Santa Barbara Girl’s Weekend Travel Guide

Santa Barbara is an ideal weekend getaway along the central coast of California. Only a two hour drive from Los Angeles, this charming coastal city is the perfection location for a relaxing weekend with family or friends. Whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s a spa day, beaches, wine tasting, or just lounging around, you’ll be able to find it in Santa Barbara. I recently went for a weekend with a couple girlfriends and it was the perfect escape from the city to unwind. I’ll be going back soon to check out more if the local spots, but for now here are my favorite Santa Barbara spots for a Girl’s Weekend Away.

Weekend in Santa Barbara

Where to Stay:

We stayed at the Kimpton Goodland. While it was adorably chic, the service was truthfully not great and the rooms were bare boned. If you’re going for the ‘gram, you won’t be disappointed, but next time I would opt for a different resort. If you’re looking to splurge, I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about The Ritz Carlton Bacara.

What to Do:

+ Visit the beach. There are so many beautiful ones in Santa Barbara – we loved Pendry’s beach for both a bottle of rosé and oysters during sunset, as well as a walk during the day. You really can’t go wrong anywhere though.

+ Check out the Funk Zone. This is such a fun area of wineries, bars, and art galleries. You can easily spend an entire afternoon walking around the area leisurely. If you’re looking for tasting rooms, I highly recommend Frequency Wines – that was our favorite stop of the day!

+ Hit the spa. Santa Barbara is the perfect place to relax. Yes, you could make an itinerary filled with things to do and see, but it’s really not that kind of place. You go to spend the day at a more leisurely pace and soak in the natural beauty. Sometimes the best plans are no plans.

Where to Eat

+ The Lark – a must visit for dinner. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but we stuck to the vegetables and seafood.

+ Yellow Belly – we visited for brunch and every single entree looked incredible. I was obsessed with the eggs benedict on cornbread with fried tomato and avocado. YUM. So indulgent but oh so worth it.

+ Seafood – Santa Barbara is known for their fresh seafood. A perfect way to spend an afternoon -pick a spot by the beach and order oysters and a glass of rosé. Yes, it feel slightly touristy. No, you won’t care. Nothing takes away from watching the waves crash into the sand as the sun sets.

+ Mexican Food – SB is known for some incredible Mexican Food. Word on the street is La Super-Rica Taqueria was one of Julia Child’s favorite spots. Los Agaves is one of my favorites for a casual lunch.

+ McConnell’s Ice Cream – a local ice cream spot that has made its way to Los Angeles as well. The flavors are fun twists on classics. Their fruit flavors are my favorite!

+ Backyard Bowls – if you need to detox after all of the delicious food, go here for an acai bowl or smoothie in the morning.

I’m already dying to go back to Santa Barbara after the weekend flew by. What are your favorite things to do in the area? xx