Hi!

Been trying to plan a couple of days getaway with the wife and kid (10 months old daughter). We are located in SF and initially considered Tahoe but soon realized it'll be cold for the kid and we are not skiers.

I was considering driving down to Santa Barbara (US 101 from SF) in the third week of May and was wondering if you fine folks can help plan this:

- Where to stay? We cook our daughters food and so need a place with a kitchen. I've been looking for apartments on VRBO.com but cannot figure out which neighborhood to pick. http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals.../santa-barbara

Something with an ocean view but close to downtown - is that even possible? We thought it might be nice to take a stroll by the water in the morning and then walk around downtown in the evening and grab a dinner at some nice place.

- What are some things we can do? We like short walks/hikes (max 1 hour before the baby gets restless and wants to be held/get out of her stroller) with nice views if possible. We also enjoy walking around downtown, especially if its cute and has things to see. Historic stuff interests us a lot but not sure what we can or cannot do with a baby. Suggestions?

- Food: We're vegetarians (not vegan) and no fish. What kind of restaurants do you recommend, any favorites?

Thanks!

Hi, Rahulm,

I searched my database @ http://hotels.discover-santa-barbara.com/ for Santa Barbara and checked the kitchenette option under Hotel Features. That search returns 8 hotels that might work for you, several close to downtown.

There's a self-guided walking tour of Santa Barbara's historical downtown buildings: http://www.discover-santa-barbara.co...e_Walking_Tour

If you're up for a short drive to Goleta, visit the Stow House and railroad museum. There's a narrow-gauge railroad for the kids to ride, picnic tables and a lake to walk around. See http://www.goletadepot.org/index.php and http://www.stowhouse.com/index.php.

There are a couple of really good vegetarian restaurants in Santa Barbara. The Natural Cafe (http://www.thenaturalcafe.com/menu.php) is one of my favorites. Soujourner Cafe (http://www.sojournercafe.com/ ) is also very good. Both have downtown locations.

Hope you have a great time in Santa Barbara,
DiscoverSB

Things to see in SB. Somewhat overlaps the preceding post.

http://www.santabarbara.com/points_of_interest/

Thank you very much. I'll go through these and get back with more questions, should I have any!

The Santa Barbara Zoo is the perfect size zoo for a child in a stroller and is well worth spending a few hours... there is also a small train that my boys loved at that age... and still do ! You may enjoy the trolley that goes from the beach to downtown... better than walking I think, it can be windy here and I wouldnt want to be stuck walking a long distance with a fussy toddler... taxis are NOT plentiful here. The Santa Barbara Mission and rose garden would be nice for a stroll and the area of Upper State and Constance Avenue is a wonderful old neighborhood of homes where I loved walking my boys when they were small.

Olio Pizzeria (on State near the Arlington) has pizza, pastas and salads that are terrific and Renauds (Upper Staate in the Gelson's shopping center or downtown Sate near the Arlington) is super for breakfast and lunch. (Both are child friendly and have vegetarian options.)

I've only stayed at hotels in SB, never in VRBO but I would choose to stay in Montecito, somewhere close to downtown or near the college, or beach, I think. I'd also ask specific walking distances to nearby attractions, or whatever you want to be able to walk to.

I'm happy to answer specific questions if you have them and hopefully you'll get some more suggestions from people who live nearby or who have spent time in SB rather than just website referrals.

"Waterfront" (a bit vague) or "west beach" would put you close to downtown and close to the beach on vrbo. I think there are rentals a couple of blocks off of State St (the main drag) There is a downtown shuttle that goes up and down State St for 25 cents, but this is a small downtown and very walkable.

Diane in Santa Barbara

Thank you for the replies. I was looking at Holiday Inn Express downtown - do you know if that hotel is in a safe neighborhood that is walkable in the evenings? The other option was looking at staying in Goleta, CA (but would prefer downtown SB more). Please advise.

A safe location...just off lower StateSt. Very walkable...much better than Goleta. o need for a car. Lots of clubs in the neighborhood on State St...don't think noise is an issue at night. Lots of restaurants...Natural Cafe is within a block if I remember correctly.

Also fyi. Farmers Market on State St right by hotel on Tues nights 3-6, market also on Sat mornings 8:30 - noon just 2 blocks off State St. Many historic buildings, small paseos just a block off State St (up and down). Electric shuttle bus on State St 25 cents...also along beach. Some panhandlers on State...nothing too obnoxious.

Santa Barbara is a great town to visit with your young family. The Holiday Inn Express is absolutely right downtown, and in a very safe neighborhood. You'll be able to walk everywhere, take the trolley, or even catch a cab for a very reasonable ride around town.

Santa Barbara is a very vegetarian-friendly town - check out Sojourner, Pierre Lafond, and Natural Cafe - but almost all restaurants have vegetarian options.

The zoo is a fab place for a family day - with views of the ocean right from the giraffe exhibit - lots of rolling lawns, playgrounds, shaded places to spread a blanket for a picnic. You'll absolutely love it. From the Holiday Inn, you'd be able to get to Stearn's Wharf - there are shops, restaurants, and the wonderful Ty Warner Sea Center for kids; after visiting the wharf, you can cross the street to Chase Palm Park, and take a ride on the historic merry go round - an authentically restored antique from 1917 - there's a cool park with a duck pond and a great playground nearby. A few blocks to the west will take you to the harbor, where you can walk along the breakwater, have lunch or get a drink and admire all the boats. The Santa Barbara Natural History Museum is located just outside of downtown, near the Mission - but that's another place where you can enjoy the exhibits and also wander the beautiful grounds, have a picnic lunch near the creek.

One of the great things about being downtown is that with a good stroller, you'll be able to walk for hours, if you want, and stop to shop, or for coffee, or check out the free Santa Barbara Historical Museum, or see the De La Guerra House - the oldest part of Santa Barbara's downtown history.

Visit my blog: cartas.typepad.com - to learn more about local events, the interesting history, and fun places to visit in Santa Barbara.