Goleta Beach Park(Isla Vista)

Located in the town of Isla Vista, Goleta Beach Park is a one-mile-long, very wide, and beige-colored sand beach situated on the east side of the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.  Spread across 29 acres, Goleta Beach Park is a part of Goleta Beach County Park and has a fishing pier named Goleta Pier, a 1,500-foot-long fishing pier with incredible sea and mountain views.  Goleta Beach Park is also known as Goleta Pier Beach and is on the northeast side of a small peninsula called Goleta Point that is frequently visited by shorebirds.  The beach is a partly manmade beach and was in created in 1945 by spreading sand onto an existing sandspit. 

Goleta Beach Park offers many amenities including seasonal lifeguards, three restrooms, 27 picnic tables, four horseshoe pits, barbecues, volleyball courts, water sport equipment rentals, a fishing pier, a grass park, a kids play area, and a boat launch.  If you are looking for additional amenities, there is a paved bike trail that runs from behind the beach and goes all the way east to Santa Barbara.  You will also find many hiking trails on a bluff on the west side of Goleta Beach County Park that lead down to UCSB Lagoon and Campus Point Beach.

There are many other fun activities at Goleta Beach Park including swimming, fishing, biking, boating, kayaking, birdwatching, stand-up paddleboarding, picnicking, sunbathing, and beach walking.  The beach welcomes dogs on leash, and the park is open from 8 am until sunset.  Getting to Goleta Beach Park is easy – Goleta Beach County Park’s free parking area is located at 5905 Sandspit Road and is within walking distance to the beach.  However, you will be charged a $15 per day fee to enter the park.  In addition, there are also a few free parking spots along Sandspit Road that provide easy access to the beach.

If you are looking for attractions near Goleta Beach Park, you can drive seven minutes to the Art, Design & Architecture Museum that is also known as the University Art Museum and features many architectural drawing, writing, scrapbooks, three-dimensional objects in the Architecture and Design Collection, and over 8,500 original works of the museum itself.  Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa preserves and is home to thousands of monarch butterflies that visitors can see between late October and February.  Lake Los Carneros Park is located on the shores of Lake Los Carneros and is an awesome destination for wildlife watching, fishing, picnicking, and clicking Instagram-worthy pictures.  Another great attraction near Goleta Beach Park is Rancho La Patera & Stow House that displays historic photographs and furniture related to the nearby area. 

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants within a seven-minute drive of Goleta Beach Park.  CAYA Restaurant offers avocado toasts, salads, steaks, pork chops, craft cocktails, and craft beers.  The Asian fusion restaurant PokeCeviche features soups, rice bowls, drinks, desserts, and musubi dishes.  Kyle’s Kitchen Calle Real is an American restaurant offering burgers, fries, sandwiches, lemonade, and ice creams.  Another good restaurant near Goleta Beach Park is Cajun Kitchen Café that has a nice menu which includes bacon, sausages, fried chicken, crab cakes, and waffles.

If you are looking for a hotel near Goleta Beach Park, you can drive 14 minutes to the luxurious 5-Star pet-friendly Hotel Californian that features a rooftop pool, lounge, Mediterranean restaurant, hip café, gym, Moroccan-style spa, and salon.  Kimpton Canary Hotel is a 4-Star pet-friendly hotel offering a rooftop pool, rooftop bar, lounge, restaurant, spa, and gym.  The 3-Star Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta has a pool, bar, gym, and restaurant.  If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel near Goleta Beach Park, Motel 6 Goleta, CA - Santa Barbara is a 2-Star hotel that welcomes pets and has a nice pool.