Mike on a Bike!

American Riviera Bike Tours Show Santa Barbara Through the Eyes of a Longtime Local

Mike Suding (left) guided Devon Sowa, Alexa Silberstein, and Madeline Slogoff on a bike tour of Santa Barbara. | Photo: Madeline Slogoff

“It’s my hobby jobby,” said Mike Suding, owner of American Riviera Bike Tours.

Located in the heart of the Funk Zone is Mike’s bike trailer, full of wheels awaiting rental, including cruisers, hybrids, and e-bikes. But even greater than this plethora of available rentals is the spirit of Suding himself, the one-man show behind American Riviera.

After retiring in 2021, Suding turned to creating a bike tour business. Since opening about a year ago, Suding has led 84 tours and guided 193 guests. He maintains that his favorite part of the job is meeting people from all different walks of life.

Butterfly Beach | Photo: Madeline Slogoff

“It keeps me out of trouble in retirement,” jokes Suding.

Suding’s typical route coasts along the waterfront to mystical Butterfly Beach in Montecito, floats over to the harbor, journeys up soft inclines to the Mission, all before looping back down State Street, where riders can take in the sights, sounds, and smells of downtown.

Covering 14 miles in 2.5 hours, Suding hits everything from the tourist hotspots to the city’s more hidden gems.

Having grown up in Santa Barbara, Suding has the charm and knowledge of a bona fide local. With each stop along the tour, he shares history and personal anecdotes about his connection to the picturesque vistas of his home city. You may also witness Suding run into old coworkers and hometown acquaintances along the way, just adding to his status as a true local.

I had the pleasure of attending one of Suding’s prized bike tours myself, with my two dear friends, Alexa Silberstein and Devon Sowa.

After getting our bearings on the e-bikes, Mike led us down toward the waterfront. Pulling onto a patch of grass, he referred to his handy picture book to provide old photographs of the Hilton (formerly Fess Parker’s Red Lion Inn), painting a historical image of the prominent building.

“The Pig House” | Photo: Madeline Slogoff

Continuing on our way, we stopped at a clearing at the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge. The 42-acre park is home to more than 200 species of observed birds. If you’re lucky like we were, you may also catch a glimpse of the top of a giraffe head peeking over the Santa Barbara Zoo enclosures while standing near the lake.

A scenic glide through the back roads of Montecito brought us to a halt in front of a tall and glaring gilded fence, protecting the home of prominent and controversial Ty Warner. Suding chimed in, “If you ever bought a Beanie Baby, you helped to fund this house.”

A smooth sail along the pedestrian-bike path lined with vibrant flowers and a right-hand view of the ocean guided us to our next stop at Butterfly Beach. After taking in the fresh breeze, we continued inland to where Suding showed us “the Pig House” of Butterfly Lane, fit out with an eclectic collection of pig figurines and memorabilia, which were delightfully entertaining!

From this hidden gem in the Montecito lowlands, we made our way back downtown to the famous dolphin statue at the beginning of Stearns Wharf. Suding recalled visiting Puerto Vallarta and being fascinated to encounter the same statue there — he later discovered that Puerto Vallarta is Santa Barbara’s sister city.

Following the boat sails as visual cues for our navigation, we proceeded past lines of palms and up toward a lookout over the harbor and Los Baños pool, where Suding learned how to swim at “the plunge” in his youth.

Along the coast path with American Riviera Bike Tours | Photo: Courtesy

We weaved through the West Beach neighborhood, an area which holds much historical importance to the city. It was where the first mayor of Santa Barbara bought property and the location of the extravagant Potter Hotel.

The next stop was what Suding described as “the biggest fig tree in America — asterisk.” To which he later clarified to be the largest Morton Bay fig tree in America. Now towering over the train tracks running across State Street, Suding shared an anecdote about how it was once a mere sprout at barely one foot tall.

An uphill ride brought us to our next destination, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, where we aptly saw several weddings occurring, as befitting one of the town’s most popular wedding venues.

We also had the chance to see some creatures, including turtles and ducks, in Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens (popularly known as “Alice Keck Park” according to Suding, although Park is actually Alice’s last name, so it would technically be Alice Keck Park Park if it had the park rather than garden descriptor).

Suding guided us through some beautiful back streets lined with elegant stucco-roofed houses and picket fences before stopping in front of a seemingly quintessential family house. “This was my childhood home,” explained Suding. He shared the history behind the home, including a series of buttons situated throughout the house that he and his six siblings would mess with in their youth. His mother moved out of the house in 2022, but the memories remain strong and fond.

The Santa Barbara Courthouse | Photo: Madeline Slogoff

The tourist trip would not be complete, of course, without stopping by the Mission. Home to rich Santa Barbara history, the Mission was a must-stop. We enjoyed breathtaking vistas, and Suding provided diagrams of the Mission before and after it burned down and was rebuilt.

We revisited State Street one last time to stop by the famed Arlington and Granada theaters to bask in the glory of a city rich in its film industry culture, which will also soon be home to the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The tour wrapped up with a soft-serve cone from Mister Softee to cool off from our eventful journey across and around town.

Suding provided us with the ease of effortless hospitality, personalized knowledge of the city, and a friendly attitude that made the seemingly intimidating ride feel like a breeze.

Visit biketoursofsb.com to view prices and packages for rentals, or reserve a private tour of the beautiful coastal city of Santa Barbara and its surrounding area.