Red Bear attended Boy Scout Camp in the mountains last week, so my husband and I intended to have an adult-only winery getaway trip. But, so many things came up unexpectedly, small but important things, that we couldn’t get away until the last day before Red Bear came back home.
“Let’s go to Santa Barbara,” my husband said, “and you can have a lobster lunch.” He knows I love lobster, and every time I go to Santa Barbara, I can’t — I won’t! — miss out on lobster there.
We have been to Santa Barbara many, many times before (it’s only 75 miles from us, an easy and pretty drive along the ocean half of the way), so this time we tried something different. We visited the historic Mission Santa Barbara — my first time!
Here’s what SantaBarbara.com says about the Mission: “Travel back in time to Santa Barbara’s earliest days at the historic Old Mission Santa Barbara. With its grand double bell towers, lush gardens and the majestic San Ynez mountains as a backdrop, the Mission is one of the city’s most picturesque landmarks. Known as “Queen of the Missions” for its exceptional beauty, the Santa Barbara Mission was founded by the Spanish Franciscans in 1786. More than 200 years later, it’s still an active parish church and a vital and enduring element of Santa Barbara’s cultural landscape. History comes alive as you explore the grounds, church and on-site museum, where you’ll see fascinating 17th-century art, artifacts and re-creations of the Mission’s living quarters and kitchen, complete with an original adobe wall. Outdoors, you can admire the graceful architecture, explore the colorful gardens, and take in expansive views of the city and the Pacific Ocean.”
I couldn’t have described it better!
We loved visiting the Mission, and if you have a chance to visit Santa Barbara soon, keep this in mind, and on your radar, too! I hope you’ll like it as much as we did.
After the visit to Mission Santa Barbara, we made a trip for lunch to our favorite spot in Santa Barbara — Stearns Wharf, where it’s nice to walk, look at the beach and watch boats, and browse some restaurants, a museum, and little shops. We also like walking around the nearby Yacht Harbor and the shops on State Street, but we didn’t do those things during this visit.
The weather was great, as it almost always is in Santa Barbara, and my lobster in Moby Dick Restaurant was delicious and GIANT! My husband went for the “Beyond Meat” plant-based “hamburger,” which he also loved.
I was very satisfied, and, of course, we missed having Red Bear with us — he loves Santa Barbara, too. But until next time, we visited the candy store on the Wharf, and brought him a good helping of saltwater taffy!
So many beautiful pictures of this place … love ♥️it!
🌸🍃ROSES FOR FRIDAYS 🌸🍃| by mia | A Creative Lifestyle Blog