Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG)

While plant life takes center stage at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, there are also plenty of other attractions on the property, including an aqueduct dating to 1807 and an authentic Japanese teahouse. The site also features around 5.5 miles of hiking trails offering views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, and the historic Mission Dam or escape into the calm serenity of the Redwood Grove.

• The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a must-visit for anyone interested in local plant life.

• Families with kids will find plenty of room to run around here, plus regular events and activities for kids.

• Parts of the gardens are wheelchair-accessible, and there's an accessible restroom behind the entrance kiosk.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is situated in the beautiful hills above Santa Barbara's Mission Canyon, about a 10-minute drive north (and largely uphill) from downtown Santa Barbara. Visitors will need to either rent a car (or hire an expensive taxi) to get here or join an organized tour, as it’s not easy to reach the garden via public transportation.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is open daily from 9am to 5pm November through February and until 6pm March through October. Free tours are held on weekends at 11am and on weekends and Mondays at 2pm. It's a year-round attraction, though cooler winter temperatures are more ideal for those wanting to hike the trails here; summer visitors may want to come earlier in the day to avoid high temperatures.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden features an unusually large number of events, from botany-focused field trips and lectures to art classes. Other activities here include monthly bird walks and yoga classes, garden-design workshops, and herbal medicine classes that focus on using native California plants to create tinctures and remedies.