Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is a multi faceted city representing many things to the world. Located on the Pacific coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, it is a celebrity spotting center, a wine connoisseur’s delight, a beach reveler’s dream, a hub for higher education and an elegant resort. Pleasant and agreeable weather all year round makes this an attractive tourist destination.

The Santa Barbara Municipal Airport is situated in Goleta, and connects this resort town to bigger metropolis’ like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. The Santa Barbara Airbus connects it to the Los Angeles International Airport. The Amtrak offers direct service on the route between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo. The Greyhound has six buses plying daily between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other means of transportation within the city include rental cars, taxis, limousines and buses.

Among the sightseeing spots is the Channel Islands National Park. This comprises of eight islands off the coast of Newport Beach and four of the northern islands make up this park. A lot of rare plant and animal species are found here. Swimming, Snorkeling, Diving and Kayaking are activities to be undertaken here.

The Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park has thousands of cave paintings done by the Chumash over 200 years ago. A metal screen at the entrance to the caves enables proper lighting inside.

Mission Santa Barbara is aptly named “queen of the missions” given her location. Today it is still functioning as a church, museum and a monastery.