Santa Barbara

Here are some more information for Santa Barbara:

Whether you are a local, in town visiting family and/or friends, or here on vacation in Santa Barbara, California, there is never a lack of activities and things to do in our wonderful seaside resort community. Starting today, I am going to write the first installment in a series of articles that point out some of Santa Barbara's most prominent local attractions. Some of these will be cultural, some dining, some active pursuits and some I am still deciding on. This first installment will be focusing on...

Downtown Attractions:

The Downtown area is dominated by the main street in Santa Barbara, State Street. Most people consider the main center of downtown to be at the intersection of State and Carrillo Street. Numerous important historical buildings lie within the downtown area along with a lively arts scene. One great way to explore the downtown area and its jewels is to take a self-guided Red Tile Walking Tour.

Historical Museum - The SB Historical Museum displays and exhibits Santa Barbara's artistic and cultural heritages dating from the 15th century. The Museum itself is a wonderful landmark located in the center of our historic district.

El Presidio de Santa Barbara - Founded on April 21, 1782, the SB Royal Presidio was the last in a chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish along the coast of Alta California, then a wilderness frontier. El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park encompasses much of the original Presidio site and is located in modern downtown Santa Barbara at the intersection of Santa Barbara and East Canon Perdido Streets.

SB County Courthouse - For almost 160 years this site has been the home of local government and a place of civic pride and celebration. Visitors from around the world come to see the courthouse, mural room and grounds.

SB Museum of Art - The Museum of Art houses both wonderful permanent and special collections in a prominent building on State Street constructed in 1914.

Alice Keck Park - Once the site of the elegant El Mirasol Hotel, this downtown block is often called the "crown jewel" of city parks. The park features a large botanical collection (75 different tree and plant species), koi pond, sensory garden with audio posts and interpretive Braille signs, low water-using demonstration garden, picnic areas, gazebo and more.

For information on Santa Barbara Real Estate, Montecito Real Estate and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don't hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby's Int'l Realty.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.

Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts.

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Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals – 10 Things to Consider

So you’ve decided to splurge this summer! Good for you! We all need a vacation and sometimes the ‘stay-cations’  everyone is taking these days just don’t cut it when it comes to relaxing and unwinding from the stresses of our everyday  lives. Still, let’s be reasonable. We may want a vacation away from home, but how many of us can afford a five-star hotel for  a week? Or the cost of three meals a day at fancy resort prices?  So is there a happy medium? You might be surprised to learn that you can have that get-away-vacation in a resort town like Santa Barbara and eat your  cake, too!  How? Check out the wide variety of Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals available all year round. 

Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals run the gambit from studio apartments  for the single traveler, or couple, to multiple-family sized villas exquisitely set on the pristine Santa Barbara coastline –  and everything in between. Whether it’s a place from which to take long walks on the beach, or one with full access to Santa  Barbara’s many offerings in town, you will find what you’re looking for in a Santa Barbara Vacation Rental at prices that  will take the sting out of the cost of a vacation.  Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals are usually privately owned rentals, and  for us, home-away-from-home complete with kitchens, room to spread out and often amenities we could only dream of having at  five star resorts, like a private Jacuzzi or pool, beach paraphernalia and a place to cook S’mores under the stars.

Once you’ve decided that these kinds of amenities are what you’re looking for, it’s time to narrow down the choices.  So what should you consider when booking a Santa Barbara Vacation Rental? Here are a  few things to think about as you peruse the hundreds of choices.

•        Are you a beach comber?  Lover of beachy sunsets? Do you have children who would love nothing more than to  dig in the sand all day?  If so, look for a Santa Barbara vacation rental near the coast. This will save you precious time  and money in driving costs daily, and allow you the freedom to come and go instead of having to plan your entire day around  one trip to the beach.  Parking costs can be steep there, as well, so proximity allows you to avoid the high costs of  shuffling your car between parking meters.  And if you don’t have a car, staying close by the beach will save on public  transportation costs.

•         While we’re on the subject of parking, check to see if your vacation rental includes free on-site parking.  This can be a major and expensive hassle if it doesn’t.  You can save big bucks if your Santa Barbara Vacation Rental is not  only close to the places you want to visit, and you can leave your car parked for the week.

•        Is shopping your thing?  Do you love fine dining?  Santa Barbara offers a broad spectrum of wonderful  restaurants and shopping from imports and seasonal craft fairs to high end boutiques. Most of these are in town, so if you’re  a gourmet, shopping aficionado and not a beach comber, consider staying in a Santa Barbara Vacation Rental in town. Not only  will you avoid the beach crowd and traffic, you’ll be right where the action is.  And if you don’t have a car, Santa Barbara  is a small town, and extremely walkable.  But public transportation makes it easy to get from one end of town to the other,  should you want it.

•        If you’re going to be on the beach, check to see if your Santa Barbara Vacation Rental provides any beach  equipment. Not only will this come in handy, it will save you from having to drag it along or invest in costly rentals or  disposable purchases while you’re there. What kinds of things should you look for in your Santa Barbara Vacation Rental?  Ask  if the owners have Boogey boards, skim boards, or beach chairs and umbrellas. Are there any bicycles you can use? Do they  have buckets and shovels for the kids or even coolers to bring along on beach picnics? You might be surprised to learn that  many Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals do provide amenities like these. The secret is: Ask!

•        Check to see if your Santa Barbara Vacation Rental provides linens for the beds.  While most do, some don’t,  so be sure to ask.

•        One of the advantages of staying in a Santa Barbara Vacation Rental is the feeling that you’re not just  staying there, you’re living there. So be sure to ask if there are things like dishwashers, irons, washer and drying on the  premises.

•        Even if you’re close to the beach, a pool can be just the spot to lounge around on hot summer days. It can  also be a romantic place for two under the Santa Barbara night sky. So if a pool is on your list of must-haves, be sure to  ask if your Santa Barbara Vacation Rental comes complete with one!

This is your vacation. Make the most of it in a Santa Barbara Vacation Rental!

About the Author

Andrew Warren is a freelance leisure writer with specialized knowledge in real estate and Santa Barbara Vacation Rentals as well as Vacation Rentals in Carpinteria. For more information please visit: www.carpinteriashores.com

What is the best place to stay in Santa Barbara, California for a prospective student like me?

I'm planning to enter Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA and would like to know the best place that I can stay there.

Cheapest would be a dorm or camp, but you can also try finding a place to rent with other students...check these links:
http://www.transitions.cits.ucsb.edu/activities.htm
http://www.international-homestay.net/
http://www.iacr.org/conferences/c96/c96info.html

UC Santa Barbara wins Big West over Long Beach St
Orlando Johnson led UC Santa Barbara out of an eight-year drought and into the NCAA tournament.

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