The 11 Best Things to Do in Santa Barbara: My Favorite Activities in 2026

Santa Barbara in California is for sure one of the most stunning and most fun little cities I have visited in the past year.

I just got back from a visit to Santa Barbara myself, and while I was definitely more busy with shopping, drinking wine, eating good food and hanging out by the beach, I also did some really fun things here in Santa Barbara.

To help you guys out a little bit with planning your next visit, I’ve put together this guide on the best things to do in Santa Barbara, including some of the most popular activities but also some little random things I did here and there which I thought were fun and worth including.

What are the Best Things to Do in Santa Barbara California? My Quick Answer

I went to Santa Barbara as part of our one-month road trip down the coast, where we drove from San Francisco to San Diego, and Santa Barbara was one of our stops along the way. I’ll be honest, while I don’t think Santa Barbara is the most activity-packed place, I still had a lot of fun here with all the small and fun things we did.

For me, Santa Barbara is much more about enjoying the vibe, the palm trees, the beach, the Spanish architecture, shopping, drinking a good glass of wine at one of the many wine bars and just enjoying the city. I’ll definitely have some great recommendations in this guide for that type of stuff, but there is of course more to do here too.

We went to some really cool vineyards for wine tasting outside of Santa Barbara, went on a hike to some hot springs and even did a day trip to nearby Ojai, which is a super cute little town.

So I can only say it again: don’t expect a super action-packed time here in Santa Barbara, but I’d say we managed to get a pretty good mix of laid-back things while also doing some larger and more active activities.

Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Santa Barbara

Where to Stay in Santa Barbara (The Hotel I stayed at was awesome)

Because Santa Barbara is so walkable, I always advocate staying somewhere central so you can actually take advantage of that. We stayed at the Franciscan Hotel, which was awesome. We could walk to the beach in about 5 minutes, and the Funk Zone, where all the restaurants and bars are, was only a 10-minute walk away. Definitely a perfect location for us.

The Best Time to Visit Santa Barbara

California weather is really just so amazing all year round. We visited in June and had beautiful blue skies and very mild temperatures, so I can only say that summer is a great time to visit. However, from what I’ve seen, hotel prices can be quite a bit cheaper in October, so that could be a good option if you want to save some money.

How Many Days in Santa Barbara Do You Need?

I’d say 2 full days in Santa Barbara is enough since there isn’t actually a huge amount to do or see, but it gives you plenty of time to enjoy the food, beach and just have a good time.

However, if you’re planning on visiting vineyards and doing some day trips, you could also easily spend 4 full days here without running out of things to do.

Best Food & Coffee in Santa Barbara

I had so much incredible food here in Santa Barbara. I had some amazing coffee at Dart Coffee, which was my favorite, but Caja Coffee Roasters also made a really good flat white.

Then we had some tacos at East Beach Tacos, which were incredible, especially their fish was so so good. And I also highly recommend the bagels at Motherdough Bagels, especially the gochujang cream cheese, which was honestly so yummy.

Best Winery and Brewery in Santa Barbara

There are so many amazing places to go for a drink here. We went to Pali Wine Co. for a wine tasting, which only has a 3.9-star rating on Google, but I honestly don’t know why because I had a fantastic time there.

And when it comes to beer, I really liked Topa Topa Brewing Co., but Third Window Brewing is also awesome.

I do have a full guide on the best restaurants and food spots in Santa Barbara, so definitely check that out if you want more recommendations.

My Top Santa Barbara Things to Do

1. Dinner & Drinks in the Funk Zone

Number one on my list is for sure the Funk Zone. It’s just my favorite part of Santa Barbara and also where I probably spent most of my time while I was here. This is where I’d come for casual drinks at night or a glass of wine since there are so many bars, but I’d also come here for breakfast and coffee at Dart Coffee, which has a huge outdoor seating area.

