The Official Visiting Santa Barbara Thread

[vino100]

I forgot to follow up on my trip to Santa Barbara. I can highly recommend the courthouse, the mission, and the pier. The trolley was nice, but I preferred the regular bus. Much cheaper.

 

what do you mean by the regular bus? We will be in SB this Sept. Thanks

[Thoth]

what do you mean by the regular bus? We will be in SB this Sept. Thanks

Hope this helps. There is a regular bus which runs in downtown Santa Barbara. It cost me 50 cents ;) The trolley offers a nice guided tour but is $20.

 

bus = http://sbmtd.gov/fares-and-passes/index.html

trolley = http://www.sbtrolley.com/santa-barbara-tour-private-parties.php

Edited July 2, 2013 by Thoth

[grammasan]

Today 7/7/13 ORANGE COUNTY Register Travel section centerfold is an awesome TWO-page synopsis of Santa Barbara with pix, maps, everything you ever wanted to do in Santa Barbara. Not sure if it is available online, but perhaps contacting the newspaper you can get it!

[AlaskaDay]

This is a great thread. Thanks for all the great information. We will be in Santa Barbara at the end of September and will be taking the ship's trolley tour. Any suggestions for which side of the trolley should we sit on for taking the best pictures? Thanks, Nancy

[sassyredhat]

We are going in Oct., and I'm booked on the trolley tour also. DH and DF will be playing an independent golf excursion, so I will be going with my DF.

Really crazy, but I live in southern CA and have never visited SB. :eek: :o

Pat

[jnc411]

Thanks for this thread , it is helpful. Been to SB many times , live in LA . This time by cruise ship , and hoped to go to the zoo again. Your info helps sort that out. Thanks.

Cori

[SBAnt]

We will be in SB in mid-March and we are also interested in whale watching. What is the best company for this and what types of whales can we expect to see at that time of year?

 

As far as I know, the main company for whale watching is Condor Whale Watching, which operates the Condor Express. I believe they run a morning and and an afternoon trip some days, so check online. As for the types of whales, you should ask them what is seasonal and what they've seen lately, as they go out every day and really know their stuff.

[cruisesusie]

Thanks for all the great information on this thread. We're looking forward to our visit. We're walkers and would love to walk from the pier to downtown - how far is the walk ? We're planning on having dinner in Santa Barbara - any suggestions for a casual restaurant? Any favorite places for ice cream?

 

Thanks,

Susan

[fabby50]

Hey Susie! Lived in SB for 7 years - walked or biked everywhere, didn't even have a car. What most people think of as downtown is State Street, just a short walk from where the tenders land. I would recommend the Enterprise Fish Restaurant, very near the beach end of State Street, before the railroad tracks. We usually get off the ship and walk as far up State Street as we can before our feet start to hurt and turn around, stopping at Enterprise on our way back to the ship. There are lots of great restaurants in SB though, just depends on what type of food you like.

[smitty3000]

Can you tell me how far of a walk it is from where we tender in from the cruise ship to the Avis Car Rental Office at 34 E. Montecito St in Santa Barbara. We will be there in September and have a car rental set up. Thanks for the info.:)

[SBAnt]

Can you tell me how far of a walk it is from where we tender in from the cruise ship to the Avis Car Rental Office at 34 E. Montecito St in Santa Barbara. We will be there in September and have a car rental set up. Thanks for the info.:)

 

It's not a far walk at all, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile. That address is very close to State Street, which runs right into Stearns Wharf (the big pier you'll see on your way to the Tender Landing in the Harbor). I posted a link to a map earlier in this thread that shows the Waterfront area you'll walk along for most of the way if that helps.

[cruisesusie]

Thanks Fabby50 - the restaurant sounds great and we're very happy that we can walk. Still looking for ice cream recommendations.

 

Thanks,

Susan

[SBAnt]

Thanks Fabby50 - the restaurant sounds great and we're very happy that we can walk. Still looking for ice cream recommendations.

 

Thanks,

Susan

 

The best ice cream and yogurt in town is at McConnells, located at the corner of Mission and De La Vina. There's an ice cream shop on Stearns Wharf that also happens to have a great view from benches outside. There is also Spoon at State and Victoria streets, which serves gelato. If you prefer frozen yogurt, Yogurtland at 621 State St. is really good and has lots of topping choices. Still, if I could only have one, I'd choose McConnells.

[scottbee]

The best ice cream and yogurt in town is at McConnells, located at the corner of Mission and De La Vina. There's an ice cream shop on Stearns Wharf that also happens to have a great view from benches outside. There is also Spoon at State and Victoria streets, which serves gelato. If you prefer frozen yogurt, Yogurtland at 621 State St. is really good and has lots of topping choices. Still, if I could only have one, I'd choose McConnells.

