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Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara

4.1
#2 of 11 in Wildlife in Santa Barbara
Hiking Trail · Hidden Gem · Wildlife Area
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Established in 1926, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden displays California's rare and indigenous plants in their natural setting. Located on 32 hectares (78 acres), this is California's oldest botanic garden, dedicated to research, education, and conservation. You can discover over 1,000 different species by following the garden's network of scenic trails, which stretch for over 9 km (5 mi) and offer sweeping views of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Don’t miss one of the garden's signature features--an old rock dam--constructed in 1806 by Native Americans. Be sure to walk all the way to the garden's redwood grove, a cool resting place even on the hottest of summer days. Plan to visit Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and other customer-reviewed, writer-recommended Santa Barbara attractions using our Santa Barbara trip itinerary builder.
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Santa Barbara Botanic Garden reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.0
685 reviews
Google
4.6
TripAdvisor
  • Beautiful gardens. This was a peaceful and beautiful way to start off our central coast vacation and a good way to decompress from the city. 
    Beautiful gardens. This was a peaceful and beautiful way to start off our central coast vacation and a good way to decompress from the city.  more »
  • Beautiful gardens, loved the different zones, and that there were so many different paths to wander around on. Great setup. Staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Highly recommend. 
    Beautiful gardens, loved the different zones, and that there were so many different paths to wander around on. Great setup. Staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.  more »
Google
  • SB Gardens is a serene, peaceful place to walk with some beautiful scenery. I particularly enjoyed the “woodsy” areas. However, it’s not the easiest to navigate. Lots of hills, and when I visited the creek crossings were closed, so I had to double back to cross back to the entrance. I wish the person at the entry had told me to expect that. The map also doesn’t show that one of the trails requires climbing up or down a hillside using ropes. One other thing to note is that there isn’t much to the actual garden areas (although I imagine that can vary depending on the time of year). But they did have a spectacular display of poppies, which looked amazing with the mountains behind them!
  • I'm here on a Friday and did not have a reservation, I waited about 30 minutes to enter....it's worth the wait ( get reservations) this a quiet a good workout, lots of walk and hiking in some areas and stunningly beautiful in all directions. I'm so glad I came to visit. Dog friendly so bring your fur baby and enjoy the cool central coast weather 😎

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