Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
Destination: Santa Barbara/Ventura, CA
Length of Stay: 4 Nights (August 2018)
Lodging: Santa Barbara Sunrise RV Park, Emma Wood State Beach (~$50/Night)
As we made our way down the central coast of California, a more beachy/southern vibe began to sneak up on us once we hit Santa Barbara. The architecture of the buildings had a hispanic style and we heard licks of spanish as we strolled through the city.
We spent two nights at the Santa Barbara Sunrise RV Park and met a couple European families who were kind enough to give us their left over dessert as they were finishing up a road trips in their rental RVs. Luckily we were able to take it to our next stop at Emma Wood State Beach where we did two nights of dry camping right on the water.
Best things to do in Santa Barbara
One of the iconic structures in this town is the Santa Barbara Courthouse. It is open to the public, which is often taken advantage of by couples who want to have their engagement photos taken, or perhaps get married - after all it is courthouse. We even watched two wedding parties take their photos on one sunny afternoon.
Jeannine's Bakery is quaint lunch spot if you're looking for a good bite to eat. Of course they cater to the California hippie crowd and offer a delicious vegetarian brunch and a variety of kombucha options. For lodging, we decided to stay the first two nights plugged in at Santa Barbara Sunrise RV park before doing our first two nights of dry camping at Emma Wood State Beach.
Santa Barbara Courthouse
Jeannine's Bakery
Emma Wood State Beach
Emma Wood is just outside Ventura, less than 30 minutes from Santa Barbara (just outside of Ventura). We took our time getting there, as it wasn't very far away, and set up our solar panels to enjoy a couple sunny days literally inches from the water.
The salty sea breeze kept us cool, but thankfully the seawall kept the water from pouring over as the tide rolled in. A few campsites down from us wasn't so lucky as the high tide caused waves to come crashing over the barrier and berate their trailer every 12 hours. If you're planning on making a reservation at Emma Woods, make sure you don't book site #67-70 unless you want some shore break crashing into your camper!
See how this fits into the best road trips in America