 

Damn, now I want Ice Cream, and to think dad used to work on Chapala just a few blocks away.

[cruisesusie]

Thanks SBAnt for the ice cream recommendation. Is it within walking distance of the downtown area?

 

Susan

[SBAnt]

Thanks SBAnt for the ice cream recommendation. Is it within walking distance of the downtown area?

 

Susan

 

It is walkable, although edge of the main downtown area is a good 8-10 blocks away. I'd recommend taking the electric shuttle up State Street, then walking back since it will be downhill. If you want to walk to McConnells, you can get off the downtown shuttle at the highest (Victoria St) stop then walk the remaining way. This does presume that you can walk a few miles comfortably, as you'll then have to turn around and walk the same distance back to State Street to get back to Downtown. If you are really a distance walker, you could walk up the whole way from the tender landing, but you're looking at a pretty good distance, uphill the whole way to McConnells then downhill the whole way back. Or, save McConnells for when you come back to SB for a longer stay and focus on the downtown area. If you're into wine and beer tasting, btw, we have a revitalizing effort going in our "Funk Zone" and a couple of new tasting rooms have opened recently. The Funk Zone is down by the waterfront and just a few blocks from State Street so very walkable.

[cruisesusie]

SBAnt - Thanks for the ice cream info. We're planning on getting the ice cream at the end of the day, so we'll see how we feel by then. We may take the electric shuttle as you suggested. It also will depend on where we have dinner. We love to walk and after dinner and ice cream that may be just what we need to do.

 

Susan

[SBAnt]

SBAnt - Thanks for the ice cream info. We're planning on getting the ice cream at the end of the day, so we'll see how we feel by then. We may take the electric shuttle as you suggested. It also will depend on where we have dinner. We love to walk and after dinner and ice cream that may be just what we need to do.

 

Susan

 

What time is your ship leaving port? That may limit your evening activities a lot given the tendering.

[cruisesusie]

We leave port at 8 p.m. so we'll probably take the last tender back which I would guess leaves around 7. We were thinking of an early dinner and then a walk for ice cream.

 

Susan

[SBAnt]

We leave port at 8 p.m. so we'll probably take the last tender back which I would guess leaves around 7. We were thinking of an early dinner and then a walk for ice cream.

 

Susan

 

It's lucky that you have so much time in port. In that case, I'd say dinner and ice cream is very doable, although I'd recommend allowing yourself a little extra time in case a train is stopped at the station or leaving at just the wrong time.

[tjcletsgo]

I'm a native Southern Californian who has visited Santa Barbara many times. We'll be in Santa Barbara one day on a cruise. Can anyone tell me where I can get a cute "Santa Barbara" sweatshirt? Touristy question but then I'm am a tourist. Looking at State Street where we will be shopping.

 

Thanks for any info!

 

Janie:p

[redtop101]

We will be in SB ON Oct 4 from 11.00 am-8.00 pm. We are interested in getting up close and personal with the whales, dolphins, sea lions, otters etc. I have checked into private charters and Condor Express only do 1 tour leaving at 10.00. Their charge was $80 but it leaves before we arrive. We have tentatively reserved a ship's tour for $139 each. SB is reputed to have some of the best whale watching available in the channel, on the West Coast. From what I can find, the season to get a good chance of seeing the whales seems to be taper off at the end of September. I know we are not guaranteed whale sightings, but $139 each is a bit expensive if we are out of luck. After reading this thread (for which I thank all the contributors) I am now toying with the idea of cancelling the whale tour, renting a car, and drive to Solvang. Of course, we could always stroll the waterfront, restaurants, shops in downtown Santa Barbara. Decisions, decisions

 

 

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[claiream3]

Hello

I was wondering if anybody could tell me where the exact location is of the tender port in SB?

As you can see we are on the above cruise on 29th September with Princess.

Thank you in advance

Claire

[fee&j]

We are on the Sapphire Princess, and will be stopping in Santa Barbara twice, I was wondering how you get to the Urban Wine Trail from where you get off the ship. Thanks for your help. Fiona Herman

[SBAnt]

Hello

I was wondering if anybody could tell me where the exact location is of the tender port in SB?

As you can see we are on the above cruise on 29th September with Princess.

Thank you in advance

Claire

 

The tenders dock at the Sea Landing. I posted a map earlier in the thread that shows the harbor area and that should give you a good idea of where on Cabrillo Blvd. you arrive.