Coastal Santa Barbara is making a comeback
Santa Barbara is the Madonna of small-town reinvention, rebuilding itself after wildfires, mudslides, and now the pandemic. The last challenge reenergized State Street, the main artery; it’s now car-free, with wine bars and restaurants that spill onto the sidewalks. A new electric bike program with 30 docking locations has made the city even easier to explore. The spring debut of Palihouse Santa Barbara, a 24-room hotel surrounded by urban gardens in the Historic Presidio neighborhood, offers an intimate alternative to the area’s big resorts. And with Southwest Airlines having launched direct flights from Denver, Las Vegas, and Oakland; a new multifloor wing debuting at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art this summer; and buzz over the arrival of the Australian Walkabout, a sprawling immersive habitat at the Santa Barbara Zoo, this city is officially over the borderline. — Jennifer Blaise Kramer