Santa Barbara Harbor

When visiting Santa Barbara waterfront, it's easy to focus on the popular Stearns Wharf, and completely miss the area around the Santa Barbara Harbor. 

The Santa Barbara Harbor is a 20-minute walk south of Stearns Wharf, and has restaurants, a cafe, museum, and breathtaking views along a breakwater.

I loved visiting the ocean-view restaurants here, including the fabulous Brophy Bros Seafood. Part of my morning ritual was savoring a coffee and pastry on the patio at Dart Coffee near the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.

The breakwater's paved section extends 0.3 miles into the ocean, while the rougher section continues along a sandy spit at Point Castillo.

The breakwater was constructed in 1928 with rocks from Santa Cruz Island, to provide a safe haven for boats in the harbor. Spectacular swells slam into the breakwater in winter, so avoid it during storms. 

5 best things to do at Santa Barbara Harbor

1. Walk the paved section of the breakwater.  

One of my favorites walks in Santa Barbara is along the 0.3 mile paved section of the breakwater at the harbor. The views are incredible here, including the Santa Barbara skyline with the backdrop of the Santa Ynez mountains.

I wouldn't recommend continuing past the paved section (that ends at a seating area with two whale fin benches). From here the path narrows and is too dangerous to walk on, with no handrails and big rocks on each side. The breakwater then merges with a sandy spit.

2.  See the dredge over-run by pelicans.  

I was fascinated by the dredge that is clearly visible from the breakwater, and learned that it moves 342,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Barbara Harbor in early spring and late fall. It then relocates it to East Beach.  What an incredible engineering feat!

3. Stop by restaurants at the marina.

I highly recommend dining at Brophy Bros (below) which has both indoor and outdoor seating, and overlooks the marina at the Santa Barbara Harbor. Another great choice is the more casual On the Alley, with staples like fish tacos, and fish and chips. An unexpected surprise was the chic waterfront Dart Coffee, with a scrumptious selection of pastries and tons of outdoor seating. It's adjacent to the museum, so I was able to combine both activities!

4.  See the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.

I really enjoyed learning about the the rich maritime history of this area, at the excellent Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. 

My favorite exhibit was about some of the female lighthouse keepers in California, including Julia Williams who spent 40 years at the Santa Barbara Lighthouse.

There's also a great exhibition on the History of Oil in the Santa Barbara Channel. Santa Barbara was once a major oil producing area, with the first off-shore drilling rig in 1896. The huge oil spill in 1969 actually led to the first World Earth Day.

The museum also had some fascinating information on over 150 shipwrecks around the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, some from the Gold Rush era.

My favorite artifact was the first order fresnel lens from the Point Conception Lighthouse. This incredible lighthouse is 50 miles west of Santa Barbara, along some of the West Coast's most treacherous waters. Unfortunately it's not open to the public.

There are also a range of fun experiences at the museum, including a sports-fishing simulator, a periscope to look through, and amazing cityscape views from the 4th floor.

5.  Enjoy spectacular sunset views at the marina.

Nothing beats a golden sunset in Santa Barbara, as the light gradually fades behind the Santa Ynez Mountains.  The Santa Barbara Marina is the perfect vantage point to see this.

• Parking:  Along Shoreline Drive, at the Santa Barbara Harbor parking lot.
• Restrooms:  Next door to the Maritime Museum.
• Maritime Museum: 113 Harbor Way, Ste 190, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.  Check hours and admission here.