Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Coal Oil Point, located just west of the UCSB campus, is an ecologically important area that is home to a number of endangered and threatened species.Largely undisturbed coastal dunes support a rich assemblage of dune vegetation and has become a nesting site for the endangered Snowy Plover.

Haskell's beach is a great beach in Goleta that is slightly more hidden.It is nestled between The Ritz-Carlton Bacara and Sandpiper Golf Club. Soak up the sun on the sandy beach, explore the tide pools, or look for dolphins playing in the ocean.

The Art, Design & Architecture Museum , formerly the University Art Museum, is located on the campus of the UCSB in Goleta, California. It was originally a gallery for art education at UCSB. Today the AD&A contains a fine art collection of over 8,500 works. It also possesses over 1,000,000 architectural drawings, historic photographs, writings, scrapbooks, and three-dimensional objects in the Architecture and Design Collection.

The South Coast Railroad Museum, focuses on the history, technology, and adventure of railroading. Special emphasis is placed on the railroad's contributions to local history, on the Southern Pacific Railroad, and on the key role of the railroad depot in rural community life across America. The museum also features the Goleta Short Line, a 7+1⁄2 in gauge miniature railroad, a Southern Pacific caboose, and a model train set in a panorama of the cities of Goleta and Santa Barbara, California

The Stow House was once the headquarters of Rancho La Patera, on the original Rancho La Goleta. It is now the headquarters of Goleta Historical Society which preserves and interprets the history of the Goleta Valley. The house museum displays family photographs and furniture, with stories of Sherman and Ida Stow and their descendants.

Lake Los Carneros is a living ecosystem that requires freshwater inputs from winter rains to ensure a healthy aquatic environment for birds, fish, and plants. A network of trails meander across the park through rolling meadows and a forest of eucalyptus, oak, and pine trees. A wooden bridge crosses the northern end of the lake.