Santa Barbara And The Central Coast

Travel writer Stuart Thornton introduces you to the best of Santa Barbara and California's Central Coast, from Santa Barbara's stunning Spanish architecture to Ventura's treasure-filled thrift shops. A longtime resident of the Central Coast, Thornton has plenty of unique trip strategies to offer, as well as helpful tips on the best beaches, cheap eats, campgrounds, and more. Complete with inside information on enjoying the California Avocado Festival, sipping wine at the 16 wine tasting rooms on the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail, and catching some rays on Pismo Beach, Moon Santa Barbara & the Central Coast gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience. This ebook and its features are best experienced on iOS or Android devices and the Kindle Fire.

Get the inside scoop on the best of California's Central Coast with well-known natives Kathleen and Gerald Hill. Taking visitors and locals alike to the hidden treasures of Santa Barbara and environs, the Hills provide an intimate view of this exquisite seaside area. Covering the stretch of coast from San Simeon to Ventura, this book covers the communities of Santa Barbara, Cambria, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Goleta, as well as all the significant beaches and parks in the area.

Explore the West Coast as only a native can with these witty and fact-filled guides. Readers get an intimate view of the joys and pleasures offered in each region as Kathleen and Gerald Hill describe the scenic countryside, in and out of town centers, and to little-known destinations. Through detailed walking and driving tours, they tell travelers all the insider secrets: local hangouts, great diners and exquisite restaurants, festivals, unusual boutiques and shops, and delightful accommodations, with special emphasis on wineries small and large. Also features recipes from the area's top chefs.Through detailed walking and driving tours, this book covers the stretch of California's central coast from San Simeon to Ventura, as well as all the significant beaches and parks along Highways 1 and 101.

This witty, richly colorful book unlocks the secrets of Santa Barbara and the Central Coast.

Restaurant critic and travel writer Michael Cervin introduces travelers to the best of Santa Barbara and California's Central Coast, from Santa Barbara's stunning Spanish architecture to Ventura's treasure-filled thrift shops. A longtime resident of the Central Coast, Cervin has plenty of unique trip strategies to offer, including Going Green: Eco Winery Tours and Pedaling the Coast. Complete with inside information on golfing in Ojai, riding the waves at some of Santa Barbara's famous surf spots, and where to sample Santa Maria's famous tri-tip barbecue, Moon Santa Barbara and the Central Coast gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.

"Consistently rated the best guides to the regions covered."—National Geographic Traveler From the region’s laid-back beach towns to the jumble of Monterey’s Cannery Row, California’s Central Coast offers the most spectacular triptych of landscapes—surf, forests, and picturesque small towns—in the West. Includes coverage of the region’s vineyards, culinary gems, and coastal hideaways.

"The winemaking region encompassed by Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties is hot among those in the know -- and with good reason. A huge variety of the finest wines are only a pour away, and the setting is as dazzling as what's in the glass. Yet, despite its recent surge in popular appeal, the coast retains the down-home feel and roll-up-your-sleeves attitude that made it famous. The wineries of the Central Coast offer the perfect mix of elegant hospitality and warm accessibility -- as often as not, the people who pour your wine in the tasting rooms are not only the winemakers, but the winery owners as well, and they are happy to spend time chatting about their passion. Mira Advani Honeycutt's affectionately detailed text is a perfect introduction to this exciting expanse of vineyards. She reveals how the many microclimates of the Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, and Edna Valleys, as well as the area around Paso Robles, have led to the production of an amazing diversity of varietals by an equally varied collection of wineries. Whether you're looking for a lush picnic spot and a glass of bubbly or panoramic views accompanied by a tasting flight of robust Rhône blends, her helpful tips lead the way. In addition, she reveals the distinctive art and architecture that abound in the wineries, while fine cuisine, fresh produce, and eclectic historical sites are never far away."--

In comparative tastings, wines from California's Central Coast rival those from such renowned regions as Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa, yet they also offer superb value. This is the first comprehensive guide to one of the world's most dynamic and beautiful wine regions-and the setting for the award-winning movie Sideways. An excellent, one-stop resource for touring and tasting at convenient wineries located from Monterey to Santa Barbara, the guide is organized into county-by-county alphabetical listings for this up-and-coming region. Wines and Wineries of California's Central Coast includes: * Profiles of nearly 300 wineries personally visited by the author * Profiles of individual vintners * 5 maps * Winery ratings, plus author and winemaker recommendations * Visitors' and contact information for each winery * Discussions of regional wine history and terroir * Descriptions of designated American Viticultural Areas and grape varietals