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Santa Barbara County abounds with story potential. Whether you are interested in a general destination overview or covering a new trend in travel such as green tourism, we have releases and materials to support your research. Some of the more popular themes include culinary tourism, movie tourism and architecture. Search the menu of releases by title or topic and, if you can’t find what you are looking for here, please contact us pr@santabarbaraCA.com. Current news and fresh story ideas are outlined in the quarterly “Short Cuts” cheat sheet.
| 11.02.09 |
The winter season just upgraded to “extra fabulous” status for savvy travelers and weekenders. Santa Barbara is jumping on the 3rd night free bandwagon! (Why reinvent the wheel when this format rolls out so smoothly?) Consumers want value, so we’re giving them an extra 24 hours to enjoy Santa Barbara when they book two nights at one of 20 participating properties.
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| 09.23.09 |
Get the dish on where locals eat and drink from celeb residents like Iron Chef Cat Cora, “Brothers & Sisters” Star Rob Lowe and “The Bachelor” Andrew Firestone
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| 10.06.09 |
BOO AT THE ZOO — The Santa Barbara Zoo’s annual Halloween event has gone country. “Boo at the Zoo: Wild Wild West” is three nights of safe, traffic-free trick-or-treating October 23 - 25 from 5:30pm - 8:30pm. The merry-not-too-scary event features monster-ous thrills and chills including a Trick & Treat Trail, Boo-Choo-Choo train rides, Creepy Crawly encounters, Spooky Storytelling, Goblin Games, nightly Costume Parades, Ghoulish Goodies and more...
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| 09.02.09 |
High-profile local residents share a passion for their hometown and reveal their favorite places to eat, drink and play in Santa Barbara
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| 06.03.09 |
Don’t let the name “The American Riviera” fool you. Yes, Santa Barbara has its share of luxury hotels and is home to one of the most expensive zip codes in the nation. But the reality is visitors can experience the superior quality of the local lifestyle and enjoy popular attractions on any budget. In fact, the most iconic Santa Barbara experiences come without a price tag, Compliments of Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bur...
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| 08.17.09 |
Santa Barbara bursts with flavor this October during the first annual epicure.sb: a month to savor santa barbara. The 31-day, community-wide culinary extravaganza features food and drink festivals, cooking classes, winemaker dinners, seasonal menus, book signings, epicurean-inspired art exhibits and many more tasty opportunities to sip and savor the bounty of The American Riviera. The region’s top restaurants, wineries, gourmet purveyors and gall...
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| 08.31.09 |
Harvest is already underway for some of the wineries, thanks in part to the recent heat wave. The next couple of months will be very active for those behind the scenes making the wine, and also for those who enjoy tasting and learning about winemaking. September is California Wine Month making it a great time to pay tribute to the vine, and October is epicure.sb, Santa Barbara’s first annual month dedicated to our local cuisine, libations and cul...
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| 08.03.09 |
5 REASONS TO SPEND YOUR “INDIAN SUMMER” IN SANTA BARBARA — Labor Day doesn’t signal the end of the summer in Santa Barbara. It marks the start of “Indian Summer”, a period of sublime weather, lighter crowds and off-peak room rates. And there is plenty of fun to be had. So don’t get depressed over having only five weeks of summer left on the calendar—here are our top five reasons to extend your summer in Santa Barbara this September and October:
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| 01.13.09 |
Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Santa Barbara one of its 2009 Dozen Distinctive Destinations. Locally, the honor was announced to the community during a press conference at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, where Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum accepted a plaque from a representative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Since 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has annually... |
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| 07.02.09 |
NEW NOISE ROCKS SANTA BARBARA OCTOBER 2009 — New Noise Santa Barbara, a three-day music and digital media conference & festival, makes its sonic debut October 8-10. New Noise will showcase emerging and established bands, host educational panels on the music industry’s hottest topics, present esteemed experts from all walks of the business and serve as a place for players big and small to connect and plot the future of sound. Equal parts classroom...
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| 07.31.08 |
VACATION IDEAS FOR THE SURF-CURIOUS
New Surf Exhibit Highlights Santa Barbara’s Surf Culture, Local Legends and Their Impact on the International Surf Scene |
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| 04.02.07 |
Webster could run out of adjectives trying to describe Santa Barbara. Sexy, playful, alluring, romantic, gorgeous, easygoing, relaxed, sophisticated, cultured, friendly, peaceful, re-energizing, invigorating and dramatic are just a few wholly appropriate descriptors that come to mind. Oh yeah, and addictive – just ask anyone who’s been here.
