Santa Barbara’s iconic Spanish Colonial Revival Courthouse has been called, "The most beautiful government building in America.” It is open to the public 8:00am to 5:00pm weekdays and 10AM to 5pm weekends, and all holidays except Christmas. Visitors are not admitted after 4:30. Free docent-led tours are offered daily except Christmas Day. No reservation is required. For current tour schedules, please visit the Docent Council website, https://www.sbcourthouse.org. Self-guided & virtual tours are also available on the website or by using the QR codes at various locations in the Courthouse. Visit the website for information about private group tours.

Visitors can tour this historic Franciscan mission that features twin bell towers and lovely gardens.

Seven straight miles of shops.

This zoo with a view was once a posh estate owned by a coffee and tea merchant; now it's the lush domain of animals representing 160 species. The pink stucco mansion that once presided over manicured lawns and gardens is gone—replaced by open-air habitats built for the less refined but still exacting tastes of giraffes, gibbons, snow leopards, and gorillas. What hasn't changed is the surrounding scenery; the Pacific and Santa Ynez Mountains are just as spectacular as they were back when this was the setting for civilized galas instead of the wild antics of monkeys and meerkats.

A popular mountain for hiking outside of Santa Barbara.

NOTE: The Garden is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Garden members have early access starting at 9 a.m.) Reservations are required for non-members due to our county-issued use permit and strongly recommended for members during peak season (April - July). As the first botanic garden in the nation to focus exclusively on native plants, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has dedicated nearly a century of work to better understand the relationship between plants and people. Growing from 13 acres in 1926 to today’s 78 acres, the grounds now include more than 5 miles of walking trails, an herbarium, seed bank, research labs, library, and a public native plant nursery. Amid the serene beauty of the Garden, teams of scientists, educators, and horticulturists remain committed to the original spirit of the organization’s founders – conserve native plants and habitats to ensure they continue to support life on the planet and can be enjoyed for generations to come. Visit SBBotanicGarden.org

Visitors can watch fishing boats unload the day's catch, enjoy spectacular sunsets, and sample fare from fast food to fine dining at California's oldest working wharf.

Casa del Herrero, Spanish for “House of the Blacksmith,” was designed by famed architect George Washington Smith and completed in 1925. Created for St. Louis industrialist George Fox Steedman as a family retreat, the Casa remained exclusively in his family’s hands until 1993 when his descendants transferred the property to create a nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve, protect, and share this amazing historic resource with the public. Landscape architecture was provided by Lockwood de Forest, Francis T. Underhill, and Ralph K. Stevens. Antiquarians, Arthur Byne and Mildred Stapley, helped outfit the Casa alongside the well-known Hearst Castle. The home’s original collection of 16th to 18th art, tapestries, silver, furniture, rugs, library, blacksmith workshop, and more remain fully intact for tours. Tours are by reservation only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Admission for the 90-minute, docent-led tours is $50 per person. All tours are booked online.

The Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara, California is open to the general public for tours and visitation Thursday and Friday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. These galleries feature original Reagan Ranch artifacts matched with state-of-the-art, interactive, multimedia exhibits that highlight the history of Ronald Reagan’s quarter-century at Rancho del Cielo and the accomplishments of his presidency. Over six hours of dynamic multimedia exhibits provide access to exclusive speeches, interviews, radio addresses, and original video presentations. The centerpiece of the gallery is a 28-foot-long interactive “timeline” that gives users the ability to explore the “Western White House” during the 1980s.