The area itself is fairly small though, it’s just a few blocks, but it’s packed with restaurants, bars and cafes and always has such a fun vibe and atmosphere. It’s definitely a must-do when you’re in Santa Barbara.

And if it’s your first night and you’re looking for some good food, I recommend checking out Mony’s Mexican Food. Their burritos and tacos are incredible.

2. Rent a Bike in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has some of the best biking trails out of all the cities in California I’ve been to. There are tons of bike rental places around, but our hotel (Franciscan Hotel) had free 2-hour bike rentals every day for guests, so obviously we made big use of that.

We cycled up and down the promenade by the ocean, which was amazing, and then also all the way up to the State Street Promenade and the Old Mission Santa Barbara, which was definitely worth the ride. There isn’t too much traffic around here either, so riding around on a bicycle always felt pretty safe.

3. Tacos & Baseball at East Beach Tacos

One of my favorite places I went to in Santa Barbara was East Beach Tacos, which a friend of mine who is a full-blown local recommended to me, and it was awesome.

It’s a taco shop, so of course they make amazing tacos. I can highly recommend their fish taco, so that alone is reason enough to come. But they also have batting cages, and it’s super cheap, 25 pitches are only $4, so it was a no-brainer. That’s exactly what we did while waiting for our tacos.

4. Visit the Old Mission Santa Barbara

The Old Mission Santa Barbara is one of the oldest and most historic buildings in Santa Barbara, and if you care about the history here then I highly recommend visiting.

If you have no idea what a mission actually is, it’s basically a religious outpost the Spanish built back in the day as part of their efforts to colonize California. There are 21 Spanish missions in California, so if you’re doing a trip through California like we did then you’ll see these buildings, which kinda look like churches or monasteries, all over the state.

We didn’t take a tour of this one specifically, but the chapel is free to enter, and they often have some information about the mission displayed as well where you can learn more about its history.

5. Shopping on State Street Promenade

I feel like pedestrian zones are not very common here in the USA, unlike in Europe where many cities have city centers with shops and restaurants and no cars allowed. The USA doesn’t really have that, however Santa Barbara does, and I loved it.

6. Go Wine Tasting at the Wine Bars

Santa Barbara is wine country, and right in the center of Santa Barbara there are some really cool wine bars to check out. There are also vineyards around Santa Barbara that are totally worth visiting, like Sunstone Winery, but here I’m specifically talking about the wine bars in town.

Some of the best ones I’ve been to and would recommend are Fess Parker, Melville Winery Tasting Room, Pali Wine Co. and Santa Barbara Wine Collective. I’ve tried all of those myself and loved the wines, and the staff at every single one were super friendly.

7. Enjoy a Day at the Beach

I know this is kinda obvious, but just enjoy the beach! That’s what we did one morning. We didn’t really feel like doing much, so we just walked down to the beach from our hotel, put our towels down and enjoyed a full morning swimming and relaxing in the sun.

I do have to say California waters are definitely not as pretty as in Spain or Florida, but I feel like Santa Barbara still has a beautiful beach and I totally enjoyed it. It was also not busy at all, at least not compared to some of the San Diego beaches I went to.

8. Walk Stearns Wharf

The very first thing we actually did was walk down Stearns Wharf, which is the pier here in Santa Barbara. When we arrived in Santa Barbara, we decided to just head out right away and explore on foot, and that’s where we ended up.

It’s a really nice way to get a good look at the coastline and the hills behind Santa Barbara, so just for the views alone I thought it was worth it.

There are also a bunch of restaurants on the pier, although I didn’t eat at any of them myself. I have heard good things about the Deep Sea Tasting Room, if you’re looking for a good seafood restaurant.

9. Quiz Night at Topa Topa Brewing Co.

We kinda walked into this by accident, but it was so much fun and we had such a good time that I figured I had to put it on the list.

Topa Topa Brewing Co. is a really cool brewery in Santa Barbara with a really nice patio, good vibes, good food and just a fun atmosphere. We came here two nights while we were in Santa Barbara, and one night we randomly ran into their quiz night, which is every Thursday.

