Refugio State Beach

This is what the coastal campgrounds look like on the weekends in the spring. In the summer they look like this all the time! We were happy to get a site even though it was just for one night. The trailer in the site behind our RV was delivered to the campgrounds by 101 RV Rentals. There are five beach campgrounds that allow people to reserve a campsite then have the rental company deliver a trailer.

The group campsites were full too. 

 The main reason we wanted to visit this park was to walk/roll along the Aniso Trail that goes from Refugio Beach to El Capitan Beach about 5.5 miles out and back. The trail is not in very good condition. Just a short way in we came to this spot where the trail was sliding down the hill. We skirted around it like everyone else.

The trail was a little overgrown but the wildflowers were abundant.

 

Reports say the trail is washed out at the 2 mile mark. We turned at the beginning of a very steep downhill so we never came to the washed out spot but we must have been very close to it. 

 

Due to the steepness of the hills most wheelchair users will need assistance. Campground   34.46316, -120.07013  Trail

 

Gaviota State Park Campground

Gaviota is small with 39 campsites in one loop. The layout is unusual because the parking areas, except four of them, are shared. Cars or RVs are parked side by side with the picnic tables at the ends of the parking spaces. 

The park was fairly empty in the middle of the week but by Friday large family and friend groups had set up tents everywhere. The change was pretty dramatic. Two cars squeezed into the space beside us. We found this was the case at most of the coastal campgrounds. It's not very hard to get sites on the weekdays but weekends can be booked solid. 

 A small sandy beach is a short walk from the campground. There's also a pier that's been closed since 2014 due to storm damage.  California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission haven't been able to form a plan for a safe repair that also protects the environment. Another interesting sight, at the south end of the campground, is the 80 foot high, 811 foot long train trestle that spans the canyon cut by Gaviota Creek.

 

None of the sites are designated as accessible but most are usable.  Campground   34.47239, -120.2286

 

Santa Barbara Historical Museum

The exhibit cases in this excellent museum showcase artifacts that trace Santa Barbara’s rich history from the early Native American settlements to the 20th century. Visitors can download an audio tour for additional information on many of the artifacts. 

The museum is accessible.

RVs cannot be parked on the streets in Santa Barbara so we parked in the designated RV spaces in the Garden Street lot and walked/rolled along State Street, then followed De La Geurra two blocks northeast to the museum. State Street is a entertainment and retail district with 10 blocks closed to traffic. All of the curb cuts are very good and the business have accessible entrances. Once off State Street the curb cuts are steep. Care should be taken when crossing the railroad tracks on State Street to avoid getting stuck.   Museum   34.42158, -119.69744

MOXI - Museum of Exploration + Innovation

Like many science museums this one is geared towards young children. We usually visit science museums even if the exhibits don't delve deep into scientific topics because admission is free with our pass and we enjoy playing with the exhibits. Unfortunately the elevator was out of order during our visit so we only saw the first floor. 

 A long ramp accesses the entrance. About 2/3rds of the exhibits are accessible to some extent.

RVs cannot be parked on the streets in Santa Barbara so we parked in the designated RV spaces in the Garden Street lot and walked/rolled along the paved path that follows the beach before turning onto State Street. All of the curb cuts are very good.  Museum  34.4136, -119.69135

 

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center

 The Sea Center has two floors of exhibits including touch tanks with sharks, rays, sea stars, sea urchins, and sea anemones. Aquarium tanks house jelly fish, a small octopus, seahorses and other marine animals. Most exhibits focus on the animals that live in the unique habitats of the Santa Barbara Channel but there's also a polar bear, one of the animals that is losing sea habitat due to climate change. The admission price is high for this small museum so we were glad that we had a pass.

The Sea Center is located on Sterns Wharf which was built in 1872. It's billed as  the oldest working wooden wharf in California but after reading about the tornado, storms, fires, and boats crashing into it, I wonder if any of it is original. There are 17 businesses on the wharf and free 90 minute parking. 

The Sea Center is accessible. The touch tanks are low so it's easy to reach into the water. The wharf has a wide walkway . Some of the planks are old and worn which makes for a bumpy roll.  

RVs cannot be parked on the streets in Santa Barbara or on the wharf so we parked in the designated RV spaces in the Garden Street lot. From there it's a short walk/roll to the wharf along the paved path that follows the beach. Center  34.41041, -119.68571

 

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

The museum's initial collection was donated in the 1940s by Wright S. Ludington, a resident of Santa Barbara who inherited a large fortune from his father and dedicated his life to collecting art, entertaining, and philanthropy. The collection is broad in scope and includes Etruscan bronzes, Greek and Roman sculpture, Gothic carvings, and 20th-century paintings by Braque, Picasso and Matisse. 

The museum building and art collection have grown significantly since the 1940s and now houses a wide variety of art spanning 5,000 years. The galleries feature changing, ongoing, and traveling exhibits. 

A ramp accesses the museum entrance. The second floor is accessed by an elevator. A short set of steps goes to a few of the galleries. A small lift is located behind the wall on the right side of the steps.

RVs cannot be parked on the streets in Santa Barbara so we parked in the designated RV spaces in the Garden Street lot and walked/rolled to the museum on State Street. State Street is an entertainment and retail district with 10 blocks closed to traffic. All of the curb cuts are very good and the business have accessible entrances.  Museum  34.42361, -119.70409