Jen & Sean
Things To Do
Chad's Cafe (formerly Sambo's)
Looking for a great brunch spot? Sambo’s is a Santa Barbara institution steeped in history and tradition. The owner recently changed the name from Sambo's to Chad's in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. But it's still the same harborside brunch spot we've been enjoying for decades. Bravo, Chad!
La Super-Rica Taqueria
This was one of Julia Child's favorite places to eat! Best tacos in town. They also offer authentic, simple, basic Mexican food. Totally worth the long lines!
Coronado Butterfly Preserve, The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
Coronado Butterfly Preserve, also known as Ellwood Preserve, is one of the select few places the beautiful creatures choose to stop and rest on their long 3,000 mile flight south to Mexico. While there likely won't be many butterflies in April, it's a great place for a beautiful and easy hike with a really good beach below the bluffs.
The Funk Zone
Over the past few decades, this district, which spans the area between the ocean and Highway 101 and is adjacent to the Amtrak station, has enjoyed an upswell of boutique tasting rooms, cafes, galleries, and shops. Converted warehouses and buildings decorated with graffiti murals and contemporary art pieces set the tone for this hopping section of town. Surfboard shapers, winemakers and up-and-coming chefs all practice their crafts here. Visit art galleries; shop vintage and modern home goods at The Blue Door; taste at the fun, hip Municipal Winemakers (whose wine club is affectionately known as Club Awesome), and enjoy a five-star dinner at The Lark. Walk the largest part of the Urban Wine Trail — a self-guided trail of 20+ tasting rooms representing Santa Barbara County wines — and easily discover why Santa Barbara’s wine country is easily world class. Tantalize your taste buds with an Eat This, Shoot That! food and photo tour through the neighborhood
Cajun Kitchen
Jambalaya, blackened catfish, shrimp po boys, waffle sandwiches... Great brunch or lunch spot with a couple of locations throughout Santa Barbara.
Mission Rose Garden
No trip to Santa Barbara would be complete without visiting its historic mission and the adjacent rose garden.
Boathouse at Hendry's Beach
My absolute favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara, half for the food and half for the views. The night I graduated from UCSB we had dinner here and when I took Sean to Santa Barbara for the first time I took him here for perhaps our most cherished evening ever. We had a nice early dinner on the patio and then took a little walk through the neighboring Douglas Family Preserve where we caught the most spectacular sunset from the top of the bluff.
Douglas Family Preserve
The first time I took Sean to Santa Barbara, we wandered around this preserve after dinner at the neighboring restaurant Boathouse at Hendry's Beach (where i also had my UCSB graduation dinner). After a short walk up the bluff we were treated to the most spectacular oceanview sunset we had ever seen. If you can make it here at sunset we would definitely recommend; otherwise the views the rest of the day are still breathtaking and it's a nice easy hike to the top of the bluff.