It’s definitely worth checking out their website because they have loads of other stuff going on too, like run clubs, golf simulator nights, happy hours and so on. Definitely recommend popping in for a beer!

10. Day Trip to Ojai

There are quite a few day trips we did from Santa Barbara, and one of them was Ojai. I didn’t know much about this little town before we went, but I absolutely loved it. It’s so cute, with some really cool and quirky shops, restaurants and cafes.

There is also a super cool outdoor library there called Bart’s Books, which was definitely worth checking out. There wasn’t really a ton going on in terms of things to do, but it’s just a really cute California-style town with good food and cool Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

Since we were on a road trip down the coast, we stopped there on our way out of Santa Barbara heading south, and I’m really glad we did.

11. Hike to the Montecito Hot Springs

And lastly, there are also some more active things to do here in Santa Barbara, which I know is definitely not what most people necessarily plan on doing while they’re here. But we had to get a little bit of hiking in too.

Especially after a couple full days of eating and drinking, I just needed to get some movement in, so we decided to do the hike to the Montecito Hot Springs.

We started early at around 8 AM because it was actually pretty hot that day. The hike took us probably around 45 minutes up to the hot springs, and while the water was really hot, we didn’t actually go for a dip.

The hike itself was beautiful though, with some awesome views over the ocean, so definitely worth doing if you want to get a little bit of exercise in while you’re in Santa Barbara.

FAQs About What to Do in Santa Barbara

What are some must-dos in Santa Barbara?

I’d say checking out all the amazing wine bars and breweries in the Funk Zone is for sure a must-do, and then also visiting the Santa Barbara County Courthouse for some beautiful Spanish-style architecture.

Is Santa Barbara worth visiting?

Absolutely. I loved Santa Barbara so much that if I could afford it, I would for sure live here. I didn’t think it had the most activities going on, but for a weekend of shopping and enjoying ourselves with good food and the beach, it was perfect.

Is Santa Barbara expensive to visit?

I’ll be honest, yes, I did think so, at least when it comes to accommodation. Our hotel was quite a bit more expensive than in other places in California, and so were food and drinks here too.

What should I do in Santa Barbara?

I’d say just have a good time. Get some good Mexican food at Mony’s Mexican Food, enjoy a glass of wine at Pali Wine Co., walk down Stearns Wharf and go shopping for some fun California souvenirs.

What is the best Santa Barbara coffee shop?

I did try a pretty good amount of coffee, and in general I do think Santa Barbara has some amazing coffee shops, but my favorite was Dart Coffee in the Funk Zone.

Where should I eat in Santa Barbara?

I do love the Mexican food and also the seafood here in Santa Barbara. For Mexican food, I highly recommend Mony’s and East Beach Tacos, and for seafood you can’t go wrong with Brophy Bros Santa Barbara.

Final Thoughts on Activities in Santa Barbara

I’m going to wrap this up quickly, but Santa Barbara is such an amazing place and in my head it’s the stereotypical California town. It has all the cool Spanish architecture, massive palm trees, a beautiful beach and loads of good food.

We only spent 4 nights in Santa Barbara and I kinda got obsessed within that small amount of time, even to the point that I think Santa Barbara is in my top 5 of cities that I would actually consider moving to.

However, if that won’t work out, then I will for sure be back because it kinda has everything I want a California beach town to have.

I hope this guide on the best things to do in Santa Barbara, California, gave you a good idea of what’s going on in Santa Barbara and what to expect. Happy travels!

Check Out My Other Guides for Santa Barbara CA

Is Santa Barbara Worth Visiting? My Honest Review

Best Things to Do in Santa Barbara: My 11 Favorite Activities

How Many Days in Santa Barbara: How Much Time Do You Actually Need

2 Days in Santa Barbara California: How I Spent 48 Hours Here