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| 05.01.07 |
Santa Barbara is more than eye candy. The region’s deep agricultural roots, boutique purveyors and local specialties attract foodies from around the world, as the culinary tourism niche market explodes. From picking blackberries and diving for lobster to harvesting lavender and crushing grapes, visitors have taken to the fields, groves and farms to savor our regional flavors and learn how to eat like “locavores”. Tap into cooking classes, legen...
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| 04.07.08 |
Demystify the Locavore Lifestyle and Learn How to Eat “Green” While Tasting Your Way Through the American Riviera
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| 06.01.09 |
50 Santa Barbara County Hotels, Restaurants, Cultural Venues and Attractions Offer Savings and Freebies to say “Thank You” to California’s Firefighters
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| 04.20.06 |
Get “ready for your close-up” Gloria Swanson-style at Mission Santa Barbara, take a Walk in the Clouds (1994) on Jalama Road or round the track like Seabiscuit (2003) at Price Ranch — from the original film site of Return to Mayberry (1986, Los Olivos) to the scream scenes of Friday the 13th (1982, Zaca Lake), the Lonely Planet Santa Barbara County Film Tour gives visitors a chance to explore the cinematic side of Santa Barbara. The free four-col...
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| 04.02.07 |
Few cities can claim architecture as unique as Santa Barbara’s: a satisfying blend of Moorish, Spanish Baroque, Spanish and Portuguese Colonial, Andalusian and other Mediterranean styles, plus aspects borrowed from Hopi and Pueblo adobes in our own American Southwest. The result is a consistent, and consistently pleasing, central aesthetic, with a series of subgenres – chief among them Spanish Revival and Mission Revival – that have created a dis...
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| 01.01.08 |
With environmental sustainability moving to the forefront of national awareness, the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission (SBCVB&FC) and Simple Shoes (a Santa Barbara-based brand) are pleased to present www.GreenSantaBarbara.com, a fun, informative, Earth-friendly web site that serves as a comprehensive guide to all things green here on the American Riviera.
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| 12.12.05 |
Any winemaker worth his toasty oak will tell you that great wine presupposes great grapes. And a prerequisite for great grapes is that the elements of terroir – geography, topography, sun, rain, temperature and soil type among them – align in a rare and highly favorably way. In Santa Barbara County, the elements are literally aligned to inspire.
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| 01.24.07 |
Every region has its stash of great roadside eateries, places locals haunt and tourists hanker for. These sleeves-up, non-franchised, no-reservations outposts are driven by cooks, bakers and pit-masters who are true Americana folk artists, preserving regional cuisine infused with a dash of local color. In Santa Barbara, the area’s rich and diverse agricultural and culinary roots run deep – as does the devotion of local chefs helming the stoves. F...
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| 08.01.07 |
A new video podcast tour of Santa Barbara’s original pueblo district brings another dimension to the city’s visually stunning, all-encompassing official web site, www.santabarbaraCA.com. Before their trip, travelers bound for the American Riviera can watch "Beyond the Rooftops: Santa Barbara’s Red Tile Walking Tour" to get a preview of historic adobes and more recently constructed buildings that embody the best of the seaside city’s Spanish-style...
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| 04.02.07 |
Like the sun-washed towns that are its Mediterranean soul mates, Santa Barbara – a.k.a. the American Riviera® – offers visitors a big dose of sophisticated culture to complement its abundant beauty. Few cities of Santa Barbara’s size can match the quality and diversity of its artistic and cultural offerings, which include 50 museums and galleries and a wide range of stellar performance venues hosting multiple world-class theatre groups, opera and...
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| 11.02.06 |
Like a Siren, Santa Barbara lures an impressive "A" list of sybarites, celebrities and seasonal CEOs with its enchanting European lifestyle and 100+ mile stretch of palm-studded Pacific coastline. The epicenter of all things "Riviera," Santa Barbara's classic charm, world-class digs and focused culinary style are a heady mix to match. Hollywood found its home here in the early 1900s, followed by a constant stream of luxury rail cars turning out...
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| 04.02.07 |
Active travelers shouldn’t be fooled by that Santa Barbara bliss, the easygoing attitude that lingers over the city like a sky-written message saying: RELAX. Because there’s another side to Santa Barbara, and it’s all about action and adventure, a core component of the city’s identity. Here, waking up early doesn’t mean you’ll beat the crowd to the beach. Cruise the oceanfront bike path in the predawn darkness and you’ll encounter runners, walker...
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| 01.18.07 |
Like a Siren, Santa Barbara seduces every sense. From its sweet, heady fragrance to its soothing 100 miles of palm-studded surf, this region has long been an epicenter for romance. Evoking the charms of the Côte d’Azur, the Amalfi Coast and Portofino, this city of just 95,000 is a world-class cuveé of all things romantic. Add to the mix a variety of unique wedding venues, scenic wine country and 300+ days of sunshine a year and it’s a ready-made...
