Santa Barbara, CA Event Planning

Key Highlights

Hotels	44
Total Sleeping Rooms	5,404
Committable Sleeping Rooms*	360
Committable Meeting Rooms*	17
Largest Exhibit Space	66,000 Sq. Ft.
Largest Ballroom	11,960 Sq. Ft.
Average Hotel Room Rate	USD $146
Average Daily Meal Cost	USD $66
Average Weekly Car Rental	USD $327
*Maximum for a single hotel

Santa Barbara, CA Meeting Planning Overview

Welcome to the Santa Barbara meeting and event planning guide – written specifically with meeting planners in mind. This walkable, friendly Southern California city, known for its wide beaches, diverse architecture and local wineries, is also regarded as a fantastic destination for meetings and conferences. A variety of Santa Barbara event venues can host all kinds of special events, while the town's world-class art, shopping, entertainment and cuisine rival those of any major metropolitan center.

Coined The American Riviera (thanks to its beautiful landscape and culture), Santa Barbara is nestled amongst the foothills of the Sana Ynez Mountains along the Pacific Ocean. Located eight miles northwest of downtown, the Santa Barbara Airport serves five domestic nonstop destinations, as well as more than 200 one-stop destinations. More than 700,000 passengers pass through the airport each year. Santa Barbara is also served by Los Angeles International Airport, which is located 90 miles southeast of the city. Ranked fifth in the world for passenger traffic, Los Angeles International sees nearly 62 million people per year. Serving 69 international destinations and 87 domestic destinations, the airport offers flights on virtually every major carrier and is the main hub for United Airlines. Santa Barbara is served by the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District public bus system, which provides direct access to Santa Barbara Airport and such meeting sites as the Earl Warren Showgrounds.

Santa Barbara is home to a number of hotel and non-hotel meeting and event venues, including the Earl Warren Showgrounds, Bacara Resort & Spa and Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort. Sitting on 34 acres, the multi-use Earl Warren Showgrounds offers 35,000 square feet of event space, in such spaces as the 22,000-square-foot Exhibit Building and 13,000-square-foot Warren Hall. The beachfront, 354-room Bacara Resort & Spa offers 25,000 square feet of meeting space in such spaces as its dedicated high-tech Executive Conference Center and 211-seat Screening Room. Located one half-mile from downtown Santa Barbara, Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort offers 360 rooms and 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.

Santa Barbara's many attractions, museums and historical sites also double as convenient unique venues perfect for group gatherings and events. Regarded as Santa Barbara's chief cultural and historic landmark, Old Mission Santa Barbara is home to a community of Franciscan friars, active church and museum, as well as a “renewal center,” complete with guest rooms and private event spaces. Groups can charter the Condor Express catamaran for a dinner or party cruise, as well as a whale-watching trip along the Santa Barbara Channel and Channel Islands, home to blue, gray, humpback and orca whales. The 30-acre Santa Barbara Zoo welcomes groups to hold events throughout its ocean-view grounds, as well as participate in animal encounter activities. Santa Barbara's museums, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History/Ty Warner Sea Center and Santa Barbara Maritime Museum also offer private event opportunities. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History features a number of indoor and outdoor spaces, ranging from a Spanish-style building to an outdoor stone amphitheater, while the museum's Ty Warner Sea Center on Stearns Wharf welcomes private events in its two-story reception hall with spectacular ocean views. Situated in the heart of a working harbor, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum can accommodate private events in such spaces as its 88-person Munger Theater.

About Santa Barbara, CA / Additional Info

A quintessential, relaxed Southern California retreat, Santa Barbara is rich in spectacular beaches, mountain vistas, shopping, dining and entertainment. The city's attractions are as varied as its architectural influences, including its signature Spanish-Moorish style. Santa Barbara is conveniently located 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco.

