Best Gardens Santa Barbara – Things to Do in Santa Barbara
With epic weather and a deep passion for beauty, Santa Barbara has some of the best gardens you can explore and tour.
In this post we look at a few we are confident you will enjoy. Some are public gardens and some are private. Let’s go explore some of the best and most beautiful gardens in Santa Barbara
Lotusland
Named one of the 10 best gardens in the world, Lotusland is a thriving 37-acre estate tucked away in the hills of Montecito. More on topic, it is home to thousands of exotic plant species.
This epic garden once belonged to Madame Ganna Walska, an opera singer, who, encouraged by her 6th husband, purchased the property in 1941. Madame Walska originally intended to use the estate as a retreat for Tibetan monks, coining it "Tibetland."
When no monks arrived, she changed the name to "Lotusland" and devoted the remainder of her life to transforming it into a stunning botanical safe haven. Soon, it became revered as one of the world's great gardens.
To witness the magnificent natural life that thrives in SB's temperate climate and become immersed in a world of Mother Nature's finest creations, there is perhaps no better place to visit.
While Lotusland is a public garden, it operates in a private residential neighborhood. Thus, prior reservations are required for visitors wishing to walk the grounds and witness the exquisite plant life.
Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens
A true model of what a botanic garden can be, Santa Barbara's Botanic Garden is one of only 57 gardens accredited by the American Alliance of Museums as a living museum.
This vast, 73-acre garden is a walkable collection of flora and plant life. The gardens are dedicated to the research, education, and conservation of California's great native plant species.
In 1925, the Carnegie Institution approached the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History to create what it envisioned as a botanical garden in the area. In 1939, the Botanic Garden was incorporated as its own separate organization.
Open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm, the SB Botanic Gardens are free for members, $16 entry for adults, and $8 for kids. To guarantee entry, especially on higher-trafficked weekend days, book your reservation in advance on the website.
Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden
Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden features a large botanical collection of 75 different tree and plant species included in the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden Self-Guided Tree & Plant Tour; koi pond; sensory garden with audio posts and interpretive Braille signs; low water-use demonstration garden, walking paths, picnic areas; and gazebo.
The newest garden within the park is the sensory garden area where visually and physically impaired visitors can enjoy the variety of scents and sounds as well as the interesting textural variation of the foliage of many plants installed here. A butterfly garden has been installed and includes host plants for butterflies and moths.
Casa del Herrero
When visitors come to Casa del Herrero, or the “House of the Blacksmith,” they are transported back to Montecito in the 1920s and 1930s – the heyday of the original owner George Fox Steedman. Designed by George Washington Smith, the Casa is one of the finest examples of Spanish revival architecture in America. It is included on the National Register of Historic Places, and maintains National Historic Landmark status in part due to its eclectic mix of Country Place Era and Moorish-inspired gardens created by Ralph Stevens, Lockwood de Forest, and Francis T. Underhill.
Today, the 11-acre estate functions as a nonprofit organization with the goal of preserving the house and grounds, as well as the Steedman family’s collection of fifteenth and sixteenth-century fine and decorative art objects from the “Golden Age” of Spain, books, sketchbooks, drawings, and horticultural records. Casa del Herrero is preserved and stewarded for the benefit of the community, and can be visited by booking a tour.
Tours are offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and reservations are required. Admission costs $25 per person, and is non-refundable. Tours are provided for adults and children ages 10 and above. Payment is due at the time of reservation.
Joe Parker, Garrett McCaw, Avi Becker
The Santa Barbara Group at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties
3868 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 886-5735
https://TheSantaBarbaraGroup.com
Cal BRE #01314939
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