Share This: 
Family
Bring the kiddos for a day of fun in Santa Barbara! Here's an itinerary for a day packed with fun-filled activities for the entire family.
- Bike along the beachfront path starting at Andree Clark Bird Refuge (across from East Beach). Get your wheels (beach cruisers, tandem bikes or four-wheeled surreys that seat as many as 11) at Wheel Fun Rentals. Info: 23 E. Cabrillo Blvd., 805.966.2282.
- Stroll along Stearns Wharf, where State Street meets the sea. Shop for beach-themed souvis, snack on fish and chips, slurp on ice-cream cones. Watch out for pelicans! Info: State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, stearnswharf.org.
- Grab lunch at The Beach Grill at Padaro, an open-air eatery with a half-acre lawn, picnic benches and a sand pit with buckets and shovels. They say you can't please everyone, but this place comes close with a kid's menu, burgers, sandwiches, plus sophisticated salads, gourmet pizzas and very decent wine for grown-ups. Smiles all around. Info: 3765 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria; 805.566.3900.
- Stake a spot in the sand in Carpinteria, famous for what it calls the "World's Safest Beach." The laid-back, family-friendly town has a seaside campground, tide pools and a seal refuge. In the winter and spring, you can stand on the bluffs and count hundreds of seals and their pups sunning on rocks below. Info: 805.968.1033 or parks.ca.gov.
- Discover sea life, planets and prehistoric skeletons at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. There are two locations: Get up close with ocean critters at Ty Warner Sea Center at Stearns Wharf. Then explore the main 11-acre campus in Mission Canyon, featuring fossils, bird exhibits, Chumash artifacts and a planetarium. Info: 2559 Puesta Del Sol Road, 805.682.4711.
Author: Maryann Hammers
