My first ever drive-in experience & I'm a convert. Loved it! Super fun, completely novel…read more We bought our tickets for the show & headed on in. $17 for two of us. It's laid out with dirt mounds so you can pull up on the mound & have the hood raised up a bit to see over cars in front of you. We went for the 9:30 showing - it was dark. They have trash cans placed between parking spaces so you can easily dispose of your trash afterwards. We walked over to the snack bar to get some mouth watering treats and left super psyched with their popcorn. It was fresh, hot and delicious. Yum! The movie, Venom, was awesome & the whole experience was fun. A lot of people had air mattresses in the back of their pickups or brought out folding chairs to enjoy the flick. If you've never been to a drive in movie theater I really recommend it. It's campy & a throwback experience.

Nice option for cheaper movie experience in the comfort of your car. Sound is OK since it's…read moretransmitted to your radio. Video is OK since projector and screen are not latest and greatest. One problem I have with the theater is they show kids movies at 11PM and rates R movies go first around 8PM, which is when you would want to take your kids. Not a great movie schedule for families with little kids.

Deltopia is fine I guess, it used to be a lot better. It's basically just a bunch of drunk college…read morekids doing dumb things like keg stands and falling off cliffs. Lots going on, definitely a weekend to remember. Be careful though, because the out-of-towners are WACK.

Signed up for a hand-built bowl making workshop and loved every bit of it. Our instructor was Elise…read moreArnold and she did a great job teaching us the basics and sharing many techniques and tips along the way! She had a lot of options for us with regard to the shapes we wanted to build. The price point is decent - although a bit on the pricier side, but so is everything in SB/Goleta! :) Would highly recommend this place to anyone wanting to try hand-building/pottery. I'm definitely going back there.

I watched too much Great Pottery Throw Down and had to give it a whirl, but where? Fortunately, I…read moreencountered this really amazing resource in Santa Barbara. They have pottery wheels, benches, glazes and kilns plus classes and workshops so you can learn how to do pottery. It is harder than it looks but worth the effort. I can finally center my clay! Yay, I got it, my second time through a Wheel I class. You need to try things a few times to get them, at least I do. I big thanks to Jared for his teaching. Now on to opening the clay . . . learning could take a while. Still, if you have any interest in pottery, you are lucky to live in Santa Barbara. As for the workshops, we tried the Raku Workshop and it was awesome. I don't think you can go too far wrong with that as you don't have to make the bisqueware. Listen to me using pottery lingo. Anyway, you can buy a pot to glaze and the Raku drama is available. So fun!

Oh boy the amount of times I have been inebriated here. Birthday parties, coming home celebrations,…read morecheeky post-work cocktails that accidentally turn into two in the mornings; New Years Eves, Potlucks, Aloha Sundays, Halloweens and everything in between. This is a great bar and there's just no way around that. The drinks are tough, the vibes are immaculate, the bartenders have teeth and the regulars are absolutely bananas. I love it here. It's probably the only bar you can roll into by yourself as a woman and feel comfortable. As if things couldn't get any better, there's a treasure of a human in there who spins vinyl on Friday nights (maybe Saturdays also, but don't quote me) and you really shouldn't miss that experience. Thank you Imperial and staff for your phenomenal service. You've truly cultivated something wonderful.

What an amazing hidden gem in Goleta!…read more While visiting the town, we were looking for a lounge walking distance from our hotel. We found this cool spot via yelp. A for atmosphere. You are transformed into a tiki/tropical/ vintage/bohemian not sure what to call it atmosphere. Super mellow and chill. We sat at a corner couch across from the bar. Comfy and relaxing, and dim lighting. Drink menu was diverse. Great selection. From cocktails to all types of alcohol. With an average price range of $15. Bartender knew his craft. All drinks ordered were great! C for service. The service dept needs some help, and I get it, with one person serving 15+ people. It is impossible to provide a5 star service. Initially service was great with a smile when we first arrived @ 6 pm. But soon after the bar became super busy. The wait was 20-30 minutes for an order. It was time to leave. We asked for our check and it came non-itemized. If it was 2 or 4 drinks that would be fine, but we were party of 3 with over 10 drinks. Then we had to wait again after asking for an itemized check. Waiter stated they need to hand write as their "machine" was not working. That took more time than needed. Ahhhhhh.... Ah well.. you can't get it all. Hence the 3.5 stars. I recommend, to sit at the bar and maybe pay cash to avoid hurdles I experienced.

Man, I have been waiting to set aside some time to review this place. We were visiting family in…read moreGoleta and took out two year old here. He currently loves trains and loved the train ride around the grounds. Wonderful place!

