Santa Barbara Wine Country and Beach

Santa Barbara sits 95 miles north of Los Angeles on the California coast, where the east-west orientation of the Santa Ynez Mountains creates a rare Mediterranean microclimate that has proved ideal for Rhône and Burgundian grape varieties. The drive north on US-101 takes 90 minutes to two hours from downtown Los Angeles, with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train running the route in approximately 2.5 hours from Union Station for those avoiding the car. The city's nickname — California's American Riviera — captures the combination of Spanish colonial architecture, red-tile rooftops, palm-lined boulevards, and Pacific beaches that define the downtown core. State Street, the main pedestrian and shopping corridor, leads from the freeway down to Stearns Wharf, the oldest working wooden wharf on the California coast, where fresh seafood restaurants offer direct harbor views and the fish market sells daily catch for waterfront picnicking. The Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail concentrates 18 tasting rooms within walking distance of downtown, allowing visitors to sample award-winning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from nearby Santa Ynez Valley vineyards without renting a car — Carr Winery and Riverbench maintain tasting rooms within the Funk Zone near the train station. The Old Spanish Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786 and still an active Franciscan parish, stands at the top of the Laguna neighborhood and closes at 5pm, making a morning visit advisable. East Beach and Leadbetter Beach provide calm surf for swimming, and the Santa Barbara Harbor area is a natural lunch destination for grilled fish and clam chowder. Higher-end dining options on or near State Street include Loquita for Spanish cuisine and Bouchon Santa Barbara for French bistro food. Those driving from Los Angeles can take US-101 northbound and return via Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu and Ventura for different coastal scenery on the same trip.