Santa Barbara, CA// TRAVEL GUIDE

Hi, Ty here! I have to admit that one of my favorite elements of travel is when you explore a place you perceive will be average; only to have it turn out extraordinary. This was precisely the case with the beautiful, central Californian city of Santa Barbara. While on our multi-week, cross country road trip from Michigan through Arizona, up the entire coast of California, through Salt Lake City and then back home, we found Santa Barbara to be our most pleasant surprise of all! Read more to find out what made our time in SB particularly magical. 

​What to do
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Downtown Santa Barbara & Chromatic Gate

Downtown Santa Barbara is deeply rooted in Spanish tradition. With red-tile clay roofs, and stucco cream colored buildings all over town, the aesthetic has a distinctly Spanish mood and feel. This distinct flavor makes the city all the more special. In America, a hodgepodge of convenience stores and strip malls, most towns are hard to distinguish from one another. This was not the case at all with Santa Barbara! 

Chromatic Gate frames the mountains to the north, and the ocean to the south. It also sits near Cabrillo Park, and a block from the East beach, which has a fantastic boardwalk for walking, and a pier for walking or fishing. 
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East Beach
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East Beach has ample, inexpensive parking and views worth at least an afternoon of your time. It's said you can see whales from this point at some times during the year. The mountains serve as a beautiful backdrop. The beach leads to a pier, too. The palms are slender, and reach toward the expansive skies with ease. 
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Presidio of Santa Barbara
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Erected in 1782, Presidio Santa Barbara is one of the oldest standing structures in California. It is incredibly beautiful, and just across the street from Handlebar Coffee Roasters!
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​Handlebar Coffee Roasters

Killer almond croissants, our new travel obsession, and delightful cold brew too. Incredible vibe, located right near the first building in California: Presidio Santa Barbara (pictured above). 
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Dune Coffee Roasters
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Another stop on our insane coffee tour (25 shops on our  2 week trip!), Dune was unreal. Another welcoming, unique environment, with dang good coffee. I would say I preferred Handlebar more; while Hannah's vote was cast toward Dune. Dune has a national reputation and pedigree, and lived up to the hype. 
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Eureka!
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A California based chain of healthy, eclectic meals with a ton of great options,  we enjoyed sitting outside, downtown Santa Barbara, and enjoying the unbelievable 70 and sunny SoCAL weather.  It's also right near the iconic painted staircase that makes for quite a fun photo op! 
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California has been a wild ride. Our summer road trip that covered from San Diego to San Francisco with many stops in between are soon to come!  Excited to share it with y'all!

Happy travels; go, see, explore, friends!