There are four major beaches in Santa Barbara: Leadbetter, Arroyo Burro, West and East. While Leadbetter has the harbor, Arroyo Burro is best for travelers with dogs and West Beach is home to the fireworks on the Fourth of July, East Beach is the best stretch to catch some rays without being mobbed by crowds. What's more, it's considered one of the best California beaches home to some of the best Santa Barbara hotels.

The shoreline may still fill up more on the weekends, but East Beach is a bit more removed from State Street and the downtown area than the other beaches, offering more space to stretch out or take a walk along the sandy shores. You may have to protect yourself from the occasional rogue volleyball though, as there are more than a dozen sandy courts here. 

In the northwest part of town just four blocks from State Street, the Santa Barbara Mission offers visitors a glimpse at the city's early origins. 

Founded in 1786, this Californian mission was Spain's 10th attempt to colonize the region and convert the native inhabitants to Roman Catholicism. Still a functioning house of worship, the Santa Barbara Mission boasts a museum filled with colonial artifacts and early photographs of the area. 

Neighboring the Andree Clark Bird Refuge in the east part of downtown, the Santa Barbara Zoo gives visitors a taste of the exotic just a block from the sandy shore. Recent visitors said the small zoo packs a lot of entertaining creatures into a clean, well-designed property. The zoo also features attractions like a 26-foot rock climbing wall and the animal kitchen where visitors can observe animal food preparation. 

Permanent residents of the zoo include anteaters, leopards, gorillas and penguins. But the biggest celebrities here are the native California condors and endangered Amur leopards. Despite the zoo's small size, many visitors praise the diversity of the animals. Many also reported visiting for more than just the creatures and praised the animal encounters, the play area and the barnyard. Others were pleased with the facility's manageable size, saying it was perfect for small children.

Most travelers scoff at the idea of visiting a courthouse while on vacation. Really dry and boring, right? Wrong. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse epitomizes the Spanish-Moorish architecture that is found across the city. Completed in 1929, the complex impresses visitors with its intricate tile mosaics, colorful gardens and jaw-dropping views of the city and ocean below.

Try to stop by when you can also take a peek into the clock tower in the Bisno Schall Clock Gallery to see the impressive clock, which still works. It is only open to the public Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Surrounding the clock is an impressive 60-foot mural depicting the history of timekeeping. Due to coronavirus concerns, guided tours and self-guided tours are temporarily suspended.

Santa Barbara's most famous avenue, State Street cuts through downtown for 10 blocks and leads right onto Stearns Wharf. It's nearly impossible to miss with its shops, art galleries, theaters and attractions, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. 

After a few hours of shopping, visitors usually slide into a chair at one of the dozens of local restaurants to refuel.

In the heart of downtown on bustling State Street, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art infuses some high culture into this laid-back Californian community. It is home to  25,000 works of art, including "Portrait of Mexico Today, 1932," the only intact mural in the United States by David Alfaro Siqueiros.  

The museum, which was founded in 1941, houses permanent collections of American, European and Asian art, including sculptures, paintings, prints and ceramics, and prides itself on the diversity of its exhibits. The museum also offers docent-led tours select days of the week.

Take a step back in time with a visit to El Presidio de Santa Barbara. The nearly 6-acre state historic park consists of restored buildings that make up the last Spanish military settlement built in northern California.

Originally built in 1782, the park is home to 17 buildings and sites built around a quadrangle known as the Plaza de Armas. Visitors can learn about the Chumash Native Americans who settled the land more than 13,500 years ago and the Spanish who came to colonize the land. The park also includes an exhibit on the history of the Japanese American community in the Santa Barbara region.

Also called Hendry's Beach by locals who love to walk their dogs here (there are even dog-washing stations), Arroyo Burro Beach is a pretty stretch of sand with plenty of options for outdoor fun. Visitors can sunbathe, swim, surf, whale watch, surf fish and or enjoy a picnic and take advantage of on-site grills.

Recent beach-goers admired the beauty and serenity of the area, with many calling the park "wonderful" and "relaxing." If you get hungry, the Boathouse at Hendry's Beach is a popular spot for dining and happy hour drinks.

Stearns Wharf, located next to the harbor, offers plenty of diversions, including restaurants, a shellfish market, a bait and tackle shop, shops, a Channels Islands exhibit hall and a marine museum, not to mention great views. Constructed in 1872, it became the longest deep-water wharf between San Pedro and San Francisco and is the oldest working wooden wharf in California.

Recent visitors said the wharf is a fun place to visit, with plenty to see and do. There are numerous restaurants, candy stores and ice cream shops. Even if you're not in the mood for seafood or souvenir shopping, reviewers said it's a great place for a stroll.

North of downtown, the 78-acre Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a refuge for bored beachgoers and nature enthusiasts alike. Visitors walk on unpaved paths through what, at times, looks like unremarkable brush. However, what you see here is carefully designed. According to the official website, the garden is committed to protecting plants unique to central California's coastal region – indifferent to their individual beauty. And it's this diversity (along with Santa Barbara's stunning mountain views) that differentiates this botanical park from others.

