Three Dozen Family-Friendly Spring Break Activities Right Here In Town

Headed nowhere for spring break this year? Us, too. Many of my kids’ friends are bound for the mountains or the desert, flying over to Maui or down to Cabo, or jetting off someplace even farther away. We’re sticking close to home this year, and I’m just fine with it. I love the experiences and life lessons that travel offers my kids, but staying put has a lot to offer, too — especially when you call Santa Barbara home.

If you’re looking for things to do in Santa Barbara this spring break, check out some of these ideas for family fun closer to home:

Create Your Own “Best Of Santa Barbara” Week

Two summers ago my husband and kids — then ages nine, twelve, and fourteen — set out to find the best french fries in town. Each week on “FRY-day” they’d seek out a different order of fries from a local restaurant and compare seasoning, crispiness, and overall quality. They never could agree on a winner, but the fun was in the quest!

Depending on the ages and interests of your kids — and your budget — here are some ideas for creating your own “Best Of” week:

• fastest playground slide
• best ice cream
• cutest Little Free Library
• favorite beach
• most colorful house
• yummiest lemonade (or hot chocolate, depending on how springlike our weather is)

Try Something New

Who says travel is the only way to seek out new experiences? When I spy some downtime in the family calendar, I like to find at least one activity we’ve never tried before. 

What’s new for your family might be old-hat for another, but here’s a jumping off point for bringing novelty into your spring break plans: 

• sample a flying trapeze class
• learn to make soap
• go bowling
• create art from scrap
• feed ostriches and emus
• fly a kite
• read to a dog

Be A Tourist

A few years ago I moved back to Santa Barbara after more than two decades away, so I consider myself both a native and a newbie. I love rediscovering the city I grew up in — only now as an adult with my own kids — sometimes in the most touristy (and obvious!) of ways.

If you’ve never played tourist in your own hometown, here are some ideas:

• take a free self-guided tour of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse (including climbing the clock tour for incredible views!)
• hop on a trolley or the Land Shark
• sign up for a free walking tour (while not specifically geared toward kids, I think these tours are great for upper elementary students through teens — and may even match up with some of their social studies learning!)
• use a self-guided scavenger hunt to discover SB in a whole new way

Master A New Skill

I often use school vacations as a chance to make sure my kids are continuing to flex their independence and acquire life skills that aren’t taught in the classroom. So while these next few ideas won’t earn me any “fun mom” points, I think a week off is a great opportunity to teach kids new skills they can practice right here in town.

Depending on the ages of your kids, they might be ready to:

• practice making a purchase and interacting with vendors at the Farmers Market
• visit the library and chat with a librarian to get book recommendations 
• brush up on bike safety (and learn to change a flat!)
• memorize caregivers’ phone numbers, and make a plan for what to do if they get lost
• pump gas, change wiper fluid, and check oil (we have a new driver in our family, so these are high on my list!)
• read a bus map and schedule and take a simple ride on an MTD line
• change batteries, replace lightbulbs, and do minor home repairs

Get Outside

I’m embarrassed to admit how many weeks can go by in the busyness of life with three kids before it occurs to us to hit the beach or the trails. Spring break creates a natural pause in our regular schedules that also typically lines up with a break from winter rains.

If you do nothing else with your Santa Barbara Spring Break (“SBSB”!), I hope you spend some of it outdoors with activities like: 

• low tide beach walks (check tide schedules here)
• whale watching
• harbor kayaking
• a walk or bike ride around the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge
• a picnic at the Mission Rose Garden
• seal spotting at the Carpinteria rookery

Become A Member

We’re fortunate to have so many local membership options when it comes to family fun, and if you’re like me, it’s easy to get excited about these and then either let them lapse or get busy and forget to use them.

If you’re already a member of one of the suggestions below, dust off your member card and be sure to take advantage of perks like early entry, food discounts, and special events. And if you’re in the market for a new membership, spring is a great time to join; you’ll likely get your money’s worth with just a couple of visits AND members often get a discount on summer camps.

• Santa Barbara Zoo
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
• MOXI 
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (which includes both the Museum and the Sea Center)
• Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Wherever Spring Break 2024 takes you, keep these ideas in mind for exploring all the family-friendly activities Santa Barbara has to offer. And if you’re sticking close to home this year, I’ll see you around town!

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Sarah Powers is a writer, podcaster, and co-author of The Mother’s Gratitude Journal: An Easy Guide to Capturing Everyday Joys and Milestone Moments. As co-creator of the chart-topping parenting podcast, The Mom Hour, Sarah has produced more than 1,000 hours of audio content for parents. She was raised in Santa Barbara but lived elsewhere for more than two decades before finding her way back home in 2020. She’s a fan of public libraries, attending live theater, quirky old houses, photography, and travel planning at home in her pajamas. Sarah and her husband have three kids, two cats, one dog, and a very spoiled guinea pig.