Cheap things to do in Santa Barbara
Good tacos, free courtyards, and a bar tab that won't hurt in the morning.
This is Santa Barbara stripped of the wine-country expense account: you eat at the counters locals actually use, walk the free historic sites, and end each night at a neighborhood bar. It suits anyone who wants the sun and the scenery without the resort bill.
Day 1: Funk Zone and the waterfront
Start with coffee in the Funk Zone, work your way along the harbour to a cheap tri-tip lunch and a shark touch pool, then finish with La Super-Rica tacos and a pint at Third Window.
- 9:30 AM
- 12:30 PM
Shalhoob's Funk Zone Patio
Tri-tip sandwiches on the group lunch patio right in the heart of the Funk Zone, cheap and beloved.
Map - 2:00 PM
Sea Center
Small aquarium on the wharf with a shark touch pool and Channel Islands marine life, cheap and fun.
Map - 4:30 PM
- 7:30 PM
La Super-Rica Taqueria
Julia Child's favourite taco shack; watch the tortillas being made by hand and order the Super-Rica Especial.
Map - 8:30 PM
Third Window Brewing
A small brewery taproom off lower State for a cheap last pint; closes 9pm Monday to Thursday.
Map
Day 2: Downtown courts and taquerias
A gluten-free pastry kicks things off before a free morning inside the 1929 courthouse, a great-value lunch at Corazon Cocina, and a slow State Street stroll to close it out.
- 9:30 AM
Lilac Pâtisserie
Gluten-free bakery-café downtown, grab a pastry and coffee to start the day cheap and well.
Map - 10:15 AM
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Free entry to the 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival courthouse, hand-painted ceilings, murals, and a clock tower view that costs nothing.
Map - 12:30 PM
Corazon Cocina
Bright, cheap tacos and ceviche from a small downtown counter, a short walk from the courthouse.
Map - 2:00 PM
El Presidio
The 1782 Spanish fort where the city began; a few dollars gets you into the chapel and adobe quarters.
Map - 7:30 PM
Lilly's Taqueria
A tiny lower State taco counter with a queue out the door; order a mix of adobada and lengua.
Map - 9:00 PM
State Street Promenade
Stroll the car-free blocks of State Street and duck into whichever bar looks lively.
Map
Day 3: Mission, Mesa and Hendry's
The Old Mission, tacos at Maiz Picante, the Shoreline Park bluffs, sunset on Arroyo Burro Beach and a Mesa Burger to finish.
- 10:00 AM
Old Mission Santa Barbara
Self-guided tour of the 1786 mission's church, garden and cemetery; on Sundays it opens at 12:30.
Map - 12:00 PM
Maiz Picante Taqueria
Oak Park taqueria on De La Vina known for its salsas, a mile from the mission; opens at 11.
Map - 1:30 PM
Shoreline Park
Free blufftop lawn on the Mesa with the Channel Islands offshore; dolphins often pass below.
Map - 3:30 PM
Arroyo Burro Beach (Hendry's Beach)
Locals' beach where Arroyo Burro creek meets the sea; walk under the cliffs at low tide and stay for sunset.
Map - 6:30 PM
Mesa Burger
The Mesa's burger counter, a few minutes up from the beach; closes 8:30pm Sunday to Thursday.
Map
Where to stay
ITH Santa Barbara Beach Hostel
The only true budget price on the list and close enough to the Funk Zone and waterfront to walk day one without a thought.
The Wayfarer
Sits right at the lower State Street end of the plan, keeps you central for all three days, and skips the resort-hotel markup.
Make Santa Barbara your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: a few days ahead
- Santa Barbara Zoo: a few days ahead
- Santa Barbara Harbor sunset cruise: weeks ahead
- Lotusland: weeks ahead
- Santa Cruz Island: weeks ahead
- Anacapa Island: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Full dinners on Stearns Wharf by default. The wharf is for the walk, the view and the Sea Center, plus Shellfish Company specifically.
- Paying Funk Zone hotel prices then driving everywhere anyway. The premium is walkability.
- Driving yourself between Santa Ynez tastings. Highway 154 over the pass is winding and patrolled. Use tours, shuttles or a designated driver.
- Expecting a tropical swim. The water is cold and June can stay grey until midday.
The full Santa Barbara travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around