Cheap Car Hire & Rental Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is nestled in the foothills of the gentle Santa Ynez mountains, it is 92 miles from Los Angeles and 332 miles from San Francisco. Though the town is steeped in Spanish heritage the picture perfect downtown landscape is actually a result of a massive earthquake that leveled much of State street in 1925. Adding to the area’s natural beauty is the town itself and history is evident in todays culture and architecture.

The city of Santa Barbara is rich in history and culture and this legacy has produced huge hidden mansions, luxurious gardens, grand public buildings and well funded museums. Major attractions in the city of Santa Barbara includes the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden flora and fauna, Santa Barbara Mission one of 21 Catholic missions built on former Spanish Territory, Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens consisting of a quaint zoo on 30 acres of well landscaped gardens with a small but well rounded collection of animals many of which are endangered species.

Among the museums in the city of Santa Barbara the most famous are The Santa Barbara Museum of Art boasting its own museum of art with an impressive collection of the 18 th, 19 th and the 20 th century American and European paintings and sculpture as well as decorative arts from Asia, The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History exhibiting paintings, photographs, furniture, clothing and artifacts portraying the town life from the 1780s to the 1920s with scenarios depicting the lives of Spanish, Mexican, Chumash, Chinese and American pioneers.

Shopping is fabulous in the city especially the El Paseo built in 1920 features a variety of unique gift shops, jewellery sotres and galleries. Some of the other famous shopping places are the La Arcada and Paseo Nuevo. For dining restaurants in the city are in plenty and a variety of food is available depending on your taste and choice.