Santa Barbara Botanic Garden – Santa Barbara, California

Celebrating 100 Years in 2026!

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden – Santa Barbara, California

Visited Several Times

In an effort to find something older than myself (an increasingly difficult task), we have on several occasions driven up the coast to enjoy the beauty of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. In 2026 the gardens celebrate its 100th anniversary, making it one of the oldest botanic gardens in California. Nestled in the hills above Santa Barbara with astounding views on a clear day of the Channel Islands, this 78-acre garden features California native plants and has a conservation program with the goal that “no native plant goes extinct.”

The Garden displays more than 900 California native plants. Conservation efforts include the Pritzlaff Conservation Center created in 2016 which has a seed bank containing nearly three million seeds, 305 of which are rare species, as well as the Clifton Smith Herbarium home to “one of the largest collections of lichens in the U.S.”

Our favorite thing about the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is that well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome every day! The always well-behaved Garbo, Tracy and I (sometimes well-behaved) enjoy meandering the paved paths among the garden spaces, including a meadow and redwood forest.

The courtyard under the shade of a gigantic oak tree shelters a gift shop and a garden nursery with a large selection of California native plants, many of which have traveled home with us to our garden. 

The more than five miles of trails are well-marked.

When you walk toward the trail where you can view out toward the Channel Islands, you do have to cross a road, so for people like myself who might not be paying attention, they have put up a warning sign.

The gorgeous meadow with a view of Arlington Peak is a great way to start our walk. We believe the best time to visit is in spring when the vibrant orange California poppies and deep blue and violet penstemons are popping. Yes, Tracy tells me what these flowers are named, although I would have recognized the poppies.

We checked out the lacy foliage and golden yellow flowers of the Dune Tansy (Tracy says we need these for her garden).

Tracy has planted many of these pale pink coral bells (Heuchera), which are hummingbird favorites at our house.

The pollinators love the silver and lavender of this Salvia Leucophylla, which is very aromatic when you brush by it.

The silvery-green foliage and lilac-blue flowers of the Salvia Clevelandii ‘Winnifred Gilman’ is also fragrant.

The Blaksley Boulder is a massive sandstone rock and historic landmark, named in honor of founding supporter Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss, who was the donor who helped establish the garden. She named it after her dad. The giant rock originates from Pleistocene-era (12,000 years ago) debris flows from the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains. The boulder was part of the original landscape design. It was a landmark when the gardens opened in 1926.

Keep an eye out for gigantic spider webs!

Turtles sun themselves in the pond next to the meadow.

This sundial is one of four donated to the botanic garden in the 1920s.

Garbo enjoys a rest now and then on one of the benches scattered about the garden. So does her father (when she lets me).

Garbo leads the way down the Stone Staircase to the Wooded Dell, home to towering coast redwoods. Fortunately for me, there are rails on the uneven steps.

The staircase is also referred to as the “Indian Steps,” because it is thought to be the trail taken by Native Americans who built the dam that is located farther along in the garden.

We took a walk through the Redwood Grove.

Deep purple-blue Lupines, scarlet-pink Hummingbird Sage and the Purple Chinese Houses (so named because they resemble a pagoda) are abundant next to the stream in the Wooded Dell.

Raptor’s Perch and Quail Grove are part of the garden’s 4.5-acre “Backcountry” area, which is designed for self-directed, unstructured nature exploration for children. This space encourages activities like climbing on fallen trees, rock hopping, and building forts. 

Here, Garbo poses in a makeshift teepee (she looks like she is asking if it is ok to be in here) …

… rests for a moment in a wooden chair …

… and climbs a rock then checks out the stunning Bird’s-eye Gilia (love the bright blue stamens).

The Wood Rat Theatre is an interactive art installation and playhouse located in the Backcountry section. “The name is inspired by a woodrat’s home, which is both shelter and a space filled with objects that inspire stories.”

She has always wanted to be an actress. Well, her name is Garbo.

It is one of several “Backcountry Casitas” installed in the garden as part of a competition.  They are installed for a temporary period, typically six months to two years. The “Hawk’s Nest” was designed as a playhouse and reading nook for kids.

The construction of Campbell Bridge began in 1941, which was destroyed by the 2009 Jesusita Fire and rebuilt in 2013. Spanning Mission Creek, it connects the east and west sides of the garden’s trail system.

Tracy and Garbo decided to ford the creek in a different place, while I wisely deferred as I did not know the botanical garden’s Medivac policy.

There are 15 varieties of oak trees.

We have not ventured out much in the backcountry area. The sign warning of ticks, snakes and poison oak had we city slickers hightailing it back to civilization.

Reservations are required as attendance is limited by Santa Barbara County to 110,000 people per year. Admission prices vary, but (well-behaved) dogs are free!

As we are members of both the South Coast Botanic Garden and Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden we can visit for free as these gardens are members of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) Reciprocal Admissions Program. 

Note from Tracy: Although there are more than 400 gardens across the nation enrolled in the AHS program, be sure to check the AHS Garden Network map information to confirm the garden you wish to visit does not have a local-visitor exception. In California, if the gardens are within 90 miles of each other it does not work.

Yet another Garbo (and Tracy) recommended botanic garden!

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
1212 Mission Canyon Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
805.682.4726
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Parking: Free
Check website below for prices
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden