3 Best Shopping in The Central Coast, California

Wine-tasting rooms, shops, art galleries, and studios share the courtyard and gardens of this historic arcade.

Between Cabrillo Boulevard and Sola Street, State Street is a shopper's paradise. Chic malls, quirky storefronts, antiques emporia, elegant boutiques, and funky thrift shops abound. Numerous community activities take place at Paseo Nuevo, an open-air mall in the 700 block. Shops, restaurants, galleries, and fountains line the tiled walkways of La Arcada, a small complex of landscaped courtyards in the 1100 block designed by architect Myron Hunt in 1926.

Serious antiques hunters head southeast of Santa Barbara to Summerland, which is full of shops and markets. Several good ones are along Lillie Avenue and Ortega Hill Road.