It is a good idea to have your lodging arranged before you get here. There are tons of hotels, everything from youth hostels to five star rated resorts. Take your pick, something for every budget.
Please follow these links to find out about Santa Barbara's many tourist attractions and hotels.

Because this is a town that survives on tourism, and being a get-away for the Jet-Set and second-home site for the elite of the film industry, we have lots of great places to send your significant others and kids off to while you undergo your transformation. I personally insist that all my out-of-town houseguests see The Big Fig and the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum. They are a MUST!

Where State Street meets the ocean, 20 blocks downhill from my studio, you will find this amazing fountain:

The Friendship Fountain by Bud Bottoms
While here you can see the big sculpture, and maybe even buy one of this local artist's small bronzes. Click above to check his website for details.

The studio is very easy to drive to. From Highway 101, North or South, exit at Mission Street and turn toward the mountains. Follow Mission over to State. We are a couple of doors up State from the corner. There is no customer parking lot at this location, so you will need to park on the street. Be aware that some street parking is time limited.

If you fly in you can arrange to have

Santa Barbara Airbus 805-964-7759 bring you all the way from LAX

or the Super Ride Shuttle 683-9636 give you a ride from the SB airport downtown.

The city is very tiny, so if you are flying in just for a day or two you will not need a car if you get a hotel in the downtown. If you want to tour the area there is a trolley, and you can go on wine tours or whale watching...... plus we have a marvelous Natural History Museum.

There are two best restaurants I recommend you visit while you are here:

YOUR PLACE is the Thai food favorite of locals, and I have been eating there for decades and have NEVER been disappointed in the food or service. 22 N Milpas St # A Santa Barbara, CA 93103 (805) 966-5151

For lunch or dinner I recommend you go down to BROPHY BROTHER'S RESTAURANT, located inside the harbor. Only a tourist would eat on the wharf (pier), real locals go to the harbor itself; and if you have to wait to get a table at Brophy's (you will) you can go for a walk out on the breakwater and work up an appetite for local fish while looking at yachts. Ask for a table on the balcony so you can watch our local fishermen unloading their catches on the adjacent dock. And don't miss the Great Blue Heron standing proudly on the roof; it is a decoy I put there as a gift to the owners, to fool tourists! I bet a million people have taken its picture before they realize it isn't moving!!!