GUIDE TO SANTA BARBARA WITH LITTLE KIDS

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – TRAVEL GUIDE

Are you heading to Santa Barbara little kids? A California road trip was our first big vacation as a family of 4 and Santa Barbara was our first stop. We had 3 nights (2 full days) here but I would have liked one extra.

For reference, At the time of this trip, our boys were 3.5 years old and 4 months.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get the beautiful sunshine that was forecast. It was pretty cold and windy. Our older one also wasn’t feeling 100%. Despite this, we still managed to have a great time and make some beautiful family memories! So, if you’re wondering what not to miss in Santa Barbara, read on.

Santa Barbara isn’t huge, except for one beach, we walked everywhere. I bought the Joolz Aer+ travel stroller for this trip. If you travel a lot, we would recommend it! You can read my full review of it here.

THINGS TO DO IN SANTA BARBARA WITH KIDS

HEAD TO THE BEACH

Our 3-year-old was so excited to get to the beach. As I mentioned, we really didn’t get beach weather but we kept trying and he enjoyed it all the same. If you want to know what beach is best for kids in Santa Barbara, I’ll tell you about them all below.

East Beach had quite a bit of tar in the sand close to the Wharf, but further East, it is more sandy and family-friendly. This is a large, spacious beach, so it is good to visit on sunny days as there’s plenty of room.
West Beach is another sandy, family-friendly beach. A wide path along the beach is perfect for strollers (pushchairs). West Beach merges with East Beach on either side of Sterns Wharf.
Leadbetter Beach, in my opinion, is a nicer beach than East or West Beach. However, it was also a huge wind tunnel. We didn’t last long there because the boys (and I) were just too cold! As I mentioned, despite it being July, the weather was unexpectedly cold. On a hot day, this would be a great option.
Arroyo Burro Beach was the final beach we visited. It was the only one we drove to, but it was also our favourite. There is a free car park right by the beach. There are quite a lot of steps down to the beach but this made it more sheltered from the wind. It has some sand and many rocks that are great for toddlers to explore. The only downside to this beach is it’s a popular spot for dog walkers. We have no problem with dogs but I don’t like when they run at my children, especially when we don’t know if they’re friendly!

We got this beach tent for our baby to shade him from the sun. It ended up being more of a windbreaker in Santa Barbara but later in the trip, it did the job well!

Arroyo Burro Beach | Sheltering in our tent on Ledbetter Beach | East Beach by Sternes Wharf

STEARNS WHARF

Located between East and West Beaches, you’ll see Sternes Wharf. I feel like walking along the Wharf is a must-do when visiting Santa Barbara although, there’s not actually too much to do on the Wharf, especially for kids. There are a few shops and restaurants here which is useful to know.

PLAYGROUNDS & PARKS

We love finding great playgrounds when we travel. It’s great free entertainment for little kids. Our kids get up early and as it was too cold for the beach, we would head straight to a playground. I’ll share the two best ones below:

KIDS WORLD PLAYGROUND

This playground was really fun. Big wooden structures, swings and slides, perfect for toddlers (and older kids) to enjoy. Just across the road, there’s Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. A small but pretty garden with a pond. We enjoyed looking at the terrapins swimming here.

SHIPWRECK PLAYGROUND

This one is located opposite East Beach. A large play boat that’s great for climbing on or pretending to be pirates! There’s also a lot of sand.

Kids World Playground | Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden | Shipwreck Playground

WALK DOWN STATE STREET

This is the main Street in Santa Barbara. It is very pretty and lined with shops and plenty of Instagramable cafes and restaurants.

There were a few ‘little libraries’ along the street where you could take a book and leave a book. Freddie really enjoyed looking at them all! It’s a long street so we also played games with him, like, ‘How many American flags can you count?’ to keep him entertained.

ENJOY FOOD AND DRINKS

There are plenty of options on State Street but here are a couple more options:

Santa Barbara Public Market – This is a really nice place to stop for food. It has tables both inside and outside and a variety of places to choose from. There is also a tractor inside that kids can play on. Is this a dream come true for all toddlers? Even better, if you post a photo, tagging them on Instagram, Dad can get a free beer from the bar. My husband was pretty pleased!
The Funk Zone – another location with lots of food places. Located towards the lower end of State Street, nearer the waterfront.

Santa Barbara Public Market | Looking at Yaughts in the Harbour

LOOK AT YACHTS AT THE HARBOUR

The harbour is just a short walk from Leadbetter Beach. As the beach was so windy, we spent a while looking at the boats and picking out our dream one!

Thank you so much for reading our guide on things to do in Santa Barbara with little kids. We hope you have the best time there!