Santa Barbara's wide beaches offer perfect conditions for such water sports as surfing and paddleboarding. The city's coastline is dotted with the unique Channel Islands, often called “North America's Galapagos,” thanks to their unique flora and fauna. Channel Islands National Park comprises five of the eight Channel Islands and celebrates the area's biological diversity. In fact, the park waters are home to the largest aggregation of blue whales in the world. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden also celebrates the region's biological diversity, as it is dedicated to the research, education and conservation of California's native plants. Visitors can explore the living museum's landscapes and nature trails that showcase the state's native plants, including many rare plants.

Santa Barbara's unique biological landscape makes it a wonderful region for wine production, made evident by the more than 100 wineries found throughout the region. Visitors and residents alike frequent the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail, which is comprised of a number of local wineries situated within walking distance of downtown Santa Barbara and the beach. In addition to its wine varietals, Santa Barbara is home to a variety of unique shops, many of which are found along Stearns Wharf. As California's oldest working wharf, Stearns Wharf is also one of the city's most visited attractions. The city's State Street is another popular shopping destination that features a semitropical setting.

Santa Barbara's coastal setting makes it a terrific destination for fresh seafood and celebrated, eclectic cuisine. Many of Santa Barbara's fine restaurants offer private event spaces perfect for group dining. The iconic Wine Cask in the downtown historic El Paseo complex serves innovative cuisine utilizing local products, while Olio e Limone Ristorante specializes in creative, authentic Italian cuisine accented by an extensive wine list. Stella Mare's serves French country cuisine in a historic landmark house along the local bird refuge. Opal Restaurant and Bar is known for its unique California cuisine with worldwide influences, while Chuck's Waterfront Grill is a popular harborside steak and fish house that highlights local wines and tropical cocktails.

Santa Barbara, CA Key Stats for Meeting Planners

Time Zone: Pacific Time (PT)

Hotel at Convention Center? No

Airport(s):

Destination Type(s):

Golf Destination
Historic Destination

Special Event Venues
75
Population
90,893
Restaurants
70
Country Code
1
Sales Tax
7.75%
Currency
U.S. Dollar
Standard Tipping Practice
10-20%
Electricity
120V / 60Hz
Official Languages
English

Credit Cards and Travelers Cheques widely accepted? Yes

All average costs based on U.S. Government Per Diem rates as published by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Cities Near Santa Barbara, CA

	Distance	Estimated Driving Time	Estimated Min. Flying Time	Estimated Flight Cost
Los Angeles, CA	81 mi	1 hr 45 min	46 min	USD $308+
Fresno, CA	162 mi	04 hr 18 min	2 hr 53 min	USD $594+
San Diego, CA	186 mi	3 hr 45 min	3 hr 36 min	USD $631+
Palm Springs, CA	187 mi	03 hr 30 min	02 hr 18 min	USD $688+

Santa Barbara, CA Climate Information

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg. High (°F)	65	65	66	69	70	71	75	76	75	73	69	65
Avg. Low (°F)	46	48	50	52	55	58	61	60	60	56	50	47
Rec. High (°F)	89	89	96	101	101	103	108	99	105	103	97	92
Rec. Low (°F)	20	27	30	30	36	42	44	46	38	34	28	25
Rainfall (in)	4.3	4.6	2.9	1.2	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.9	1.7	3.0

Thanks to its unique south-facing orientation and protection offered by the nearby Channel Islands, Santa Barbara enjoys near-perfect year-round weather and low humidity. The city averages 300 days of sunshine each year, as well as 18 inches of annual rainfall. Santa Barbara experiences the Santa Ana conditions during the fall season, during which the temperature rises and humidity drops as the winds shift to blow hot inland temperatures towards the ocean. Santa Barbara's warmest month is August, with an average high of 78°F and average low of 60°F, while both December and January bring the city's coldest weather, with an average high of 65°F and average low of 45°F. The ocean temperatures remain cool year-round, averaging 55°F in the winter and 65°F in the summer.