Highlights of the garden include the historic Mission Dam and aqueduct built in 1807, an authentic Japanese teahouse and tea garden and a redwood grove. In all, there are almost 6 miles of paths to explore and more than 1,000 types of plants. Recent visitors praised the peace and quiet found at the garden, calling it a great place to recharge. Others recommended the attraction if you enjoy walking trails and warned that this is not your typical, landscaped botanic garden.

Lotusland is the former home of Polish opera singer Ganna Walska, who spent 40 years transforming her 37-acre estate into a garden wonderland. Upon her death in 1984, she left it to her foundation, which opened it to the public in 1993. The gardens are home to more than 3,000 plants from all over the world, including its namesake lotus flowers.

Because the garden is located in a residential neighborhood of Santa Barbara, the only way to visit is via a docent-led tour. On the two-hour tour, you'll see bromeliad and fern gardens, cactus and succulent gardens, a Japanese garden, an aloe garden and whimsical statuary. You'll also spot a 25-foot round horticultural clock featuring the signs of the zodiac and a collection of rare cycads, an unusual plant genus that has been around since the Jurassic period. 

Known for being California's oldest, continuously operating theater, the Lobero Theatre offers a diverse array of performances year-round. Depending when you visit, you may get the chance to watch a jazz concert, an opera, a ballet performance or even a magic show. Originally built in 1923 and remodeled in 2013, the theater is considered an architectural gem and a city landmark thanks to its distinct Spanish Colonial Revival style. Inside, the Lobero Theatre features classic elements like red velvet seats and columns, as well as an intricately designed ceiling. It can seat about 600 audience members, and past visitors said they especially enjoyed its intimate atmosphere.

The theater is located in downtown Santa Barbara, so many visitors like to grab a bite to eat before the show at one of the surrounding restaurants. Ticket prices vary based on performances and seats. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase on the theater website as well.

Whether you're traveling to Santa Barbara with kids or just looking for a bit of exercise, Shoreline Park is the place to stop. This nearly 15-acre park sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and offers plenty of amenities for park-goers, including barbeque areas, picnic tables, benches and a playground. Pets are also welcome at the park, and there are walking paths for leisurely strolls. The park is also a prime place to view marine life as there are often dolphins visible in the water below (and whales if you look through the binoculars). There are also stairs for easy access to the beach below, where kids may enjoy searching for critters in the tide pools.

The park is frequented by locals and tourists alike and is sure to be crowded on nice weekend days, but past visitors said the views make the park worth a stop no matter the crowds. The park is located about 2 miles from downtown, and there are two parking lots on-site. Access is free.

Santa Barbara visitors highly recommend the city's Museum of Natural History for its educational exhibits and knowledgeable staff. Some museum highlights include Mammal Hall – where visitors can learn about the region's mammals through intricate dioramas and even touch bones – as well as the Space Sciences center – which offers a 3D star map and exciting lessons on gravity – and the Gladwin Planetarium. Visitors were especially impressed with the Chumash Life exhibit, which details the lives of the region's native people. There is also a Curiosity Lab perfect for young children interested in learning about regional animals and natural features in a hands-on manner.

The museum is located just about a mile from downtown on Stearns Wharf. Admission costs $18 for adults, $16 for teens and seniors and $12 for children ages 2 to 12. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. You can purchase tickets in advance on the museum's website.

History lovers will relish in the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum's exhibits, which outline Santa Barbara's relationship with the Pacific Ocean and 13,000 years of maritime history. In the museum, visitors will find 32 models of different ships created by known modeler Dwight Brooks, among other artifacts. The museum also hosts exhibits on commercial fishing, commercial diving and whaling, among other topics. There are also usually exhibits geared toward children that feature interactive experiences. The museum is also home to the Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center, which overlooks the sea, and features detailed exhibits on nearby Channel Islands National Park as well as the area's marine life. The Outdoors Santa Barbara Visitor Center is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Past visitors said that although the museum is on the smaller side (it sprawls across 8,000 square feet of exhibit space), it packs a ton of information. The museum, which is located on the Santa Barbara Harbor, is open Thursday through Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and children ages 6 to 17. For more information on current exhibits, visit the museum's official website.

A trek to Inspiration Point via the Tunnel and Jesusita trails brings hikers through scenic Mission Canyon and rewards visitors with stunning vistas throughout the journey. Past visitors especially enjoyed seeing colorful wildflowers along the way. Upon reaching the summit, hikers are greeted by panoramic views of the ocean and the surrounding Santa Ynez Mountains.

This nearly 4-mile out-and-back trail is rated as moderate and takes about two hours to complete. The hike starts as a paved road before turning into a trail on which there are a few switchbacks; past hikers said the trail has a steady incline all the way to the summit. The trail is open to dogs, so hikers can bring their furry friends as long as they are leashed. There are parking spaces available at the trailhead, which is located about 4 miles north of downtown, or visitors can opt for street parking along Tunnel Road.