Santa Barbara: A refined oasis in the land of bright lights and fast food

In between LA and San Francisco, Santa Barbara is hardly a well-known international tourist destination, but those with a penchant for daytime soaps may recognise the name for its role as the hometown of one of America’s longest running series, and it is certainly well known to the wealthy families of Los Angeles who have summer residencies here, including the Jolie-Pitts and the Beckhams.

Take the PCH

The drive to Santa Barbara is two hours from Los Angeles along the iconic Pacific Coastal Highway. It is fine to arrive at ‘the American Riviera’ a little peckish – you will be spoilt for choice. There are plenty of small but stylish restaurants around the city; the specialty is unsurprisingly, seafood. Scallops, bass, and tuna grace the menus wherever you look, with the occasional Mexican specialty and steakhouse also available.

Local flavour

The local council has gone to great lengths to protect the quaint Santa Barbara feel and that shop frontage and signage laws are stringent. Few buildings are more than a few storeys high, and all are styled in a cross between Spanish, adobe and modern architecture. Even the local McDonald’s is almost unrecognisable from outside but for a small wooden board chiselled with the Golden Arches.

This and the narrow cobblestoned alleyways give the shops a real boutique feel, even those that are part of large American chains. Those with a limited time to spend shopping or admiring the architecture can make sure they see the best of Downtown by following the ‘red tile walking tour’, along the distinctive red path carved though 12 blocks of the city.

History

The city is named after a Mission Santa Barbara, a Spanish Franciscan mission founded in 1786 to evangelise the local native American Indian tribe. Set with the bluish Santa Ynez mountains in the background, the building itself is spectacular. Rooms filled with religious artefacts and the old cemetery are open for exploration for a small entry fee.

Its most famous landmark, however, is the bustling wooden dock built in 1872 to serve cargo and passenger ships. In the 1930s, it was used as a dock for gamblers looking to avoid local authorities by boarding floating casinos and today, the wharf has shops and restaurants and is one of Santa Barbara's most popular tourist attractions.

The Santa Barbara sunsets must be seen to be believed – the haze of smog in the far distance is the only reminder that Los Angeles is two hours drive, but another world, away.

Santa Barbara is deserving of the attention it receives from celebrities and wealthy Americans. Its coastal beauty, year-round sun, mountainous backdrop, and history are magnetic.