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La Arcada Plaza

4.6 (13 reviews)

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Entrance to the shopping plaza with its red phone booth
Kris G.

This is a nice place for a stroll with a number of cute shops as well as some tasting rooms and restaurants. I really like the sculptures and am obsessed with the turtle fountain. All those red eared sliders climbing on sculpture turtles. They have a "treasure hunt" on their website if you are visiting with kids. Also make sure you check the hours for the tasting room and shops. When we visited (pre-covid) very little was open.

Holiday walk with trees
Lindsay W.

This classic plaza has a lot of quaint shops, good restaurants, a crafting place, and is a nice stop after a visit to the library or museum of arts. The art installation sculptures make it fun for the kids too since you don't quite know if they are real or fake people. Plus, there is even wine tasting for those who may want to stop prior to a nice dinner at Eleven 14 or Mizza. Parking is never an issue with the massive lot behind the plaza. Id you are enjoying State street just turn right in and add a few steps in the plaza. I'd highly recommend a afternoon browsing and enjoying this downtown gem.

The Turtle Fountain
Richie D.

Ahhh, La Arcada Plaza... The natives refer to it as "La ArcaTa" but there is no hard "t," it's simply a light "d." In Spanish 'Arcada' translates to an arcade: a series of adjoining arches that form a complex of shops. This is a visual example of just that. The arched entrances are off of State Street (look for the 1880 clock modeled after a similar one at Marshall Field's in Chicago), Figueroa Street or behind the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The plaza has been in this location since its construction in 1926 with architecture by Myron Hunt mainly taking after 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival style. Talk a stroll and you will think you have been transported to Europe. At the center of the T-shaped arcade is a fountain with statue and real turtles. Throughout you'll find creepy, lifestyle human statues that are difficult to distinguish whether they'll real or not; those were created by J. Seward Johnson and George Lundeen. For photographic moments, make a stop at the London-style phone booth, 1741 Spanish Galleon canon opposing the original Santa Barbara Mission bell from 1761, main entrance La Arcada archway and sculptures of Thomas Jefferson, dolphins (by Bud Bottoms, the same artist as the dolphins at Stearn's Wharf) and more. To be completely honest, I don't frequent La Arcada to shop, per se. Unless that includes wine tasting since I often visit Sanford Vineyards tasting room that has the first planted pinot noir vines in the county. However, I definitely dine here. The new Eleven14 (a gastropub, previous Viva), Petit Valentien (normally French cuisine, except on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am - 2:30pm when they offer Ethiopian food), State & Fig (brunch), Jeanine's (bakery and brunch), Mizza (pizza and Italian) and Andersen's (Danish bakery and restaurant) are all contained within La Arcada. There are several small art galleries and shops within the plaza that feature chocolates, kid's wear and toys, barbershops, optometry, and clothing. La Arcada is one of the most scenic and romantic places to stroll in Santa Barbara, yet easy to pass by. Don't miss out!

Claudia B.

We stumbled onto this quiet but attractive little plaza after exiting Jeannine's on Figueroa (you can also find an entrance directly on State St. too). The plaza is peppered with fountains and sculptures throughout, which I happen to love both. Lots of quaint little shops that we sauntered into and out of, along with restaurants, too. I love this kind of stuff.... can't get enough.

Pheary P.

Cute picture point. The shops and restaurants didn't perk my interest too much. But to each their own.

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3 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Beautiful location very nice small shops and places to eat at. Plenty of parking, it was a nice time

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

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10 years ago

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12 years ago

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Review Highlights - La Arcada Plaza

The court is L-shaped from the interior but also includes a handful of shops which front to State and Figueroa Streets.

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The Post Montecito

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La Cumbre Plaza

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3.0(36 reviews)
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I love outdoor shopping. This dying plaza gives me hope. It used to have more stores and events…read more Things have changed over the past decade, sadly. If more shoppers express a desire to see new shops come in, this plaza could come back. I still enjoy stopping into Macy's, Williams Sonoma, Talbots and Pottery Barn. After some shopping, I head to Lure. I love that it offers free parking and is easy to get into and out of the parking lots. I hope you will join me in encouraging more retail to come along. I miss a good outdoor shopping plaza and this could be our last chance. I mean, the apartments next door start at $3000 month so turning it into housing seems undesirable. And I love green space but I am not sure the city would support it. See website for hours and more.

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La Arcada Plaza - shoppingcenters - Updated May 2026

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