East Beach

Located in Santa Barbara, East Beach is a four mile long beach with light brown sand. This beach is situated towards the east end of a wharf named the Stearns Wharf. Multiple grassy recreational parks are present near this popular beach. In addition, this beach also has a fantastic backdrop of oceanfront palm trees. The Mission Creek flows through the beach into the Pacific Ocean.  East Beach has been named one of the Top 100 beaches in the United States by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The eastern end of East Beach is wider than its other parts. 

East Beach and the area around it have many amenities including lifeguards (available on a seasonal basis), a children’s playground, a paved bike path, picnic tables, restrooms, showers, walking paths, a skate park, and volleyball courts. Watersporting equipment rental facilities are also present near the beach. Dogs are not allowed in East Beach. The beach also offers accessibility to people with disabilities. 

East Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, fishing, picnicking, beachcombing, wildlife watching, skating, biking, hiking, bodyboarding, swimming, volleyball, surfing, skimboarding, bodysurfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, water-skiing, surf-skiing, parasailing, and boating. The water near East Beach offers fun yet manageable surfing waves, making it ideal for beginners. However, if you are planning to enter the water near East Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here has unpredictable rip currents. In addition, the water here also has been recently found to have high levels of microbial contamination. Depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near East Beach including seals, sea lions, and migrating whales. As East Beach is a popular beach, lots of visitors and tourists often mistakenly drop coins or other valuables around the beach during their visit - this makes the beach a frequented spot among coin-collectors and other treasure hunters, who scour the beach with metal detectors hoping to make a quick buck. The most popular spots in East Beach for hunting coins and valuables are around the sidewalks, the volleyball courts, and the nearby Stearns Wharf. East Beach also hosts a variety of exciting events throughout the year including volleyball tournaments and art shows. The Cabrillo Pavilion (also known as Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center) is also present near the eastern part of East Beach - this pavilion was built in the 1920s and has interesting Spanish-style architecture. In addition, the pavilion is currently primarily used for hosting private events including weddings and corporate meetings. In addition, the pavilion also has a fitness center.

The iconic Stearns Wharf present near this beach was originally built during the 19th Century and offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Barbara shoreline. This wharf also has many interesting shops and restaurants and is also a great fishing spot. In addition, the wharf also houses the Sea Center of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This sea center has interesting exhibits about the local marine biodiversity. In addition, the center also organizes interesting educational programs. If you are planning to fish in the water around East Beach, please ensure compliance with the local fishing regulations. If you like shopping, State Street is also present near this beach and offers many exciting shopping stores, and theaters. The 42-acre Andrée Clark Bird Refuge is also present near this beach. This refuge has a 29 acre lake and wetlands. Andrée Clark Bird Refuge offers many fun activities including hiking, biking, and wildlife watching.

Getting to East Beach is easy - the beach is present near 1118 East Cabrillo Boulevard, and multiple street parking spaces and paid parking lots are present near this beach. However, we recommend visiting this beach early as the parking spaces around it often fill up quickly. In addition, we recommend being extremely careful while walking to the beach from the parking space (especially if visiting with kids) as East Cabrillo Boulevard frequently sees heavy and dangerous vehicular traffic.

There are many attractions near East Beach. Mission Santa Barbara is a Catholic mission built in the 18th century and is widely known as the "Queen of the Missions" due to its splendid beauty. This mission offers docent-led-and self-guided tours around its premises and offers visitors an interesting insight into the rich history of Southern California. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse was constructed in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style and is a National Historical Landmark. You can explore the courthouse’s alluring premises through self-guided tours. In addition, the courthouse’s lush tropical gardens are extremely popular among visitors and also host many interesting festivals throughout the year. El Presidio de Santa Bárbara is an important local historical landmark. This fort was built in 1782 and is a part of a group of four presidios (meaning forts in Spanish) built in the present-day California region during the Spanish Colonial era. This presidio is open for self-guided tours and offers a unique insight into the rich history of California. If you are looking for another attraction near East Beach, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History offers many interesting exhibitions on the local natural and cultural history.  This museum also has the only full-dome planetarium along the Central Coast region of coastal California.  In addition, the museum also has one of the largest existing collections of Native American basketry artworks created by Native American Chumash craftsmen.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near East Beach. Loquita Santa Barbara is an upscale restaurant that serves amazing Spanish food including tapas, seasonal paellas, pintxos, and patatas bravas. Santa Barbara Shellfish Company offers a pleasant oceanfront dining experience. In addition, the restaurant also serves amazing seafood including lobster rolls, clam chowder, and crab-cakes. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near East Beach, La Super - Rica Taqueria offers many amazing Mexican dishes including tacos, chile rellenos, and tamales. In addition, this restaurant has been praised by the MICHELIN Guide and was also reputedly frequented by the famous chef and cookbook author Julia Child.

If you are looking for a hotel near East Beach, there are many great nearby options. Hotel Californian is a 5-Star hotel that has Spanish Colonial-style architecture and offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a pool, a hot tub, and a Moroccan-style spa. As another upscale option, the 4-Star Mar Monte Hotel - In the Unbound Collection by Hyatt offers many amenities including a restaurant, a bar, a pool with a hot tub, a fire pit, and a gym. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn which offers many amenities including a shuttle service to Santa Barbara Airport, two pools, multiple whirlpools, massage services, an exercise room, a sauna, and a restaurant. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near East Beach, the 2-Star Motel 6 Santa Barbara, CA - Beach offers many amenities including a pool, a coin-operated laundry, and complimentary morning coffee.