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If you’re looking to spoil both you and your pup for a fun weekend filled with wine tastings, scrumptious food, and off-leash dog beaches, we highly recommend Santa Barbara. We spent the weekend at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort and everything on our list was either walking distance or just a short drive away. We visited the first week of August and the temperatures were in the mid-70s during the day, which was perfect for any activity.

Here are our top 7 Dog-Friendly Things To Do in Santa Barbara:

1. Walk Along The Coast

Santa Barbara’s weather is absolutely perfect for a stroll along the beach. There is a huge stretch of sidewalk right along the coast (E Cabrillo Boulevard) where you can walk or ride your bike while enjoying the views. In between the sidewalk and sand, there is plenty of grass where you can enjoy a picnic as well. Kuma especially loved the pristine grass and had sudden bursts of energy several times during our walk.

You’ll also most likely spot the famous Chromatic Gate as you are walking along East Beach. If you’ve ever fantasized about walking through a rainbow, your dreams just might come true here. It’s located across from East Beach and right next to the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. It’s a great spot to capture a colorful picture.

2. Hendry’s Beach

2981 Cliff Dr. (MAP)

Also known as Arroyo Burro Beach, it is one of three pet-friendly off-leash dog beaches in Santa Barbara. The scenery here is gorgeous and there is plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the waters and sand. Hendry’s Beach is secluded by towering cliffs and a curving coastline, which makes for a beautiful backdrop as you walk along the beach with your dog.

Our dogs love to be off-leash and run around on the beach, but if you prefer your dog to be on a leash, there is an on-leash dog beach on the opposite side.

To snag a parking spot (especially in high season), make sure to get there early. We didn’t notice any street parking locations, so once the lot is full, you may have difficulty finding a place to park your car. There are two parking lots and we parked at the smaller parking lot closer to the beach.

We arrived at 9am and the small parking lot was already full. Luckily, we found a parking spot with a 2-hour limit, which was plenty of time for us to enjoy the beach with the dogs. If you can’t find a parking spot in the small parking lot, there is another larger parking lot next to it that even has a dog washing station.

If you have time to explore other beaches, check out these two off-leash beaches: Shoreline Park and Thousand Steps Beach.

3. Funk Zone

The Funk Zone has been rising in popularity these past few years and we can see why. Although we are not the biggest fans of the name “Funk Zone”, we do love the area which spans between the ocean and Highway 101.

There are a ton of dog-friendly boutique tasting rooms in this district, as well as cafes, galleries, and shops. Zooey and Kuma especially loved walking around here as they were getting so much attention from everyone. Pali Wine is a popular pet-friendly wine tasting spot in the Funk Zone, so make sure you and your pups are prepared to wait a bit here for a table.

4. Stearns Wharf

217 Stearns Wharf (MAP)

We initially had plans to enjoy a wine tasting with a waterfront view at Deep Sea Tasting; however, we weren’t able to grab a table with a view, so we decided to enjoy some ice cream from the Great Pacific Ice Cream Co. We saw tons of people enjoying their ice cream here, so we caved in and had to try it too. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but the flavors and quantity justified the premium price.

We really enjoyed walking on Stearns Wharf as the views here were incredibly beautiful, but we were also amazed by the wooden construction of the wharf itself. We later found out that Stearns Wharf is the oldest working wood wharf in California which was built in 1872.

5. Self-Guided Tour of Jeff Shelton’s Colorful Architecture

Santa Barbara offers a Red Tile Self-Guided Walking Tour of interesting historic landmarks, but we opted to do a self-guided tour of Jeff Shelton’s Architecture instead since we had the pups with us. When we saw images of his buildings online, we were so intrigued by his designs and wanted to see them up close in person. Some of his designs remind us of Gaudí’s legendary architecture in Spain.

We almost skipped driving around to see Jeff Shelton’s architecture, but so glad we decided to make a few stops before we headed home. The buildings are all relatively close to each other and parking was available nearby. Looking at the buildings up close, you can really see all the intricate details that we didn’t see in the photos online.

You can download a map HERE to locate these hidden gems.

6. Exploring Downtown Santa Barbara

Currently (due to the pandemic), there are several road closures so that businesses can provide their services outdoors. We stopped by to grab some food at the Public Market and walked down Victoria’s Court where we came across a handful of outdoor shops and restaurants complete with a live outdoor band. We saw many owners with their pups having a great time enjoying the live music and the beautiful weather outdoors.

We ordered food for carryout at the Public Market which had a variety of dining options. We were both really craving for some rice, so we ordered our dinner entrees from Wabi Sabi. (~$18 per entree). We’re always a little skeptical of Japanese fast-food, but the entrees we ordered here were fantastic. Not only was the rice top-notch, but so was their free-range chicken, fresh vegetables, and everything else that came with our rice bowl order.

7. The Mill

406-414 E Haley St. (MAP)

The Mill is located in a restored building with a collection of businesses where you can eat, drink, design, shop, stay (YES, they have a luxurious loft-style Airbnb here), or even get fit. We grabbed a table at the Third Window Brewing, which was a relaxing outdoor setting. They had a fantastic beer tasting menu here, but we were saving our tastings for wine later, so we just ordered some food here.

The menu is short and simple with about 10 items to select from. We ordered the Belgian Fries ($4.50), Kid’s Wagyu Cheeseburger ($6), and an Organic Salad ($8), and everything was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The Belgian fries were actually WAY better than the ones we had in Amsterdam and the burger was super juicy. The salad was simple yet the flavors and the lightly drizzled dressing was very satisfying to the pallet.

Final Thoughts

We absolutely enjoyed our weekend getaway with the pups and wish we could have stayed longer. The classic California views of palm tree-lined streets along the coast were mesmerizing and you can’t beat the mid-70s weather. If you are looking for places to travel with your main furry squeeze, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to tasting rooms and various establishments where dogs are most welcome. Our pups were constantly showered with affection and we could tell that they thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Where to Stay

We used our Hilton points and stayed at the Hilton Santa Barbara Hilton Resort, which was a gorgeous pet-friendly resort located along the waterfront next to the Chromatic Gate. We loved our stay here so much that we didn’t want to leave!

Check their current rates HERE.