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Press Releases
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.
| 11.18.08 |
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY VISITOR INDUSTRY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Hotels and Attractions Unaffected by the Tea Fire, which is 100 Percent Contained  |
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| 11.05.08 |
Santa Barbara, CA — “Momma’s Boys” will now premiere on NBC Tuesday, December 16th at 9:00pm. The new reality show from NBC Television and Glassman Media (the producers of the hit series “Average Joe”) in association with Ryan Seacrest Productions was filmed extensively in Santa Barbara County. The series is being tracked as a potential hit, with NBC already starting to cast for a second season.
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| 11.13.08 |
THE AMERICAN RIVIERA “STAYCATION” SOLUTION — You don’t have to go half-way around the globe for one of the world’s premier destinations. It’s as close as Santa Barbara, The American Riviera. Santa Barbara is a picture perfect destination for discerning travelers seeking an inspired “backyard” getaway or domestic escape. Is the French Riviera out of your budget this year? Santa Barbara offers a taste of the laid-back yet sophisticated “Riviera” l...
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| 08.06.08 |
“Indian Summer” weather graces Santa Barbara as we head into fall and the summer crowds of high season thin out, making it one of the most enjoyable times of the year to experience The American Riviera®. Wineries are abuzz with harvest — and wine makers take a break from production to pour their wines during the annual Celebration of Harvest (10/10-13). Lobster season kicks off with a bang at the Harbor & Seafood Festival (10/11) — and local chef...
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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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| 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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| 05.29.08 |
Santa Barbara Travel News & Story Ideas
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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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| 02.28.08 |
Santa Barbara Travel News & Story Ideas
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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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| 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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| 04.20.06 |
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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| 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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| 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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