The SB Post

End of Summer Checklist

Labor Day is just two weeks away and with all of the "back to school" talk, teasers for fall television programming in regular rotation and hefty September issue magazines arriving in the mail, it's clear summer is fast coming to a close. Here's a checklist of five Santa Barbara experiences to enjoy while the carefree summer spirit is still in the air:

1. Hit the Beach. Yes, you can enjoy the beach year-round in California. But these are the days when you can spend an entire day at the beach (I'm talking 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and feel highly productive. By simply being at the beach, you're "doing" something. And likely multi-tasking, at that. Whether you sunbathe, surf, swim, walk, play volleyball, read, nap, kayak, skip rocks, hunt for seashells, make sand art or any combination of the above, a full beach day can be quite an accomplishment. Check out our "Five Stellar Beaches" post for a guide to our top local beaches.
2. Dine Outdoors. Make the most of optimal al fresco dining conditions. Plan a picnic, BBQ at the beach or reserve a patio table at your restaurant of choice. The Mission Rose Garden and Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens are prime picnic spots. Leadbetter Beach and Goleta Beach both have great BBQ set-ups. And restaurants with patios are plentiful.
3. Go Camping. Camping is a classic summer experience. The beach campsites are very booked up in the summer but it's not a lost cause. Gaviota and Jalama beaches are easier to get into than El Capitan, Carpinteria and Refugio. There are also private campgrounds like Ocean Mesa, which is on the same site of "glamping" hot spot El Capitan Canyon. Inland, Cachuma Lake offers RV hook-ups, yurts and cabins, in addition to traditional campsites. If you want a camping experience without doing any of "the dirty work" yourself, look into Santa Barbara Silver Safari and Vacation Trailers 2 U.
4. Catch a Show at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Live music venues simply don't get much better than the Santa Barbara Bowl. The 4,562-seat amphitheater is nestled in Santa Barbara's foothills and there's not a bad seat in the house - some even grant ocean views. It's a long-standing favorite of music fans and international rock stars alike. The season is more than half way over but it typically stretches into November, so there are many opportunities left to catch a show. Upcoming gigs include Norah Jones with Corrine Bailey Rae (8/24), David Gray & Ray LaMontagne (9/5), Phoenix (9/19), Further featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir (9/20), Willie Nelson & Family (9/23), Maroon 5 (10/6), Jason Mraz (10/8), Van Morrison (10/9), Jack Johnson (10/13 & 14) and Massive Attack & Thievery Corporation (11/5). And more shows will be announced in the next month.
5. See Chaotic Harmony. This exhibit makes the list because it will end September 19, so see it while you still can! Here's the description provided by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art: "The first major exhibition in the United States of photographs made by contemporary Korean artists presently living in Korea, Chaotic Harmony: Contemporary Korean Photography opens a window into the rapidly expanding field of photographic practice in the Republic of Korea, known in the West as South Korea. Bringing together work by 40 contemporary photographers, this exhibition surveys the range of contemporary issues through the themes of family, urbanization, globalization, identity and nature. Co-organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, this groundbreaking exhibition is not a presentation on "Koreanness," although issues of cultural and personal identity are strong components. Rather, it is an attempt to identify Korea as a source of complex and stimulating visual ideas expressed through the medium of photography." It's well worth taking a break from sun and fun to check it out!