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Less of a park, more of a viewpoint nestled in a residential area. There are a couple of benches to sit on. But worth the windy drive up because you get a gorgeous look of Santa Barbara, mountains, ocean & everything in between.
Super nice viewpoint in SB. The drive up is about 10 minutes from State Street (although a bit steep and windy) but not too difficult. Offers an amazing view of Santa Barbara and has picnic tables and bathrooms as well.
Five star view...hence the 5 star review. A simple drive up in the hills can lead to wonderful views. This park has an old dilapitated house, a stone carving of old Mr. Franchesci himself, nice plants / trees, a couple benches and picnic tables. If you venture down the hill, watch for ticks and snakes!
My mom is OBSESSED w/ this park. She stumble upon it with my sister one day as they were driving around during quarantine. She lives in LA but wants to drive up here to celebrate Mother's Day! Sad that the house is dilapidated. Had men and women's bathrooms with TP and a sink! Two picnic benches. Trash cans and recycling. And parking. Great panoramic view of SB.
One of my favorite parks in the world. It's a small place with a beautiful view. It's a bit of a drive up in the Riviera above where most tourists venture. There aren't even a lot of locals that frequent this park. I am happy to sit here alone. I've never seen the park crowded. I hope it stays that way. There is small, old restroom but it is generally clean and well kept. The main reason to visit is the view. The old Franceschi House is on the property but it is dilapidated and boarded up. It must have been a grand residence back in today. After all of these years, I'm not sure if anything will happen with the house or if it will just slowly deteriorate and crumble. I kind of enjoy hanging around beautiful, abandoned places though.
Some of Santa Barbara's best panoramic views! Franceschi Park's layout is a tad confusing, but the views certainly make up for it. As others have mentioned, it's more of a place to stand and take in the setting versus a park to stroll around in. It is on a hill and tiers down a few blocks, between Franceschi Road and Dover Lane with Mission Ridge Road cutting through the middle. I'd initially accessed it at the top, from Franceschi Road, and was a little confused as there was a walking path that sort of turned into a steep hill with no destination. Luckily my shoes had some good tread on them! The park itself is ancient and historic, with the rundown Franceschi House as the main focal point. There are some neat artifacts surrounding the house and it is fun to walk around and admire. I'm sure it was a great spot in its heyday. The best part of the park, in my opinion, is the lower "Franceschi Steps" tier. This section has a few neat stone stairwells along with some paved walking paths. Walking up or down affords prime views of both the ocean and the riviera. It's very serene with little road traffic. If you are looking to be impressed by some serious views, give this park a visit - but be sure not to enter from upper Franceschi Road unless you've got some good all-terrain shoes!
Beautiful view of Santa Barbara but do know that the park itself is very small and probably consisted of four benches total in a much smaller area than I would consider a regular park Also, I missed the entrance to this park on the drive about three times!! And No, it's not because I am an Asian female driver O_o On mission ridge, they have you follow a sign that points up this hill so I take the left to get up there. Once I'm there, there are three pathways! My GPS is totally confused and says I'm already there (which I'm not!) So first I drive straight up - nope. Then I wrap around and then take the middle lane - nope. Wrapped around again, finally! The third time I saw some (small and totally unobvious) signs that may be directing toward a parking lot. Voila! The Asian female makes it to the park! Hah Still a good stop if you're every in town though :)
When I close my eyes to find my "happy place" this is IT. I've seen countless sunsets but none compare to this. My favorite memories are here with close friends and family :) If you want to have a romantic spot that's fun and free LOOK NO FURTHER Bottle of wine, a candle and some hors devours should do the trick ;) The view of sb is amazing- cannot stress it enough! Favorite place to watch the sunset. Enough said.
The park is nothing to write home about, but the view of the city and ocean are incredible. The parking is limited so be patient.
Beautiful place, if you love Santa Barbara, Old homes, the view of the ocean, small parks off the beaten path, old history, this is your park! I spent a lot of time scouring the internet after visiting to learn of the people who lived here and their story (which is fascinating!) so sad to see the condition of the home. Wish it was being preserved, but its still a must see to stroll the grounds, take pictures, walk the paths, and also there is a statue in carved rock of Franceschi you need to hike over to, not to far from the house. Lovely place.