Santa Barbara, CA Airport Information

Santa Barbara Airport (SBA)

Situated eight miles northeast of downtown, the Santa Barbara Airport offers nonstop service to Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland (seasonal), San Francisco and Seattle, as well as more than 200 one-stop destinations. The airport completed a new Spanish Colonial Revival-style terminal in 2011, and serves more than 750,000 passengers each year. Airport amenities include on-site shopping and dining, as well as free Wi-Fi. A Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District public bus stop is located directly across the street from the terminal.

Airline carriers serving Santa Barbara Airport:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines

Frontier Airlines
United Airlines

US Airways

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Los Angeles International Airport is Southern California’s premier gateway, located about 90 miles southeast of Santa Barbara. Ranked fifth in the world for passenger traffic, Los Angeles International sees nearly 62 million people per year. Serving 69 international destinations and 87 domestic destinations, the airport offers flights on virtually every major carrier and is the main hub for United Airlines. Travelers can access a wealth of amenities at Los Angeles International Airport. Free shuttle services between terminals, wireless Internet access, duty free shops, newsstands, currency exchange centers, a business center, first-aid station, cocktail lounges and a variety of options make passengers more comfortable before, between, and after flights. LAX also features 8,000 parking spaces.

Airline carriers serving Los Angeles International Airport:

Air Canada
Air Canada Jazz
Air China
Air France
Air New Zealand
Aer Lingus
Aeroflot
Air India
Air Tahiti Nui
AirTran Airways
Alaska Airlines
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
American Trans Air (ATA)
American Airlines
American Eagle
America West
Aerolitoral
Asiana Airlines
Aviacsa Airlines

Avianca Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific Airways
China Airlines
China Southern
Copa Airlines (Panama)
El Al Israel Airlines
EVA Air
Frontier Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
Horizon Air
Japan Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Korean Airlines
LACSA Airlines
LAN (Chile)
LAN (Peru)
LTU International Airways
Lufthansa

Malaysia Airline
Mexicana Airlines
Midwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Philippine Airlines
QANTAS
Singapore Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
Sun Country
Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.
TACA International Airlines
TED Airlines
Thai Airways
United Airlines
US Airways
Varig Brazilian Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
West Jet

Santa Barbara, CA Ground Transportation

Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District

The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) offers daily public bus service via 52 transit routes and 781 stops throughout the Santa Barbara region. The HTD Transit Center, located in downtown Santa Barbara, serves more than 10,000 passengers every day. Passengers can reach the Santa Barbara Airport via route 11 and the Earl Warren Showgrounds via route 3. One-way fare is $1.75 per passenger, while a daily pass is $6 per passengers. A 10-ride pass is $11.50 for adults and $8.25 for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Children under 45 inches tall ride free.

Amtrak

The Santa Barbara Amtrak station is located at 209 State Street, and operates daily from 5:45 AM to 10 PM. The Santa Barbara station is serviced by the Pacific Surfliner route, which provides daily service from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, as well as the Coast Starlight route, which runs from Seattle to Los Angeles, passing through the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara and Sacramento.

Greyhound

The Santa Barbara Greyhound station is located at 224 Chapala Street, and operates daily from 5:30 to 6 AM, 8 to 10:30 AM, 1:30 to 5 PM and 7 to 8:15 PM.

Rental Cars

Santa Barbara Airport features rental car counters for Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, Hertz and National. About 40 rental car companies operate out of Los Angeles International, 10 of which can pick up and drop off customers directly from the terminals using courtesy shuttles. These 10 companies include Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and Thrifty.

Taxis

Visitors to Santa Barbara passing through Santa Barbara Airport should expect to pay about $35 in taxi fare from the airport to downtown.

Distance To...

	Distance	Estimated Driving Time	Estimated Min. Flying Time	Estimated Flight Cost
Los Angeles, CA	81 mi	1 hr 45 min	46 min	USD $308+
Fresno, CA	162 mi	04 hr 18 min	2 hr 53 min	USD $594+
San Diego, CA	186 mi	3 hr 45 min	3 hr 36 min	USD $631+
Palm Springs, CA	187 mi	03 hr 30 min	02 hr 18 min	USD $688+