How to Start Your Summer Adventuring Right
What the Cool Kids in Town Will Be Up To This Summer
Ahh, sweet summer! The AP tests are vanquished, the finals are conquered, and the golden sun is shining on the wan complexion of every student who’s been locked inside studying for the last several weeks. With just a few easy-breezy days left in school, though, you might wonder what’s to do in town when school’s out. I offer my humble choices of the best ways to spend the coming lazy summer days in Santa Barbara.
Start your summer off right with the annual KJEE Summer Round-Up, which brings Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, Peter Bjorn and John, and Foster the People to the Santa Barbara County Bowl tonight, June 3. Tickets are still available (at around 40 bucks each) for this annual summer highlight—though one of the headliners, Lykke Li, has canceled, it’s still all good.
As the summer continues on, head out to Isla Vista for some straightedge rocking and other interesting musical genres at the Biko Garage. This add-on to an I.V. Housing Co-Op house hosts alcohol- and drug-free shows for all ages throughout the year. Both local and not-so-local bands play in the garage, and the well-attended shows are less expensive than downtown ones (sometimes they’re even by-donation). S.B. DIY, a group that organizes and puts out a community calendar with all the cool events in I.V. for all ages, keeps their Web site and Facebook page updated with all the upcoming events.
If you’re feeling the heat, head up the Seven Falls trail for some of the best hiking in Santa Barbara. The trail leads up Tunnel Road to a series of spectacular waterfalls, pools, and natural rock waterslides that are perfect for swimming. It’s a favorite for high schoolers, and gets busy on hot days, so expect that you won’t be the only one on the trail. Head up now to experience the water before the summer heat dries up the river!
And if all else fails, there’s always the beach. If the water and waves don’t do it for you, bringing along some quickly forgotten summer homework isn’t a bad idea. After all, three months can go by awfully fast when you’re living in paradise.