This is one of the best places in Santa Barbara for great views of the city and coastline. I'm surprised it wasn't already listed in Yelp. I guess that's probably why we usually only see locals visiting. ;)
5 months ago
We drove up the winding road to this park to take in the view of Santa Barbara below last week when we were visiting the area. It was a pretty view but not the best we saw in the city. I did see some people picnicking, and that seemed like the best way to enjoy the park. I did appreciate that they had reasonably clean public bathrooms! A nice park with nice views, but I wouldn't say it's a place you must visit in Santa Barbara. Nice if close to where you're visiting. read more
As others have mentioned, it's more of a viewpoint of the city than a park, but it's still worth a visit. There is an old house on the grounds as well that could make for a bit of a spooky backdrop. Great views with a few benches to sit and take it all in. read more
6 years ago
Less of a park, more of a viewpoint nestled in a residential area. There are a couple of benches to sit on. But worth the windy drive up because you get a gorgeous look of Santa Barbara, mountains, ocean & everything in between. read more
5 years ago
Super nice viewpoint in SB. The drive up is about 10 minutes from State Street (although a bit steep and windy) but not too difficult. Offers an amazing view of Santa Barbara and has picnic tables and bathrooms as well. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
Five star view...hence the 5 star review. A simple drive up in the hills can lead to wonderful views. This park has an old dilapitated house, a stone carving of old Mr. Franchesci himself, nice plants / trees, a couple benches and picnic tables. If you venture down the hill, watch for ticks and snakes! read more
5 years ago
My mom is OBSESSED w/ this park. She stumble upon it with my sister one day as they were driving around during quarantine. She lives in LA but wants to drive up here to celebrate Mother's Day! Sad that the house is dilapidated. Had men and women's bathrooms with TP and a sink! Two picnic benches. Trash cans and recycling. And parking. Great panoramic view of SB. read more
One of my favorite parks in the world. It's a small place with a beautiful view. It's a bit of a drive up in the Riviera above where most tourists venture. There aren't even a lot of locals that frequent this park. I am happy to sit here alone. I've never seen the park crowded. I hope it stays that way. There is small, old restroom but it is generally clean and well kept. The main reason to visit is the view. The old Franceschi House is on the property but it is dilapidated and boarded up. It must have been a grand residence back in today. After all of these years, I'm not sure if anything will happen with the house or if it will just slowly deteriorate and crumble. I kind of enjoy hanging around beautiful, abandoned places though. read more
7 years ago
Some of Santa Barbara's best panoramic views! Franceschi Park's layout is a tad confusing, but the views certainly make up for it. As others have mentioned, it's more of a place to stand and take in the setting versus a park to stroll around in. It is on a hill and tiers down a few blocks, between Franceschi Road and Dover Lane with Mission Ridge Road cutting through the middle. I'd initially accessed it at the top, from Franceschi Road, and was a little confused as there was a walking path that sort of turned into a steep hill with no destination. Luckily my shoes had some good tread on them! The park itself is ancient and historic, with the rundown Franceschi House as the main focal point. There are some neat artifacts surrounding the house and it is fun to walk around and admire. I'm sure it was a great spot in its heyday. The best part of the park, in my opinion, is the lower "Franceschi Steps" tier. This section has a few neat stone stairwells along with some paved walking paths. Walking up or down affords prime views of both the ocean and the riviera. It's very serene with little road traffic. If you are looking to be impressed by some serious views, give this park a visit - but be sure not to enter from upper Franceschi Road unless you've got some good all-terrain shoes! read more
Beautiful view of Santa Barbara but do know that the park itself is very small and probably consisted of four benches total in a much smaller area than I would consider a regular park Also, I missed the entrance to this park on the drive about three times!! And No, it's not because I am an Asian female driver O_o On mission ridge, they have you follow a sign that points up this hill so I take the left to get up there. Once I'm there, there are three pathways! My GPS is totally confused and says I'm already there (which I'm not!) So first I drive straight up - nope. Then I wrap around and then take the middle lane - nope. Wrapped around again, finally! The third time I saw some (small and totally unobvious) signs that may be directing toward a parking lot. Voila! The Asian female makes it to the park! Hah Still a good stop if you're every in town though :) read more
When I close my eyes to find my "happy place" this is IT. I've seen countless sunsets but none compare to this. My favorite memories are here with close friends and family :) If you want to have a romantic spot that's fun and free LOOK NO FURTHER Bottle of wine, a candle and some hors devours should do the trick ;) The view of sb is amazing- cannot stress it enough! Favorite place to watch the sunset. Enough said. read more
13 years ago
The park is nothing to write home about, but the view of the city and ocean are incredible. The parking is limited so be patient. read more
4 years ago
9 years ago
Beautiful place, if you love Santa Barbara, Old homes, the view of the ocean, small parks off the beaten path, old history, this is your park! I spent a lot of time scouring the internet after visiting to learn of the people who lived here and their story (which is fascinating!) so sad to see the condition of the home. Wish it was being preserved, but its still a must see to stroll the grounds, take pictures, walk the paths, and also there is a statue in carved rock of Franceschi you need to hike over to, not to far from the house. Lovely place. read more
10 years ago
7 years ago
17 years ago
This is one of the best places in Santa Barbara for great views of the city and coastline. I'm surprised it wasn't already listed in Yelp. I guess that's probably why we usually only see locals visiting. ;) read more
16 years ago
This city park is a great spot to see a panoramic view of Santa Barbara! Franceschi House is also on site. The park is small but has some walking paths that take you around the park. It does not have traditional park grass, but the awesome view is worth a quick stop! read more
14 years ago
This park, though very small and not much grass, is a great park to see the great city of Santa Barbara from above. On clear days, you can see as far as Pt. Mugu all the way to the Santa Barbara Airport. Definitely a great place to have lunch or get away from the hustle and bustle of city life to read and/or relax. read more
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More info about Franceschi Park
Ask the Community - Franceschi Park
Guys map is telling me that park is closed on Sunday, but it's a park how can it be closed on Sunday ? Am I missing something?
They have a gate that prevents you from parking, and there is very little, if any, street parking nearby. This is a small park in an expensive area, and it looks like the public works people have decided to spend their upkeep money elsewhere.
