A memory of Santa Barbara’s earliest residents, Painted Cave State Park, exhibits some of the most intricate known Native American cave paintings created by the Chumash Tribe. Just a short drive into the mountains from downtown Santa Barbara, you can view original aboriginal artwork, some features and symbols of which were also painted by Chumash artists in the Old Mission sanctuary.

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Founded on the Feast Day of St. Barbara, December 4, 1786, this “Queen of the Missions” was the 10th of 21 Franciscan missions established in California along El Camino Real, the route that connected the missions and presidios. The Mission not only offers incredible viewing opportunities in and around the architecture, but also a hilltop view of the city and ocean, as well as a beautiful rose garden for picnicking, Frisbee, or a stroll.

Santa Barbara Courthouse

A National Historic Landmark, this “Andalusian castle” still functions as home of the California Superior Court and is open to visitors daily until 5pm. Their devoted team of docents offers free tours to the public at 10:30am (M-F) and 2pm (every day), beginning in one of many jewels of the courthouse, the Mural Room. Even if you skip the tour, it’s certainly worth a walk around the gardens and/or a quick pop up to the clock tower for spectacular city views.

We love swinging by the grounds for a picture perfect stop on our Mountains to Shore Bike Tour.

Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens

Hiding in plain sight, the Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens building marks the hub of Santa Barbara’s historic Chinatown and Japantown, located in the Presidio quadrangle. Much of Chinatown was disassembled in the reconstruction period following the 1925 earthquake, yet Jimmy’s and surrounding structures remain as a well-preserved snapshot into Santa Barbara’s Asian American history. The building still serves as a deli and cocktail bar.

Pass by this historic area on a corporate team building favorite: The Great Race!

Stearn’s Wharf

The oldest working wooden wharf in California, Stearn’s Wharf still offers a myriad of entertainments including an aquarium, fishing, wine tasting, dining, and even fortune telling. Prior to its completion in 1872, Santa Barbara was extremely isolated from other developments due to the natural boundaries of coastal mountains and the Pacific Ocean, but Santa Barbara quickly developed into an economic hub of fishing, agriculture, and tourism, as it remains today.

Pro tip: experience Stearn’s Wharf from the best vantage point of all: on the water! Join us on our Harbor Wildlife Kayak Tour to explore by kayak.

The post Historic Landmark Sightseeing in Santa Barbara appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..

We have the Santa Ynez Tour, Wine and Cupcake Pairing Tour, or Wine and Bike Tour.

A special thanks to photographer Phillip Van Nostrand, you can read his blog at www.phillipvnblog.com or follow him on twitter.

Do you have an incredible photo from Santa Barbara’s Wine Region? Please share it on the Santa Barbara Adventure Company Facebook Page or on the Santa Barbara Wine Country Tours page.

Book A Wine Tour

The post A Day in Santa Ynez Wine Country appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..

However, you can book kayaking and snorkeling tours on Santa Cruz Island year around by taking the ferry to the island. These tours have the advantage of a “landing” meaning you can also hike and explore the island.

While on the ferry you can whale watching, witness mega dolphin pods and enjoy a quick right to the island. Come and see blue whales, bald eagles, mega pods of dolphins and beautiful sea life.

Want to read more about Santa Barbara Adventure Company’s tours?

Then read about

Book your Channel Island National Park Tour online

The post How to Plan a Kayak Trip to Painted Cave appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..

A few days ago I went out on a guided sea kayak trip to explore the caves that riddle the cliff-lined shores of Santa Cruz Island. The water was clear, the skies blue. It was a beautiful day. We had been in and out of several caverns in the first hour as our guides Kenji and Matt taught us how to time the swells and when to turn just in time so as to avoid being dashed against the barnacle encrusted walls. It was pretty sweet.
We paddled around a corner and into a bay. The cliffs were lined with gulls and cormorants and streaked with their guano. The guides paused to point out a seal lazing in the sun on a rock. We had a seen a few but were not allowed to disturb them. We had to keep our distance. They led us into a wide-mouthed cavern, out of the sun-dappled water and hundreds of feet in, into deepening shadow. As we huddled the kayaks together, Kenji told us of a secret room deeper into the cave, too small for all but one or two boats. He would take us back one at a time.

As I waited my turn, a growing disturbance outside caught my attention. The birds had become agitated. The air was filled with their cries. Back at the mouth of the cave I noted ripples in the water. Little splashes as an occasional small fish broke the surface. The ripples grew closer. In the clear water beneath my boat I could now see hundreds of the tiny fish, racing for the back of the cave. Behind them a shadow crossed the sand. It swerved, flipped, and then breached. A sea lion! Only a few yards from my kayak. I laughed, pointed. We all oohed and ahhed, no idea what was yet to come.

One became two, two four. Soon the sandy floor of the cave beneath our kayaks was obscured by feeding sea lions. A huge pod had herded a bait ball into the back of the cavern! The gentle lapping of the waves against the rocky walls became rougher. The water began to roil and surge. Soon the kayak was being tossed by the creatures, paying us no mind as they fed. Kenji shot out of the secret cavern. “Isn’t this something!” he laughed, barely able to paddle without slapping into a sea lion. We fended off the cave walls with our paddles, rode out the sea lion waves for five or ten minutes as they finished their lunch.

Soon most of them had left. Several stayed, jumping and cavorting with each other and with us. We shot in and out of the cave over and over again, racing them, racing each other; Being dashed and splashed by salt spray as they jumped and barked. Eventually they moved on, and so did we.

If there was a highlight to my Channel Islands adventure, that was it.

Photo credit: NOAA’s National Marine Service

The post Sea Lion Whitewater: A Guest’s Experience appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..