Gift shop was a bit lacking, but they have some free candies at the countertop area by the cash…read moreregister. We waited 15-20 min for the train to depart; as the ride is actually quite long! It was a good stop for the kids in the Santa Barbara area.

We went to Bowlero on the last day of 2025, with a party of four adults and four children five and…read moreunder. It was raining in Santa Barbara, and we made the mistake of showing up half an hour after the place opened without a reservation. We were, apparently, not the only parents in search of last-minute rainy day entertainment. Thankfully, we were able to book a lane online for 4:00 that afternoon, and came back with our full complement after lunch and naps. Check-in was smooth, as far as I could tell, and we all got our special bowling alley shoes. My only complaint is that there weren't quite enough bowling balls for all the small children in attendance. We found one 8-pound ball and were lucky to share a ball dispenser with another family who let us use one of their 6-pounders. Our one lane only allowed for four bowlers, but this was plenty, as the parents rotated and only two of our kids were interested in the game (my three-year-old preferred to run wild and our friends' baby babied). Those two children, though, were deeply interested, especially our five-year-old, who was so sweet and sincere and enthusiastic, just having the time of his life. He's very competitive and kept close track of the score, and of course did not register the comparative advantage of bumper bowling while his parents (mostly his mother) rolled a series of gutter balls. My three-year-old was more interested in the arcade, and it was a chore to follow him over there again and again and steadfastly refuse to let him play the shiny, pointless games. He was fascinated by the crane games, and I made the mistake of letting him watch a dad play one, assuming the man would lose. Apparently this dad was some kind of crane whiz and my boy saw him walk away with a big stuffie instead. I got him out of there as quickly as I could. There was food and drink available for purchase, including beer, wine, and cocktails. We skipped on booze for the afternoon, but did get some fries to share, which were solid. It seems like it would be easy to fit in a meal here with the right timing. Bar food and pizza and chicken tenders for the kids. No one comes to Santa Barbara to spend hours inside a bowling alley in Goleta, but not every day can be a beach day. We had a good time at Bowlero, and the kids had an absolute blast.

Bowlero is a BIG BUMMER. I grew up going to this location when it was Orchid Bowl and then later…read moreZodos. We went there for family outings, birthday parties, and with friends. Now that I have my own family, I was excited to go and tried making a reservation. For 6 people, it is 280$ for 2 hours. The problem is, my kids (3&4) can't last 2 hours. So I called to see if I could just reserve a lane for an hour. No. They told me that I should just come in at opening and I should be able to get a lane. So I came in at opening and was not able to get a lane. We got on the wait list and went home. The time we finally got a text message that a lane was open was over 3 hours later. My kids were so sad and our plans for the fun family activity went out the window. I'm really disappointed that it's so hard to make a reservation and that it's so expensive now. It's no longer a family friendly location like it once was.

I came here for a party hosted by my work, and it was so much fun! The staff was really nice! This…read morewas my first time ice skating, and it seems like they get a lot of first timers. They were really encouraging and helpful! The party room was not huge, but definitely had a fun, lively atmosphere! There was also a parents night out/kids event in the other rink which is smaller. Yes, they have two rinks! I will definitely be bringing my daughter next time!

Wow. What a great place. I almost don't want to write this review and gatekeep this spot for fear…read morethat it'll be swamped by crowds, but honestly everyone should know about it! It's a great place to skate for all ages, from tiny tots (who they have small ice walkers for) to college students (who they have free ice skate rentals for on Tuesday's at 7) to adults (great date idea if at least one of you has firm footing on ice). We went on Tuesday as College Night attendees, and luckily for us, it was also Taco Tuesday!! Val, one of the guys working the Rinkside Cafe, makes birria tacos and they're absolutely delicious. Completely surpassed my expectations for an ice rink cafe taco for sure. Warm, cheesy, umami delight. A huge reward after falling on the freezing cold ice while sliding around on skates. The veggie taco is also pretty good; a nice complement to all the heavier dairy and meat. Definitely come check this place out, both for the recreation and for the food!

We've been to Stow House several times. First was maybe five or six years ago. We were able to…read moretake a tour of the inside of the historic home at that time. That was before we discovered the "Passport 2 History" program. When we did get the Passport and reviewed which spots were in it, I was glad to see this property listed, as an incentive to go back. We made a return visit two months ago, on a warm Saturday afternoon. It was lovely to see the vintage architecture spotlighted against a brilliant autumn sky. Warmer than usual, with no wind, it was a great time to be at the property. There was a young woman covering the gift shop. She told us that while the grounds were open, they weren't able to offer tours of the house that day. "Shortage of docents". I don't know the situation with who currently owns / runs the house - is it a foundation, the City, the County? Many historic properties were deeded by descendants of original owners to local municipalities to be shared with the public going forward. I'm sure that it's a challenge for any legacy property like this to get enough docents lined up, trained, and scheduled. They would mostly be volunteers, after all. While it was disappointing to not revisit the interior of the mansion, we did collect out P2H sticker, then spent time wandering the grounds. That was something we hadn't done previously. The lawn areas and mature palm trees are serene and beautiful. Going around the perimeter of the main house yielded new views I don't recall before. We snapped some photos, then adjourned to the train museum next door. The next time we're in the area, we'll call ahead to see if they are offering tours that day. Might be wise to do the same!

