get away for a week

Visit the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Photo by Aimee Robbins.When Spanish missionaries came to Santa Barbara, they didn’t realize they had stumbled into a palm-tree-ridden, beauty-soaked paradise that would someday be known as the “American Riviera.” This nickname aptly describes the quaint, red-tile- speckled city surrounded by alluring mountains and sunny beaches, all wrapped in a Mediterranean climate. The water, vistas, and culture of this Californian city can be enjoyed no matter the mode of exploration.