Eternal Summer in Santa Barbara, CA

A little while ago, Eve headed down south for a mid-week mini trip with her high school bestie K, and her boyfriend C. With C not being from the Golden State K and Eve decided that they should all take the drive south to Santa Barbara for some quintessential California weather, wine, and culture.

K is a fellow foodie and wine lover so planning this trip was a piece of cake: eat all the food, drink all the wine, and enjoy as much sunshine as possible. Check her out on Instagram: @cooking_with_koko

Eve and the crew headed out for the two-night getaway early on Monday morning to make the most of the trip. Here are some of our SB favorites:

xxx Ivy & Eve

Stay:

Hotel Milo- This beachfront boutique hotel is the PERFECT basecamp for all of your Santa Barbara adventures. They host a daily happy hour (featuring local wines), have an amazing daily breakfast, a fleet of cruiser bikes which are free to use! Eve stayed in their Deluxe King room with a sleeper sofa, which was perfect as our cousin J stayed with Eve for a night.

Eat:

Lucky Penny- Lucky Penny serves to-die-for pizzas, salads, and brownies (we would go as far as saying the best pizza in SB). You order at the counter and can take it to-go or do what we did - and sit out on their picnic patio and enjoy the warm Santa Barbara weather.
Lark- Owned by the same people as Lucky Penny and located just next door, Lark is the older, more sophisticated sister. The menu is broken down into three categories: From the Farm, From the Ocean, and From the Ranch. They serve only the freshest ingredients and have an impressive wine list. Great for a date or special occasion!
Sandbar- Sandbar is a great spot for casual cocktails and tasty (and affordable) Mexican fare. Their Happy Hour lasts from 3-7pm Sunday-Friday. We recommend any of their margaritas!
State & Fig- Hands down the best spot for lunch. State & Fig is located in one of the quiet outdoor arcades just off of State Street. Each item on the menu looked better than the last. We finally chose our dishes - and we were not disappointed. We recommend having a glass (or two) of bubbles and trying anything on their daily specials list; or go for the Fig Burger which ended up being the group favorite!
Sambos- A true Santa Barbara classic and has been in business since 1957. Our Mom used to go here on the weekends when she was in college and it is pretty much exactly the same! Their Eggs Benedict is amazing. K got the Crab Benedict which was a special and Eve got the California Benedict with tomato, avocado, and spinach. They also serve up the biggest mimosas we have ever seen! Sit on the patio to soak up the sunshine and people watch.
Backyard Bowl- This place creates the tastiest Acai bowls, smoothies, and hot breakfast bowls. We recommend Backyard Bowls for a quick, nutritious, and totally Instagram worthy breakfast!

Drink:

Joe's Cafe- Another true SB classic. Opened in 1928, Joe's serves classic steakhouse meals (order a French Dip if you're hungry) and some of the stiffest drinks in Santa Barbara. Order a drink and step back in time.
Funkzone wine tasting- Santa Barbara's Funkzone is home to 13 different wine tasting rooms. You can easily spend a whole day exploring the Funkzone but if you can only stop at one Tasting room, we wouldn't miss Kunin Wines (see below).
Kunin Wines- Our hands down favorite tasting room in Santa Barbara. Kunin is everything we like in a tasting room. We were greeted with a smiling and knowledgable host and chose from several tasting flights. We ended up having 2 red and 2 white flights so we could all share. Above the bar the sign reads "join the coolest wine club in town" (they know they're good but also don't take themselves too seriously). The atmosphere is fun and casual; like having a drink at a friend's house. We all left with several bottles (none lasted unopened very long).

Do:

Mission Santa Barbara- The top cultural attraction in Santa Barbara and nicknamed the "Queen of the Missions". Simply stunning.
Biking along the beach- We rented bikes (free at the hotel) for 2 hours and explored the coastline on the wonderful boardwalk trail.
SBMA- The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is the perfect place to spend hours exploring over 5,000 years of human creativity.
The Blue Door- A labyrinth of a shop spanning 3 floors filled with vintage and new items. We spent far too long in here for the boyfriend's liking.
State Street- State Street has everything and anything you would want in a day of serious shopping. You'll find a mix of high street and boutique shops. There is something for everyone!