Santa Barbara Holidays

With the Santa Ynez Mountains as a backdrop and the prevalence of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, Santa Barbara feels straight out of a movie set.  In fact, before Los Angeles became Los Angeles, Santa Barbara was a booming hub for the silver screen, California’s first major movie studio, Flying A Studio was located here. In the 1920's, hundreds of silent films were produced in Santa Barbara and Charlie Chaplin was a frequent visitor. Add in beach, the harbor and Stearn's Wharf and the downtown buzz stretches to the water. The quality of restaurants, whether fine dining or waterfront cafe is exceptionally high.  There's always a funky festival or event going on and you'll also be impressed by the museums, botanical gardens, whale watching opportunities, historic monuments and miles of bike paths.  And, we haven't even mentioned the wine yet.  

Wineries here are intimate spaces where you can watch the art unfold as you sip. You don’t have to travel outside the city either as there are plenty of opportunities right in downtown. Santa Barbara Winery, opened in 1962, was the area’s first commercial winery after Prohibition. Whilst the region is known for Chardonnay, the variety of grapes available will ensure the wine enthusiast a quaffable experience!