Cheers to the State Street Loop Pilot Shuttle Program

Going up and down State Street just got a lot easier! The new State Street Loop pilot program has brought golf carts as a new way to trolley from place to place. It’s a six-month pilot program implemented by the City of Santa Barbara and the nonprofit Friends of State Street in mid-May, meant to offer free and accessible transportation along State Street. And what better way to try out the loop than to map out a quick wine tour on State?

One afternoon, some friends and I put the new system to the test, looking to try out four different wine stops along State Street by using the golf carts as a way to travel up and down the road. 

The program consists of a fleet of three golf carts, two of which seat five passengers and a third that is ADA-accessible and can seat a wheelchair and three other passengers. The golf carts run Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. and cycle through the 11 stops along State Street.

There is a whimsical map online, but the stops are also marked on the street with a painted red star in a blue dot on the street itself. It’s paired with a nearby sign that reads “State Street Loop,” so passengers can look out for stops along the way. Although it can be rather easy to miss the painted road, keep an eye out for when the golf carts come by as they come in a group. 

I mapped out our stops beforehand to make the travel much simpler. Here’s one route to try out.

I started at Grassini Family Vineyards, just across from Paseo Nuevo. Tucked into the courtyard along El Paseo, the homey tasting room is the perfect start with its cozy furniture and open windows. Grassini, which specializes in Bordeaux wines, offers a pleasant selection and various tasting flights. To start off our afternoon with something light, we tried a flight of rosés and whites.

The next stop was a walk around the corner, Longoria on State. Though the interior is more modern compared to the first stop, the environment was just as welcoming. Longoria’s selection offers bolder reds with fun names, including a flight with their popular Tangled Up in Red, a wine name that’s a play on Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue.” 
Next up was Barbieri & Kempe Wines in La Arcada Plaza. To get there, we tried the golf carts and identified the nearest stop, which just so happened to be near the entrance to Longoria. The stop is most easily spotted by the State Street Loop sign on the lamppost.

Since there isn’t a set schedule for the golf carts, you have to keep a lookout for when they might be arriving. Fortunately, I was lucky, as the wait for the trio of golf carts was just under 10 minutes. Some passengers stayed on the carts while others disembarked, more people got on, and the carts were quickly off. From Paseo Nuevo, we rode up one stop to the one between Figueroa and Anapamu. Just below La Arcada Plaza, we were a short walk away from Barbieri & Kempe Wines.

The shaded area of La Arcada Plaza served as the perfect environment for our next tasting. The three flights offered feature one collection of wines from the Barbieri label, another from Kempe, and one that features both. Each flight offered a pleasant selection of lighter and stronger wines that also paired well with one of their specialty cheeses we tried. 

For the last stop, we looked for the nearest stop going down State Street, which proved to be a bit challenging given the signage was hard to find. The map however, was helpful in finding the general area. Again, I was fortunate to not have to wait very long for the golf carts to loop around and we took them down a few stops to the stop by the Amtrak station, just before Yanonali Street.

From there, we walked down to the Funk Zone to finish off our wine tasting tour at the Margerum tasting room. Already buzzing with people, we tried a flight of wines that included Margerum specialties and favorites including the Margerum M5 Estate White Rhône-style blend. 

Concluding our wine tour near the pier, we took the opportunity to enjoy the late afternoon with a walk alongside the beach before taking the golf carts back up State Street. The convenience of the Loop saves the walk up and down State Street, especially if you’re planning to spend most of your day going around. But perhaps the biggest downside of the State Street Loop is that there is no schedule of when the carts might arrive/depart each stop. However, it remains a pilot program, and feedback is welcome via a survey passengers can take on the golf carts.

So, if you’ve been looking to try out the myriad of wine tasting rooms along State Street, consider using the new State Street Loop as a safe and reliable way to get from place to place. Even if not, the free system is convenient as it is and can save the time it gets from one of State Street to the other. 

For more information about the State Street Loop, visit friendsofstatestreet.org/loop.