One of the highlights of our 2 day stopover in Santa Barbara was the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Join us for a video tour of the County Courthouse, the Museum of Natural Science and Stearns Wharf. Let’s see what Santa Barbara has to offer the curious tourist!
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Santa Barbara County Courthouse
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is Spanish Colonial style architecture and is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Santa Barbara. Visitors can climb the clock tower to get a magnificent view of the Santa Barbara surrounds.
The courthouse looks super old, but actually it is relatively new. It was completed in 1929 and can be described as “Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture”. It has now been designated an official National Historic Monument.
The courthouse is free to visit, and you can climb all the way to the top of the tower. It is open from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and 10am to 5pm on weekends. A great idea would be to meet in the mural room on the second floor for the free daily tour. Be there at 2pm daily, or 10:30am and 2pm on weekdays.
The address of the courthouse is 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Outside this museum there’s a 74-foot Blue Whale skeleton. This is a wonderful specimen for kids to see what a real Blue Whale looks like in the flesh (or without flesh). Several exhibit halls are found inside, where visitors are shown all about the wildlife, topography and human history of Southern California, especially the Santa Barbara region.
I just love the motto of this museum – inspire a thirst for discovery and a passion for the natural world. This was one of our first stops in our California Road Trip, and we learnt all about the natural treasures and found a passion to discover more. We learnt lots about the local animals, the land, the plants and the native people. The primary theme of the museum is animals, with huge displays of wildlife and stuffed animals.
The address of the museum is 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara.
Stearns Wharf
The main wharf in Santa Barbara is named Stearns Wharf. The Wharf offers great views of Santa Barbara and the surrounding hills. There is free parking (2 hour time limited) and plenty of eating options at the wharf. We chose to eat at a lovely restaurant called Moby Dicks.
You can watch a variety of yachts, paddle boards, kayaks and jet skis all strutting their stuff in the surrounding waters. While we were dining Clarc was lucky enough to see paddle-boarders get swamped by the wake of a power boat.
I would have to say that Stearn’s Wharf is a foodie’s wharf. There are quite a few dining options, with fish and chips probably the most popular. You are treated to probably the finest view in all of Santa Barbara whilst you dine. It is well worth planning to come here specifically for a special meal on your trip to Santa Barbara.
The address of Stearn’s Wharf is Cabrillo Boulevade, Santa Barbara.
Tip: To read more about our visit to Santa Barbara, please check out our blog post by clicking HERE.
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