The California coastline is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, delicious food, great hikes, stunning towns, and last but not least, an Ostrich farm. What better way to spend a long thanksgiving weekend than road-tripping from San Francisco to Santa Barbara and back, taking in all the weird, wonderful, and delicious things the route has to offer? Stay with me as I walk you through my itinerary and open your mind to all the hidden gems I encountered along the way. I chose this destination for this particular weekend in late November because the climate was calling me. Where else would you get 70-degree weather this time of year? Plenty of places, you say. Well, that may be true but if you live in the Bay area like me, you know when the cold spell hits in November, it hits hard and SoCal is the perfect escape.

Route

Start Point: San Francisco

Destination: Santa Barbara

You have 2 options here and it really depends on how much time you have.

1. Take highway 1 for the scenic route including stopovers in Pacifica, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, and Morro Bay before merging onto the 101 at Pismo Beach. Stunning choice but tricky if you are short on time. This is a separate road trip in itself.

2. Take the infamous 101 Freeway all the way to Pismo Beach and right down to Santa Barbara in a comfortable 5-6 hour journey non-stop or make a day of it like I did and add in a few worthy pitstops.

Pitstops

Our first stop of the day was Dinosaur Caves Park, near the town of Pismo Beach. We pulled over here and walked around the coastal trail to enjoy the morning views and a coffee.

My next stop was unplanned and that’s usually the best kind. We were looking for somewhere to pull in and have breakfast with the supplies we brought in our cooler and we stumbled upon Oceano Dunes State Park where you can pay $5 to drive your vehicle onto the beach. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Next stop along the route is the Danish-inspired town of Solvang. Founded by Danish Immigrants over 100 years ago, this town is full of charming architecture, unusual shops, bakeries, and of course, Windmills. This is a great place to stop, browse the shops and grab a coffee before continuing your journey.

Now the next stop is unusual, maybe not for everyone, but a few miles outside of Solvang lies the very interesting Ostrichland USA, home to over 100 Ostrich and Emus. For $6 I got up close and personal with these tall, wild creatures. A word to the wise, if you go on a busy weekend like I did, skip the $1 fee to feed the animals, they are so well fed by the other visitors that they have no interest in your offerings.

At this stage in the journey, you might need to stretch your legs and a great place to do so is at Nojoqui Falls, a short distance from the 101 highway, between Solvang & Santa Barbara. A word of warning in advance, there was little to no water in the Falls when I visited in November so check out the reviews on Google before you go, the most recent comments will tell you everything you need to know. A 10-minute hike from the parking lot lies a beautiful fern-lined waterfall and a cackling stream.

En route to Nojoqui Falls, you might be lucky enough to happen upon a roadside petting farm like I did at the Folded Hill Ranch. There’s no greater joy than stumbling across some adorable, friendly animals including donkeys, pigs, and llamas. The ranch is also home to a winery which I added to my bucket list for next time!

My final pitstop before arriving in Santa Barbara is the beautiful and steep Gaviota Wind Cave Trail. With plenty of parking spaces at the trailhead, this hike is easy to access and offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside. I clocked up 4km out and back on my fitness watch so it’s short but very steep in parts so be prepared to break a sweat. The juice was certainly worth the squeeze as you can see below.

The Destination

At last, we arrived in Santa Barbara. It has been 7 years since I last graced the streets here and I’m happy to say it’s as nice, if not nicer than I remember. Where there is 1 palm tree, there is 1000 and I’m here for it.

Accommodation: We stayed at the Hyatt Place Santa Barbara which was a last-minute booking. It was clean and offered a free buffet-style breakfast so I can’t complain but if it’s luxury you’re after, you might want to skip this one.

Food: I am a Foodie and I will never recommend somewhere that I didn’t actually like.

• Mony’s in the Funk Zone (pictured top left) for clean, healthy, fresh Mexican cuisine. There was a line down the street for lunch here but it moved quickly thanks to the friendly and efficient staff members. The food was so fresh and tasty!

• Super Cucas for the best selection of breakfast burritos I’ve ever seen (pictured bottom right, above). They cater to meat eaters, vegans, vegetarians, and any other food group you can think of. I settled for an egg, chorizo, and avocado burrito with a side of hot sauce.

• Sushi Teri for affordable sushi on a cozy, heated outdoor terrace. You’ll find this hidden gem a few minutes’ walk from the main shopping street in Santa Barbara.

• Alessia Patisserie in Downtown Santa Barbara for the best croissants I’ve ever had including my trip to Paris earlier this year. The creamy pistachio croissant will forever be etched into my memory, both visually and flavor-ly stunning (see below).

Things to do: There is any amount of activities & adventures to participate in while visiting Santa Barbara and here are some of my favorites:

• Go for a swim at Butterfly Beach.

• Enjoy a run/walk on the Cabrillo Blvd Bike Path which follows the coastline from Leadbetter Beach to Butterfly Beach, a 4.5-mile trip one way.

• Enjoy some shopping at the Farmer and the Flea Market which takes place the 3rd Saturday of every month and features both local crafts and antiques

• Enjoy a sunset among the palm trees at East Beach before going for a drink at some of the many bars in the Fune Zone.

I hope this post inspires your next visit to the coastline of California, whichever direction you are headed. There’s something for everyone but especially those of us who love the great outdoors. This trip was done on a reasonable budget and you don’t need to spend the big bucks to enjoy the spoils SoCal has to offer. Having a car is a big plus here but you can also rent bicycles all over the city or explore the beaches and downtown on foot. A road trip is one of my favorite ways to explore areas off the beaten path and places you might otherwise never see. My next road trip adventure will hopefully take me up north to the coast of Oregon, stay tuned for that.

Happy Adventuring,

Olivia