Five Things to Do with Kids in Santa Barbara
My sister, Natalie, lives in Santa Barbara and honestly I don’t know why I don’t go up to visit her more often. I’ve always loved the gorgeous little beach town and now with kids, there’s even more to explore than before!
I’ll always love the Funk Zone and State Street where you can find endless shopping and some really good bites (drinks too!), but this post is geared towards the kiddos, so read on if you’re looking for some fun, kid-friendly things to do on your next trip to Santa Barbara:
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
I probably wouldn’t have known about this gem had it not been for my sister and brother-in-law, but they are members here and brought us along for a gorgeous Sunday morning stroll. I was getting tons of backyard inspiration from all of their native CA plants and landscaping, and Callie was having the time of her life running around the mazes and playhouses in their Backcountry. Highly recommend, a great time being out in nature!SB Zoo
We haven’t actually been here yet, but planning a zoo trip for one of our next visits because the kids always have a fun time running around and exploring. (And an added bonus, there’s a cute little collection of restaurants and shops nearby at The Post — I’ll definitely be planning a stop there for myself.)The MOXI
While we haven’t been here either, we’ve watched Blippi visit The MOXI and I’m really looking forward to taking the kids there in the future. It’s a fun-filled science museum that’s got plenty of permanent and rotating exhibits to keep your little ones entertained!Alameda Park (& Alice Keck Park)
My sister told me about a fun park to take the kids just a short walk from her house, and I had no idea how awesome of a park it was until we finally went! Alameda Park has an awesome (and huge) wooden playground with tons of slides, swings, and adventure for kids of all ages. We also walked across the street after to Alice Keck Park and watched the ducks and turtles at the pond.
A few other notable parks: Shoreline Park, Pershing Park, Douglas Family PreserveState Street activities
In addition to the parks, I wanted to leave a few other free/cheap activities since the gardens, zoo and MOXI are all paid. There’s so so much to do on State Street and whether you choose to buy anything or not, you’ll find lots of good food and window shopping all around! If you’re in town over the weekend, make sure to check out the Saturday morning Farmers Market (State & Carrillo Street). A few other spots that we liked while in town: Santa Barbara Public Market, The Daisy (restaurant), and Chicken Little (children’s store)
I hope the above are helpful! If you have any favorite Santa Barbara spots, make sure to leave them in the comments below :)
