Santa Barbara is situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Santa Barbara's climate is often described as Mediterranean, and the city has been promoted as the "American Riviera". Over the years Santa Barbara has seen its share of celebrities setting up camp. Big stars include Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Bridges, John Cleese, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Ellen DeGeneres, Bo Derek, Kirk Douglas, Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez, Rob Lowe, Steve Martin, Brad Pit, Whoopi Goldberg, and Oprah Winfrey just to name a few. While the RV park is nothing to rave about the location is just a few minutes to all SB has to offer.
Stearns Wharf is a pier in the harbor in Santa Barbara, California. When completed In 1872, it became the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco. You can drive onto the pier and park at several locations. We had a really great lunch at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company. It's very rustic and if you sit inside, the kitchen and seafood tanks are in full view. While we were there, large tubs of fresh Lobster and Sea Urchin were brought in by the local fishermen and dumped into the tanks. Now that's fresh!
About 35 miles north of Santa Barbara is a charming Danish town. Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danes who traveled west to establish a Danish colony far from the midwestern winters. The city is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the façades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style. There is a copy of the famous Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen, as well as one featuring the bust of famed Danish fable writer Hans Christian Andersen.
We did some shopping at a farmers market, toured the town, had some schnitzel and picked up some 'danish pastry' to bring home.
We did some shopping at a farmers market, toured the town, had some schnitzel and picked up some 'danish pastry' to bring home.
Nestled along San Marcos Pass in the Los Padres National Forest is a gem of a place called Cold Spring Tavern. An old stagecoach stop of yesteryear, it had an interesting past and is currently a popular, thriving gathering spot. We had lunch which included Wild Game Chili (Rabbit, Boar and Bison) and enjoyed a talented 'troubadour' playing outside.