Located right next to the Train Museum. Its a historical area. We didnt do the tour. We walked…read morearound the buildings and read alot of cool stuff! There is a two story bunker. A tad of Chinese immigrant history here. One of the workers lived in the bunker and helped this farm. The main house is beautiful! It has a Victorian Style to it. It kinda looks haunted! The place is so well kept! There is a caretaker private resident on site as well. And a very clean public bathroom. The place is simply so beautiful to look at. Very peaceful and serene. The farm area is open and my kids were able to look at old farming tools. There are benches here as well. Definately a cool place to bring a picnic. We saw people walking their dogs, enjoying the grass area, and just enjoying the scenery! Located north of Santa Barbara in the city of Goleta.

"When life gives you lemons...head to Goleta!" The Goleta…read moreLemon Festival is the 'biggest' celebration in our small town. Goleta hosts this festival to showcase its rich agricultural history when it became a highly prominent lemon growing center with a thriving packing industry. Visit the Stowe House and Rancho Patera to learn more about this. If you glance into the surrounding foothills, you'll see many short trees with the perfectly round and fragrant yellow fruit. Here at the festival you can purchase all things lemon or lemon-flavored including: beer, pie, churros, bundt cakes, pie, lemonade and more. This family-friendly festival takes place in Goleta's Girsh Park usually the last week in September. Parking can be a bit tricky but if you're comfortable walking, park at the nearby strip malls. There are a lot (around 80) of local businesses and vendors selling merchandise and a classic car show. Cash is great to have on hand. A large kids activity area and carnival rides are also available. For adults, there is a beer tent near a stage for live bands. The end of September is the perfect time for an outdoor festival under the sun. Personally, I prefer Carpinteria's Avocado Festival. Shh!

My friends and I had a great time! (We insist on having fun when we go out!!) We drank beer... ate…read morefood, and danced. The weather was great. (A bit windy on Sunday) For sure they could of had more lemon themed foods, but the food that we ate was good. Some of it was typical food that you find at a fair... funnel cake... deep fried items, etc. They also had a great local gourmet ice cream! (Rori's) My friend's kid had a great time. We will be back next year for more beer... food... dancing... and fun.

I am so happy that I joined this sorority at University California of Santa Barbara (UCSB)…read more I thought I never would be into the whole sorority thing but I had a Gphi in one of my classes and she mentioned something about going through Rush. My mom really wanted me to expand out of my circle to meet more people so she paid for it. And talk about being a DIVERSE group. UCSB is known to be predominantly Caucasian but this house had EVERYONE. So I through this week of rush where you go to all the different houses, meet the many many girls, in heels, trying to remember everyone's names and figure out which house is for you. On my final night it was between Tri Delta and Gamma Phi beta and I knew that if I didn't get Gphi I wouldn't even go through the whole sorority thing- I just knew this has to be it... and it was! We also had an amazing Sorority Advisor named Lois Abbott that had been with the house since opening the doors in 1983! Talk about commitment. Of course she was a Gphi too at San Jose State. :) Here goes my 3 years of adventure with Gamma Phi Beta. I graduated in 2007 and my best friends that I talk to everyday were in this sorority with me. I lived in the house for 2 years first in a 4 person room and my senior year with 2 different girls. Yes people say that you don't need to join the Greek system when you go to UCSB because the social life is going to be amazing anyway but it just opens up so many more doors in the long term. I have been able to network and get my foot in the door by being Greek. Its so neat to go through traditions that were long established in our case from Syracuse in November 11, 1874- Yes it is ingrained in your brain forever! Some of the roles I had there were: - Big Sis/ Lil Sis coordinator - Executive Board- as recording secretary - Song Chair - In charge of making a yearbook of my senior year! There are some of the events that I got to be a part of college and I have all the pictures on facebook to prove it! - Bid Day - Pancake Breakfast - Monday night dinners -Rush - Pre Rush - Pref Night - all the socials with the frat houses - all the sporting events with the other Greek houses - senior house on DP I can go on and on and on about how great it but I want people to know don't let those preconceived notions of what the Greek system is deter you from trying it out. I am going to be living with my sorority sister later this year and I am attending another's one wedding in April. Talk about sisterhood. :) I love the Crescent moon!