Santa Barbara is a gorgeous beach city located about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles. If you’re visiting California and traveling up or down Highway 101, you must make a one or two night stop in Santa Barbara. The following are five of the best activities to get the most out of your stay in Santa Barbara.
1. Beach!
This is pretty much a dead giveaway seen as though Santa Barbara is right along the coast, but if you want a cheap and fun afternoon, you should definitely bring out the beach towel, sunscreen and a good book and lay out in the sun. Luckily with the the exception of two to three bad weather weeks in the middle of winter, almost everyday in SB is a beach day. Check out East Beach and Leadbetter Beach. Both are centrally located in downtown Santa Barbara and have lots going on. You can hire a kayak, take a surfing lesson, play some beach volleyball, or go grab a bite at one of the many restaurants surrounding both beaches. There are several other beaches for you to visit as well. John Dickson’s Santa Barbara website offers you all the information you need to know about all of them.
2. Hire a beach cruiser and bike along the ocean in downtown SB
Hiring a beach cruiser for the afternoon and riding along the running/bike path that runs along the Santa Barbara coastline is probably one of the most fun activities I’ve done in SB. There are a couple places right near the ocean where you can rent bikes including Wheel Fun Rentals and Open Air Bicycles. You can hire a bike for $20 to $30 per day or less for just an hour or two. You definitely need to get a beach cruiser too – mountain or road bikes do not do the beach scene justice. 
3. Go shopping on State Street
State Street is the main street in downtown Santa Barbara. It offers everything from high retailers like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, but also a bunch of unique boutiques. You can stroll up and down the street, window shop and grab a bite to eat. You will not be disappointed.
4. Take a hike up in the mountains
Santa Barbara has some of the best hiking in Southern California. My favorite hike is 7 Falls, a two to three mile hike which involves some rock climbing and ends up at three pools where you can take a dip in the water. Unfortunately, the trail has been closed down due to the Jesusita fire, but hopefully it will be reopened soon. There are many other hikes for you to check out at Santa Barbara Hikes. Just make sure to pack some water and some gorp, also known as trail mix.
5. Grab an ice cream at McConnell’s Ice Cream and Yogurt
If there is one place you should grab a bite to eat while in Santa Barbara, it is McConnell’s Ice Cream and Yogurt shop. It has hands-down the best ice cream and yogurt in the area. My favorite is their yogurt variety called Wow Cow. The owner makes up the yogurt ingredients himself and there are new Wow Cow flavors every week. The yogurt is delicious and the shop has the setting of a 50s ice cream store. You can ride your beach cruiser there if you like!
If you are in Santa Barbara for a night or two, you should definitely do your best to do one or all of these five activities. You will leave feeling super relaxed and happy about life.
Its true santa barbara has some beautiful beaches! and excellent waves!