20 Best Photo Spots in Santa Barbara
Originally Published Jan 29, 2020
Santa Barbara is one of my favorite places to take photos. I’ve spent many years of my life both living and visiting this magical area of California, and have found quite a few great spots for photos!
There is such a wide variety of photo spots – some are incredibly unique to Santa Barbara that you won’t be able to capture anywhere else.
Each location has its exact address so you don’t have to guess where they are!
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Chromatic Gate
This is one of the coolest photo spots in Santa Barbara with the ocean and palm trees peeking through the arch.
It was designed by Herbert Bayer, who studied at Bauhaus under master Wassily Kandinsky (one of my favorite artists!), and erected in 1991 with the direction of Mike Mills (the director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art at the time).
Location: Cabrillo Park, 633 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, CA
Pink Wall
LA isn’t the only place with an Instagrammable pink wall! This pink wall has a diagonal with white on one side and pink on the other, so you can get photos with just the white, the pink and white, or just the pink. A 3-in-1 photo spot!
Location: Next to Things2Do on 122 Gray Ave #B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Recommended: Where To Stay in Santa Barbara, California
Yellow Garage Door
The Funk Factory @ SB has a bright yellow garage door with plants all around it. The giant door makes for the perfect, happy backdrop. It’s just down the street from the pink wall.
Location: 208 Gray Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Looking for things to do in Santa Barbara? Try one of these activities!
Santa Barbara Mission
A classic spot! There are so many areas to take some really amazing photos here. They have a rose garden, another garden area with olive trees, and the beautiful mission facade, which is my favorite.
Location: 2201 Laguna St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
The courthouse is one of the most gorgeous spots and hosts some beautiful weddings. You can take photos at the back, the front, or for a bird’s eye view – the top of the clock tower!
Location: 1100 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Paseo Nuevo Stairs
These steps are pretty unassuming when you first see them, but they make for great photos! It’s right above California Pizza Kitchen near Eureka. If you come on a weekday, you should have them all to yourself!
Location: Next to 601 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
The Botanic Garden is smaller than some I’ve been to, but it does have a redwood forest, cactus garden, and other beautiful plants native to California.
Location: 1212 Mission Canyon Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church
It took me 20+ years of visiting Santa Barbara to find out about this gorgeous church! It looks like it was taken straight from Santorini and plopped in the middle of a neighborhood in Santa Barbara.
Make sure to check the church calendar to ensure you’re visiting when there are not any events taking place and you’ll have it all to yourself.
Location: 1205 San Antonio Creek Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
Hilton Blue Chair
Just across the street from Chromatic Gate is the Hilton! It has ocean views and a GIANT blue chair on the front lawn. It’s not so much a professional photo spot, but a fun photo op.
Location: 633 E Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Douglas Family Preserve
Located in the Arroyo Burro Beach County Park is a walking path on the bluffs overlooking the ocean and beach. Many people take their dogs up there to walk and it’s a great sunset spot!
Location: Douglas Family Preseve, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Stearns Wharf
There are many areas to take great photos with ocean views on Stearns Wharf, but I think the ship helm is the best.
Location: 217 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Andree Clark Bird Refuge
Near Montecito in an unassuming neighborhood is the bird refuge. It’s tranquil and filled with all different kinds of birds. Please respect the wildlife if you come here for photos and follow any posted signs. This refuge is for the birds!
Once you park, walk down the pathway to the right until you reach one of the viewing points for the best photo spot.
Location: 34a Los Patos Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Painted Cave Road
This is the road that you take to get to Knapp’s Castle (now private property) and other trails. There are multiple vista view points you can pull over to take photos with all of Santa Barbara and the ocean in the background!
Location: Painted Cave Road, Santa Barbara, CA
Figueroa Mountain
This is a bit of a drive outside of Santa Barbara, but worth the trip during the spring. I went during the superbloom in 2019 and the hillside was covered in poppies and lupines.
Just make sure not to step on any flowers! For this photo, I was sitting on a dirt path and we used strategic angles to make it look like I was sitting right in the flowers.
Location: about 12 miles from the start of Figueroa Mountain Road
Butterfly Beach
This is the most beautiful beach in Santa Barbara hands down. The long, sprawling beach sits just below The Biltmore and has rock formations that make for a great background.
Location: Channel Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Channel Drive
Just above Butterfly Beach is a walking and bike path that separates the beach from the mansions behind it. It’s filled with incredible plants (bouganvilia and agave) that attract wildlife and make for a relaxing stroll.
Location: Channel Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
El Zapato
Tucked back in a side street downtown is a unique home rental called El Zapato. While the rentals themselves are incredible (would be a great place to stay!), it was the front door that caught my eye!
With a Moroccan-style archway and plants out front, this place makes for a fun, unique photo spot.
Location: 522 Garden St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Photo via elzapatosb.com
Ganna Walska Lotusland
This is the only place on my list that costs money to enter. You can book tickets online for a tour of the gardens on Madame Ganna Walska’s land. The cactus garden is incredible, but so is everything else!
Location: Cold Spring Rd, Montecito, CA 93108
Farren Road
I’m spilling the locals’ secret spot because it’s too good not to share! Farren is just north of Goleta and is a road that goes up a hill and eventually turns into a dead-end at a private gate. There are tons of cacti along the side and great hills and ocean views.
Go in the winter for green hills and great sunsets!
Location: Farren Road, Goleta, CA
Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove
Park at the Ellwood Bluffs parking lot and start walking the trail. There are a few different trails to take, depending on where you want to go.
Continue on the trail that veers left to go into the grove and trees, or veer right before you get to the trees to get to the bluffs with ocean views.
Either path will get you to the bluffs though!
Location: 7727 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA 93117
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