9:30 – 10:30: Architecture Walk 

Start your day by exploring Presidio Neighborhood architecture on foot. This nine-square-block area includes a high density of historic structures that reflect the diverse communities who helped build Santa Barbara.   We have selected a few landmarks here,[AP1.1] and we encourage you to consult your guidebook for more, or just make discoveries along the way.  

10:30 -11:30: El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park 

El Presidio SHP is an urban park, interpreting the site from which the Presidio Neighborhood gets its name.  Visit the preserved and reconstructed portions of this eighteenth-century adobe fort to learn about the place from which the modern-day city of Santa Barbara grew.  Visit El Cuartel (1785), the oldest building in Santa Barbara, and see the inside of the Presidio Chapel, a popular location for weddings and community events.  

11:30 – 12:30: Rudy’s 

Grab lunch at Rudy’s Presidio location.  This family-run Mexican restaurant proudly prepares all of their ingredients fresh every day to make delectable dishes, many based on family recipes.  Enjoy your lunch with an unbeatable view of El Presidio SHP across the street.  

12:30 – 2:00pm: Santa Barbara Historical Museum 

The Museum shares the history of Santa Barbara through objects.  Check out their temporary exhibit galleries to find out what’s new, and make sure not to miss the Story of Santa Barbara, their permanent exhibit about local history. Take a stroll outside to enjoy the beautiful courtyard and fountain, and view the historic adobe buildings at the rear of the property.   

2:00 – 3:00: Casa de la Guerra 

One block West from the Historical Museum, you’ll find Casa de la Guerra, the only Mexican period historic house museum in Santa Barbara.  Enjoy atmospheric rooms, and knowledgeable staff who enhance your experience.  And note, if you visited El Presidio SHP earlier, Casa de la Guerra admission is free! 

3:00 – 4:30: El Paseo and De la Guerra Plaza 

Some of the most stunning examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture surround Casa de la Guerra.  Walk around De la Guerra Plaza in front of the Casa and notice City Hall, the Santa Barbara News-Press Building, and the McKay buildings, which anchor the sides of the Plaza. Pass through the Street in Spain to visit El Paseo, the 1920s shopping and office complex behind Casa de la Guerra.  Designed to look like a small village in Spain, El Paseo is full of beautiful nooks and embellishments intended to please any photographer.    

4:30 – 6:30 The Pickle Room 

End your day at the Pickle Room for premium cocktails and a bar menu that can easily serve as an early dinner (do not miss the Ruben Egg rolls and the Smitty Burger!).  Don’t miss the exhibit at the end of the bar about the Chung Family who founded Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens in 1947 when the area was New Chinatown. In 2026, the building was added to the National Register for Historic Places.