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Seeking recommendations for our half day in Santa Barbara


Turtles06
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I'll be on a Panama Canal cruise in January that has a relatively short port call (7am-2pm) in Santa Barbara, which is a tender port.  Any suggestions for what to do there?   I enjoy seeing interesting buildings, historical sites, walking around.   There appears to be a 90-minute trolley tour -- is it worth doing?

 

Thanks for any information and suggestions! 

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I used to live in Santa Barbara (now I live a little over an hour south)...I really don’t know what’s on the trolley tour...but...

 

First, I really wish you had a longer day... If you did, I’d recommend a tour out of town over the scenic San Marcos Pass to the Danish town of Solvang (where there is also a historic Franciscan Mission) and to the wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley (one of the best wine growing regions of the world—where the movie “Sideways” takes place)...BUT, with a ship departure time of 2:00 pm, you really don’t have the time...

 

So, you will be staying in the city of Santa Barbara proper...

Santa Barbara is actually a very historic town by Southern California standards.  It has one of the original Franciscan Missions founded by Father Junipero Serra(1786) ...I would make it a point to visit that...

 

Other historic buildings can be found at El Presidio, in the downtown area on Canon Perdido...also dating to the Mission period...

 

The other historic structure is Stearns Wharf...which should be where your tender lands...it dates to 1876... old by California standards...

 

There are a couple of museums—Maritime and Natural History—with exhibits of local historical significance...For just walking around, head up State Street into the downtown area...lots of shops and restaurants...what most people do in Santa Barbara...

 

Have fun...

 

 

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30 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

Trolley tour wouldn't be my thing.

 

I'd catch the shuttle up State Street and see things like the City Hall, Presidio, La Arcada, Santa Barbara Art Museum, probably head up to the Mission too.

 

Thank you for the excellent suggestions. The Mission (and other buildings) would be right up my alley, so to speak. 

 

The shuttle doesn’t start running until 10am.  Given our time in port (7am-2pm), I’ll be getting off the ship well before 10.   If I get off around 8am, should I just take a cab/ Uber to the central part of State Street (to walk around there)?   It looks like it’s about a mile from there to the Mission. Any issues with walking there?   Any problems getting cabs or Uber during the day (especially at the Mission)? 

 

Thanks — this is what I love about most about Cruise Critic! 

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1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

Any issues with walking there?   Any problems getting cabs or Uber during the day (especially at the Mission)?

 

It is uphill from the port to the heart of Lower State Street, gradual, not SF sized hill, but enough to get a good sweat going.

 

No problem getting Uber or a cab. I'd be surprised if the shuttle doesn't operate on cruise ship days.

 

https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/waterfront/events/cruiseship.asp

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2 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

It is uphill from the port to the heart of Lower State Street, gradual, not SF sized hill, but enough to get a good sweat going.

 

No problem getting Uber or a cab. I'd be surprised if the shuttle doesn't operate on cruise ship days.

 

https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/waterfront/events/cruiseship.asp

 

Thanks again.  You and @Bruin Steve have given me great info and I have a good sense of what I'll do that day; much appreciated!

 

It's also helpful to have that "lay of the land," terrain wise.  I am saving my knees and hill-climbing muscles for our several days post-cruise in SF.  😃

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Make sure to go and see the court house, too!  It's a lovely building with a rooftop lookout (accessible by elevator).  Nice grounds around the court house, too.

 

There is, or was, a very inexpensive shuttle when we were there a few years ago.  

Edited by Alberta Quilter
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16 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Make sure to go and see the court house, too!  It's a lovely building with a rooftop lookout (accessible by elevator).  Nice grounds around the court house, too.

 

 2019-08-26_17_35_45_court-house_1.jpg The Court House was what I meant, not City Hall.

 

 

Edited by scottca075
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We have visited Santa Barbara two times (2017 ad 2019) by Cruise Ship although I had been there a few times before many years ago when we lived in California.

 

If you like to walk we just walked from the tender drop-off to the downtown area.  We walked from the tender pier up to the first street and took a right so the beach is on the right and went a few blocks and turned left and walked downtown.  The walk was

lovely.  From there we visited various places around the area.  In both cases we were off the ship early so you could easily do this in a few hours.  If you don't like to walk just take Uber downtown but if you can walk it was a lovely walk.

 

Keith

 

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