The Santa Barbara Staycation

Why Travel Anywhere When We’ve Got So Much Fun at Home?

There’s that feeling, when you’re on a faraway shore, sipping on a frosty beverage, the cool breeze cutting through a warm sunset. You’re soaking in the relaxed vibe, the beautiful scenery, the happy people, admiring what it would be like to live in a place that most can only visit. “I could live here,” you think. “I should live here.”

Well, guess what, Santa Barbarans? That’s almost exactly what many of the more than six million tourists who come to our region realize during their short stays. Sure, not everything is dreamy here all the time, and many of us work multiple gigs just to afford the rather exorbitant cost of living. But you get what you pay for, and most of us agree that what we get is worth the price. This is paradise, folks, and don’t forget it.

To celebrate our lucky locational lot in life, we present to you our first-ever “Santa Barbara Staycation” issue. We’ve dedicated the next few pages to exploring those special nooks and coveted crannies that you may have forgotten about as you work that daily grind. (Hint to our tourist friends, whose presence helps many of us pay those bills: You’ll find this info valuable, too!)

Please enjoy, and make sure to partake in our ongoing Staycation quiz at independent.com/staycation.