In addition to the special times we spent celebrating at The Ranch, I loved having a chance to enjoy the culture, architecture, restaurants and wine in the greater Santa Barbara area. Here’s a wrap up of some of the highlights, so sit back and enjoy!
Cava restaurant has always be one of our favorites, the “Nuevo Latino and Mediterranean” cuisine and the ambiance highlights the founding and managing families Mexican and Spanish heritage.
We were so happy to have an excuse to use this very inviting outbuilding, a private event room called La Cavitia. “Our” patio was set up for beverages when we arrived and the round ranch table in “our” intimate room was the perfect place for us to kick off the weekend with a little Bridesmaids luncheon/ Bachelorette party.
They were very cooperative about our hilarious Scratch a Dare game and our um, ahem, colorful jewelry.
In addition to Cava and Cavita, this family also has the restaurants Dos Carlitos Restaurant and Tequila Bar and Carlitos Café y Cantina both highly recommended and known for having plenty of outdoor seating. This is is a rosé made for this family of restaurants and it is delicious, it rivals some of my favs from the S of France!
The other wine I love down there is the Gainey Sauvignon Blanc from Santa Yenez Valley..” boasting fresh honeydew melon, bright citrus, and piquant mineral aromas, with subtle herbal and earthy scents adding complexity”...yum, you taco my language, Gainey Ranch. It is usually on the menu at the ever~classic Biltmore hotel.
On the Sunday after the event we explored Summerland, a charming little village near Santa Barbara. It is filled with great restaurants, and really extraordinary antique stores {like, lots of gorgeous French antiques extraordinary} and {far better than your current favorite} home stores.
I loved my breakfast salad at Cafe Luna. The restaurant is an old house with a great porch and garden and a very talented ukulele player strummed and sang as we sipped our café au laits. This is also supposed to be a great place for dinner, oftentimes with music in the garden. Another restaurant that looked really fun and is highly recommended for breakfast is the Highland Beach Café.
We were running out of town, but my daughter and I were determined to see a few of the sights. One of the surprising highlights was our zip through the Santa Barbara Courthouse.
We were so enthralled by the rich and ornate Spanish Revival architecture and furnishings, but more than anything we were amazed by the expansive displays of gorgeous hand painted tiles in all of our favorite colors, wouldn’t you love to have this bench in su casa?
And then, there was the view from the tower. A 360 degree view of beautiful terra-cotta roofs and palm trees stretching from the mountains to the sea. It is a wonderful way to take in the geography of this lovely section of land.
The Old Mission in Santa Barbara Old Mission Santa Barbara is still in operation, it is a fascinating way to soak in the rich history of Santa Barbara and to study the handsome Mission style architecture that is so delightfully prevalent here.
Another great building to tour for the architecture is The Arlington theatre, click on About Last Night to read about a night when we were lucky enough to see David Crosby and Graham Nash in this incredible historic theatre {they offer tours during the day}.
As I’ve said before, one of the things I enjoy most about blogging is the “friends” I meet all over the world who share my interests. Last week, I met a reader who lives in Seattle, prior to meeting on the tennis court, we had only “talked” on email. We were introduced by I dream of Jeanne, to whom I was introduced by Pam of Red Ticking. As it turns out this reader is heading to Santa Barbara soon, which inspired me to write this post of all of my latest discoveries in Santa Barbara.
Have a great trip Dana!
Emily I absolutely love hearing how your amazing travels around the world bring you new friendships and experiences!!
xoxo
Karena
Haute Decor Ateliers
Cava looks amazing and I love Rose….Santa Barbara is such a beautiful area…gorgeous shots.
Emily, your Santa Barbara posts are making me want to pack my bags and head south – especially on a soggy gray morning! Looks like you had a wonderful trip. XO
I am yet to visit Santa Barbary and these pictures are such a tease, sun, palm trees, great wine and food…one day soon, I will experience it.
Santa Barbara, a home away from home for my daughter and I….my friends and I often shop those very antique shops you speak of in this post, nothing like them and to shop any retail of trendy shabby shops compare nothing like Santa Barbara's.
So nice to hear of your experience in Santa Barbara, I have just posted a post on Fifi O'Neills new Prairie-Style Weddings book where my art is on her cover and my daughter was a bride model for a shoot in a French garden in Santa Barbara Ca.
See you soon I am visiting by way of Karena.
Xx
Bisous
Doré
Yay! can't wait for my trip…thanks for all the wonderful tips!! and i'm so glad we finally met in person! Dana
Dana, such a treat to meet you, thank you for the motivation. Everyone else, it's so good to see we share the love for all of the special aspects of SB.