cruz is know for its boardwalk. A big surfer town. In between Santa Cruz & Santa Barbara is the Monterey Peninsula (Monterey, Carmel, Carmel by the Sea, Pebble Beach, & Big Sur). I used to live there for 16 years. Absolutely beautiful & lots to do & see. Highly recommend.

 

[StageTek]

Santa Barbara has a great zoo. On Stearns Wharf there is the terrific Sea Center. Kids will love it. The Botanic Garden is a great place for kids who enjoy the outdoors. Right now there is an exhibition of playhouses - really fun.

 

[cassiopia419]

We spent 3 days in Santa Barbara last summer after a few at DL.

We really liked the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. It's a smaller museum, but very well done. We found a Groupon, but even at full price, it would have been worth it. We also did the lookout area at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in downtown. The inside of the courthouse has a lot of beautiful art and features, and then you take the elevator to the top where they have an open area that gives you 360 degree views of the town, marina, and mountains. Definitely worth the stop.

We also took a day trip out to one of the Channel Islands National Park sites with Island Packers ferry service. It wasn't cheap, but it was absolutely the highlight of our time in the area. We chose the Scorpion Ranch landing area of Santa Cruz island. The views were incredible, as well as the native fox that we got to see up close.

We also did a full day scenic drive up into the mountains and surrounding areas. That again was a fantastic day that even our 15-year-old son enjoyed. We went from Santa Barbara to La Purísima Mission State Historic Park, Solvang, Santa Ynez Valley (including stopping at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society Museum and Carriage House), Cachuma Lake Recreation Area, and Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park.

If you have any questions about any of this or want more info, just let me know. Thanks and hope you enjoy your visit!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Santa Cruz:
They have the beach boardwalk which is a nice amusement park. The water is a bit cold if you're used to east coast beaches and quite cold if you're used to gulf beaches. But it's not so cold that you can't play and go swimming. And you don't have to worry about the flesh eating thing either. At least not yet anyway.
They also have a narrow gauge railroad back into the trees. You do see some decent sized ones. But most of them along this line have been logged.
They have a couple of state beaches.
They have a marine discovery center which is nice for kids.
They have a nice pier. At the end of the pier, there are holes to view the sea lions through.
West Cliff Drive is a nice drive.
All in all, we think it's a great place to stop when going up the coast.

 

[starvenger]

Thanks all.

I live near Lake Ontario, so I appreciate cold water warnings. Ive been to the beach at San Clemente, so I remember the cold California water. Bit of a shock, to be sure, but manageable.

Sea center sounds interesting. I think there is an aquarium in Monterey as well?

I’m going straight from LAX to Santa Barbara. Is it worth stopping at Santa Monica pier for a couple of hours?

 

[cruisehopeful]

I’m going straight from LAX to Santa Barbara. Is it worth stopping at Santa Monica pier for a couple of hours?

I would only think it is worth a visit if you need to get off the road to avoid traffic for a couple hours. The amusement rides on the beach are a much larger offering in Santa Cruz.

There is a train that you can catch from the Santa Cruz boardwalk that goes up the mountain to one of our redwood parks. https://www.roaringcamp.com/

Monterey does have the aquarium. I've been twice and wasn't particularly amazed by it, but I've been going to aquariums my whole life, so maybe that's why I wasn't very impressed.

There are excellent whale watching tours in Monterey Bay. I saw pretty much any sea life you can think of, but half of the people on my tour were vomiting the entire time. They actually shortened the trip a little bit because people were so miserable. Sounded to me like it's pretty normal that people get very sea sick on whale watching tours out of Monterey. My daughter and I both took Bonine that morning. I was fine. She was one of the people that threw up the whole time.