Santa Barbara County - 60 Attractions You Must Visit

This is a small urban forest with a year round creek. Filled with an abundance of rocks and sandstone boulders deposited there by an ancient landslide, and roofed by oak trees, the park affords a diversity of topography. The towering trees are lush and the park offers shaded picnic areas, short trails, and the area is strewn with large sandstone boulders.

Romero Canyon is a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers. The trail is shady and along a creek bed for the first half. The features of this hike most people will appreciate are that the trail and creek environment are very wooded and pretty, and also the fact that most of the trail is shaded.

The San José Museum of Art is a modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Jose, California. This is the largest provider of arts education in Santa Clara County, serving over 45,000 children per year. The permanent collection focuses on contemporary art by US West Coast artists, with a growing emphasis on art of the Pacific Rim. The collection includes more than 2,600 artworks in a variety of media including sculpture, paintings, prints, digital media, photographs, and drawings.

The San Marcos Foothills is a County of Santa Barbara open space located in the foothills between Santa Barbara and Goleta. Encompassing 200 acres the San Marcos Foothills offers extraordinary views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands. The Foothills is the feeding ground for hawks, kestrels, kites, roadrunners, coyotes, bobcats, and hundreds of other animal species. It offers nesting locations for dozens of native bird species.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a 78-acre botanical garden, containing over 1,000 species of rare and indigenous plants. Located in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Garden’s 78 acres of living collections feature more than 1,200 taxa of California native plants from all regions of the state. The Garden has helped safeguard 34 highly endangered plant species, imparted the value of plant and ecological conservation to thousands of visitors.

The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is located in Santa Barbara, California, U.S. It features relics from Chumash, Spanish, Mexican, Yankee, and Chinese cultures, including artifacts, photographs, furnishings and textiles, dating as far back as the 15th century.

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is one of the best things to do in Santa Barbara, particularly for families. Discover 13,000 years of human interaction with the Santa Barbara Channel inside the doors of this hidden gem, overlooking the scenic Santa Barbara Harbor.Through the museum’s many hands-on activities, you can learn about sustainable fishing in a kelp forest, raising a sail, diving, sport fishing and more. Stop by the onsite gallery to see rotating exhibits of ocean-themed artwork.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is an art museum located in downtown Santa Barbara, California. It is home to both permanent and special collections, the former of which includes Asian, American, and European art that spans 4,000 years from ancient to modern. Its permanent collection includes more than 27,000 works of art, including paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, ceramics, glass, jades, bronzes, lacquer and textiles

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in Santa Barbara, California. The museum has ten indoor exhibit halls focusing on regional natural history including astronomy, birds, insects, geology, mammals, marine life, paleontology, plant life, and the Chumash Indians. It holds a research library, the John & Peggy Maximus Art Gallery and is the only museum to house a full-dome planetarium on the Central Coast.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is located on 30 acres  near the ocean in Santa Barbara, California. It was built on the site of what was known as the Child Estate. The zoo has been ranked numerous times as one of the nation's best small zoos. It has more than 500 animals in numerous exhibits, including capybara and California condors, and is famous for having had a giraffe with a crooked neck.

Shipwreck playground is a shipwreck-themed playground that was thoughtfully designed and modeled after an ocean schooner from the turn of the century. At Shipwreck Playground children can play on two awesome climbing structures as well as several interesting sculptures such as surfacing whales, a conch shell lighthouse, and a nautilus shell play area – all situated in a white beach sand and other soft surface material.

Shoreline Park is a popular 14.6-acre coastal bluff park located west of Leadbetter Beach. Park amenities include a playground, two restrooms, individual picnic tables and barbeques, a group picnic area, sidewalks, park benches, and beach access stairs. This park is perfect for a family picnicThe beach below the bluffs is relatively narrow and rocky and is often covered in water due to tides.

This majestic and beautiful 35-acre Skofield Park is nestled high in the foothills adjacent to Rattlesnake Canyon Trail and along Mission Creek. It is covered with large grassy meadows and numerous native shade trees. It is a best place for walking, hiking, and wildlife viewing. This is the only city park with reservable camping areas for nonprofit youth groups.

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

Stearns Wharf is a pier at the cross section of the end of State Street and Cabrillo, in the harbor in Santa Barbara. The famous Dolphin Fountain, sculpted by local artist Bud Bottoms, marks the start of the wharf and welcomes visitors from around the globe. Steadfast wooden timbers support the wharf above the blue Pacific Ocean.

This is an old 25-acre park runs up San Roque canyon with a picturesque hiking trails that criss-cross a creek and connect to the historic trails of the Santa Ynez Range. It opens up into a grassy field with picnic tables, a playground, public restrooms, and walking paths. There are also so many things to see and do here. it is one of the iconic attraction here, which is very close to nature.

This pretty stretch of coastline is well worth a look for anyone planning a beach outing - especially with a dog. This beach offers not only terrific views, but also an off leash experience and a for-pay self service dog wash. It is the perfect oceanfront venue for rest and relaxation. Its proximity to the park also makes it an ideal location for an all-day affair.

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.

This is a wiode sandy beach located in the west of and adjacent to Stearns Wharf Pier at State Street. This is also where the outriggers hold lessons and where many kayaks, windsurfers, and sailboats set out. Thousands of tourists on Stearns Wharf look out at West beach every day because the wharf is actually built on top of it.

This is a popular Multi Use Trail, which begins at the main Cold Spring Trail After a gentle uphill for 1/4 of a mile you reach a bench by the creek where you can sit and clear your mind with the gentle sounds of small waterfalls. it is one of the iconic attraction which is a mix of adventure and nature.