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| 01.18.07 |
It’s a potent cocktail: 100 miles of stunning surf, Mediterranean architecture, 300+ days of sunshine annually and enough world-class wine to keep the kingdom of Bhutan buzzed. Santa Barbara’s lure as a romantic haunt is well documented, from the weddings of Clark Gable, Rock Hudson and Sir Laurence Olivier to the honeymoons of JFK, Julia Roberts and J-Lo. Add the region’s unique line-up of wedding venues to the mix — from ranches to mansions, m...
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| 12.16.05 |
Situated 100 miles from the closest metropolis, Santa Barbara is a destination resort unto itself — a self-contained safety net for families seeking to bond without breaking the bank. From the shoreline to the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara offers families countless offbeat treks, ocean adventures and opportunities for getting up close and personal with the great outdoors. In addition to 100 miles of prime California coastline, 300+ days o...
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| 01.01.07 |
Bed down in a Mongolian yurt, cuddle up in a traditional Conestoga-style wagon or pack your bags for a sleepover at a mountain-top retreat with Benedictine monks. Santa Barbara — the American Riviera® — offers an eclectic lineup of unique accommodations. Throughout the region, Wild West outposts and heavenly retreats set the stage for off-beat adventures.
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| 04.02.07 |
Long known as a luxury hideaway with its glistening palm-lined beaches, signature Spanish Mediterranean-style architecture and lush vegetation, Santa Barbara is also home to a diverse selection of affordable and unique accommodations. The city is renowned for its line-up of 15 historic bed-and-breakfast inns, celebrity-owned properties and funky outposts. A ripe time to cash in on the best hotel deals is value season (September – March) when th...
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| 01.01.07 |
Lush landscapes, old world charm, historic architecture and hacienda hospitality along the Pacific shore are essential ingredients that add spice to the eclectic line-up of bed-and-breakfast inns scattered throughout Santa Barbara County. From North America’s only five-star, five-diamond property to an old yacht club outpost, 15 unique bed-and-breakfasts take the concept of “room and board” to a new zenith.
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| 04.20.06 |
Rest and relaxation aren’t complete without a healthy dose of retail therapy. And shopping in Santa Barbara is pure bag-filling pleasure, whether you are on the hunt for vintage accessories, original art or stylish souvenirs. Even window shopping is rewarding. Santa Barbara shopping is as much a sensory experience as it is a retail haven. Inviting open air malls and a pedestrian-friendly downtown lined with shops and cafés invite you to wander al...
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| 12.12.05 |
Santa Barbara’s rich equestrian roots make for a galloping good time for visitors interested in the wilder side of this palm-studded paradise. Since the first Spanish soldiers rode into Santa Barbara in 1798, a long history of colorful vaqueros, cattle ranching and thoroughbred breeding has evolved into a variety of off-the-beaten path adventures for horse enthusiasts. From a miniature horse farm to a wild horse sanctuarie, Arabian training tou...
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| 12.12.05 |
Visitors can sense when they’re almost to Santa Barbara. Towering eucalyptus trees suddenly frame the 101 freeway, and lanky palms sway into view. There is a feeling of being completely surrounded by green.
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| 12.12.05 |
It’s a wrap! Film tours are a hot ticket these days and the price is right for the new “Sideways, The Map” spotlighting 18 locations from the Oscar®-winning Fox Searchlight feature film Sideways. The film is based in Santa Barbara County’s burgeoning wine country and many local wineries and locations are named in the beautifully shot film. Ideal for the avid oenophile or day-tripper on a trek for trivia, this four-color glossy guide links the do...
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| 04.02.07 |
Interesting Facts About Santa Barbara County
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| 04.20.06 |
Set on the Pacific with 100 mi/160 km of sweeping coastline, Santa Barbara and its environs (including the Santa Ynez Mountains, wine country and seaside cities) lie just 92 mi/148 km north of Los Angeles and 332 mi/534 km south of San Francisco. Visitors may arrive via scenic Highway 1 (101), daily stops on Amtrak or via air service to Santa Barbara Airport or Los Angeles International Airport.
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| 12.12.05 |
Fortuitously located along the Pacific Flyway, Santa Barbara County is one of the nation’s hot spots for birding. A perfect habitat for resident and migratory birds, Santa Barbara sports an enviable combination of salt water, coastal wetlands, freshwater marshes, coastal sage scrub, native grasslands, riparian woodlands, oak woodlands, chaparral and pine forests. Currently, 473 species of birds are accounted for in the county.
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