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Santa Barbara with kids
Curated by Simir Shah
20 spots near Santa Barbara — add your zip or city to sort by what's closest to you
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Santa Barbara
Ride the elevator up the El Mirador clock tower for free 360° views of red-tile roofs, mountains and ocean — a quick win the whole family remembers.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation
Santa Barbara · Museum & science
Three floors of hands-on science play plus a glass-floor rooftop terrace — the single best rainy-day (or any-day) stop for kids in town.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →The Funk Zone
Santa Barbara
A walkable warehouse district of murals, ice cream and casual eateries between the beach and downtown — great for a family lunch and a mural hunt.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →West Beach
Santa Barbara
The sheltered sand between the wharf and the harbor, with calm water and easy access to kayak and SUP rentals.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Chase Palm Park (Shipwreck Playground)
Santa Barbara
An oceanfront park with a wonderful shipwreck-themed playground, a lagoon and a palm-lined path right across from the beach.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Stearns Wharf
Santa Barbara
California's oldest working wharf — a free stroll over the water with seafood shacks, ice cream and pelicans, and home to the Sea Center.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Sea Center on Stearns Wharf
Santa Barbara · Museum & science
A small, intensely hands-on aquarium on the wharf where kids can touch sea stars and meet octopus and jellies from the Santa Barbara Channel.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Santa Barbara Harbor & Whale Watching
Santa Barbara
Stroll the breakwater for free to see fishing boats and sea lions, then board a whale-watching or Channel Islands cruise.
🗓️ Gray whales winter/spring, blues & humpbacks summer
Get directions →Leadbetter Beach
Santa Barbara
A grassy bluff, gentle surf and a learn-to-surf vibe make this the family beach of choice, with a café and restrooms right there.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Old Mission Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara · History & culture
The 'Queen of the Missions' offers a short, kid-friendly self-guided tour through gardens and a cemetery, with a rose-garden lawn out front for running off energy.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Self-guided admission
Get directions →East Beach
Santa Barbara
A wide, gentle stretch east of the wharf with volleyball courts, a playground and calm water ideal for younger swimmers.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara · Museum & science
A blue whale skeleton, a planetarium and a dino lab tucked into an oak-shaded canyon near the Mission — an easy hit with curious kids.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission
Get directions →Santa Barbara Zoo
Santa Barbara · Animal & nature
A small, walkable hilltop zoo with ocean views, a miniature train and giraffe feedings — perfectly sized for little legs and short attention spans.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid admission ($ parking)
Get directions →Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Barbara · Free & outdoors
78 acres of California-native trails with a creek, a redwood grove and a meadow — pleasant, shaded wandering for families who like a little hiking.
🗓️ Year-round
💵 Paid (reservations)
Get directions →Douglas Family Preserve
Santa Barbara
A 70-acre blufftop open space with an easy 1.6-mile loop and big ocean views — go before you climb, as there are no restrooms up top.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Butterfly Beach
Montecito
A scenic Montecito beach below the Biltmore, famous for west-facing sunsets and tide-pooling at low tide.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Ganna Walska Lotusland
Montecito · Free & outdoors
A surreal, world-famous garden of giant cacti, dragon trees and a clock made of plants — book weeks ahead; best for kids who'll enjoy a 2-hour guided walk.
🗓️ Season starts mid-March
💵 Paid (advance reservations)
Get directions →Lizard's Mouth
Santa Barbara
A short, easy half-mile of giant sandstone boulders and shallow caves perfect for kid-scale scrambling and a sunset over the channel (no facilities).
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →Carpinteria State Beach & Seal Rookery
Carpinteria
Billed as one of the world's safest beaches thanks to a gentle slope, plus a blufftop overlook to watch harbor seals (viewpoint open year-round).
🗓️ Rookery beach closed Dec 1–May 31
Get directions →Solvang
Solvang
A storybook Danish village about 45 minutes north with windmills, aebleskiver, bakeries and a horse-drawn trolley — a fun half-day add-on for an overnight.
🗓️ Year-round
Get directions →The easiest great day trip in SoCal
They don't call it the 'American Riviera' for nothing. Santa Barbara sits about 90 miles up the coast from LA — figure 1.5–2 hours on the 101, one of the prettier drives in the state — or skip the car entirely on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, which rolls right into a downtown station a few blocks from the beach. The waterfront core is compact, walkable and stroller-friendly: park once near Stearns Wharf and reach the beach, the harbor, the Sea Center, MOXI and the Funk Zone on foot. That density is what makes it forgiving with kids — when a meltdown hits, the car (or hotel) is never far. A day trip easily covers the wharf, a beach and MOXI or the zoo; an overnight adds the Mission, a whale-watching cruise or a half-day run up to Solvang.
Is Santa Barbara good for kids?
Yes — it's one of the most kid-friendly destinations in California, and unusually so for a town with a fancy reputation. The winning combination is gentle, swimmable beaches (East Beach and Carpinteria are about as calm as the Pacific gets), a genuinely excellent hands-on science museum in MOXI, a small walkable zoo, a free clock-tower view, and easy nature like Lizard's Mouth. Two honest caveats: it can be pricey (paid attractions add up, parking is metered, and the Funk Zone leans wine-forward, so plan kid meals deliberately), and a few marquee spots (Lotusland especially) need advance reservations and suit older, patient kids. Best time: late spring and early fall, with a light layer for 'June Gloom' coastal mornings.
Book Santa Barbara tours & tickets
Bookable via Viator · we may earn a commission (no extra cost to you)Whale watching, wine-country day tours, and coastal experiences in Santa Barbara — booked through Viator.
Free cancellationSanta Barbara Sunset Cruise on Yacht
Santa Barbara Trolley Tour
Free cancellation3-Winery Santa Ynez Tour with Picnic Lunch & Tasting Fees
Free cancellationEpic Zipline Tour near Santa Barbara
Free cancellationSanta Ynez Wine Tour (All-Inclusive)
Free cancellationKayak Tour of Santa Barbara with Experienced Guide
Where to stay in Santa Barbara
Hotels & rentals via Stay22 · we may earn a commissionCompare hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals near Santa Barbara on one map — then book on your favorite site.
More experiences via GetYourGuide · we may earn a commission (no extra cost to you)
Frequently asked questions
What are the top family things to do in Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara is very kid-friendly, with the small Santa Barbara Zoo, the Ty Warner Sea Center on Stearns Wharf, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and easy beach time all close together. Strolling Stearns Wharf and the harbor, and biking or walking the waterfront path, are relaxed favorites. It's an easy place to mix a little culture with plenty of outdoor play.
Is Santa Barbara walkable with kids?
The downtown and waterfront areas are quite walkable and pleasant, with State Street's shops and restaurants and a flat, scenic path along the beach that's great for strollers and bikes. You'll likely want a car to reach some attractions and the beaches beyond the immediate downtown, but a lot of a family day can be done on foot. The compact core is a big part of the appeal.
Is Santa Barbara better as a day trip or an overnight?
It works either way. A day trip is very doable if you focus on the waterfront, Stearns Wharf, and one attraction like the zoo or Sea Center. An overnight lets you slow down, enjoy a morning beach walk, and see more without racing the clock, which is nicer with younger kids. Given the drive for many SoCal families, an overnight often feels more relaxed.
Planning a coast trip?
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More coastal & trip ideas: day trips by drive time, best family beaches and the best time to visit SoCal. Attraction list verified 2026 — note Carpinteria's seal-rookery beach closes Dec–May for pupping, and confirm hours before you go.