Stearns Wharf

I’ve visited this wharf a half a dozen times over the years and have enjoyed it every time. Restaurants, shops and lots of photo opportunities. You’re able to drive ride onto the wharf to park.

So strange that a beautiful city like Santa Barbara has such a disappointing wharf! Unlike its counterparts in San Fran or Monterey, Stearns Wharf is really nothing but a parking lot for a few sit-​down restaurants. Unless you are aiming to dine in one of these restaurants, this wharf isn’t worth trekking to the end because the wharf has only a few shops and they are just tourist trap souvenir shops. Just go deep enough to see the Santa Barbara coast and move on.
Go to the harborside waterfront instead! It’s much cooler there and the food is more reasonably priced!

On a warm evening and you feel like having a little ice cream I can’t think of a better place to go for a walk since Stearns Wharf. I like to wait till the Sun Goes Down I walked to the end of the pier and a blog sitting at the people go to sit on at night and you sit there and enjoy the view and it looks like the point on earth where the Sun meets the sea in the sea meets the stars. There’s also many very fine restaurants ice cream parlor and a museum out on the wharf. So much for so many people to enjoy.

Come once to check it off your «wharf bucket list» with its small touristy-​from-​hell shops and a few overpriced average restaurants. Stearns Wharf is like the oldest wharf on the planet. Wooden planks from the start to the end, aligned with feces all-​along the railing (watch it when looking over).
It’s a must-​stroll if you are walking on the beach with your special someone, but it’s bound to leave you a bit empty. Move along to State Street.
Tip
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Wharf parking allows for 90 mins free (with validation from one of the shops). Parking is available with a block or so walk.

What a trip to drive out that far over the water. Super cool place to dine, take a stroll, buy some souvenirs and visit the marine center. It was a lovely day to be out over the water. The establishments houses at this location are lovely and we had great interactions at each place we stopped in at. Overall must recommend visiting if you’re in Santa Barbara.

Came from nearby Solvang for the most part of the day. Cruised along State St. and this is where it led us too… It is a wonderful place with restaurants and specialty shops and nice place to end the day by strolling and taking in the awesome view of the marina, we enjoyed taking pictures of the view… and free parking for 90 minutes. how great is that!

We were in Santa Barbara for a 3 day weekend and decided to visit Stearns Wharf for a morning walk.
The streets surrounding it was super busy, and it was hard to find street parking, but somehow we did anyway. Then we walked to the pier and found out that they actually had parking –90 minutes free, then $ 2.50 per hour after. Not bad.
The pier itself was cute, unfortunately there weren’t too many stores on there. Not as lively as other beach piers that I’ve been to. At the end of the pier, there were places where folks can fish. The weird thing is, there was no ledge which was a little scary. If I had kids with me, I would not let them go to the sides of the pier at all. There were a lot of homeless folks that were asking for change, but they were not intrusive.
The highlight though, I’d have to say was the art show along the streets outside of the wharf. Lots of vendors every Sunday with arts and crafts. Made our visit memorable.

Went to a graduation at SBCC then we ate here for lunch. It’s a nice little wharf, it was windy but we walked around a bit. Not a place to spend a whole day at, but it was a nice Santa Barbara site to visit, smell the ocean air, and take in the view. A few restaurants, gift shops, and ice cream store. There’s also a small aquarium which looked like a good educational place for kids. They setup a nice tall Christmas tree nearby which was unexpected and cool to take pictures with.

Pretty place to catch some ocean views if you’re visiting Santa Barbara, and walking distance to lots of shops and restaurants.

If you visit Santa Barbara, the Wharf needs to be on your list, you can walk to it from downtown area and enjoy the ocean and some nice breeze.
I read recently that it’s the oldest wharf in California. It has its charm and it makes me feel like I’m on vacation each time I visit the area, even for a day trip.
It has great nice ocean views, clean restrooms (renovated recently, so do dare going in), a little shack where you can take boat rides, some stores– souvenirs, ice-​cream, your typical touristy ones. And some seafood restaurants, over priced, not my style.
Great place to enjoy the ocean view, see the boats at the Harbor near by, the hills of Santa Barbara, beaches, nature, sea life.
Check it out!

Stopped by when we got to the beach and it was an awesome experience! This place has two restaurants, one upstairs and the other one downstairs. After looking over menus, upstairs seemed like a better fit and lunch ended up being delicious!

Wanting to experience what Santa Barbara had to offer, Unilocal and Trip Advisor sent us to Stearn’s Wharf. We had been to both San Fran and LA before this, both lively and so much to do, so it was kind of hard to get too excited about the wharf.
There is no doubt that this is a cute little place to spend some time. There are restaurants, some shops, and a beautiful view of the water. Some people were paddle boarding and fishing in the water. However, this place seems to boast mostly restaurants, not sure how many times you want to sit down and eat in a few hours. It’s relaxing and a nice place to pass the time, but nothing extraordinary or really too exciting. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit here again, but if I were in the area again, wouldn’t mind stopping by to pass the time.

Review 18
I try to visit Stearns Wharf every time I’m in Santa Barbara for its uniqueness. This is the only pier I’ve seen that has no railing at the end of the pier, the open feeling is amazing. You’ll typically find me at the end sitting on the edge taking pictures or just meditating :). The piers parking is free for the first 1.5hrs, the shops and restaurants validate parking in case you decide today longer to shop or eat. I’ve eaten at a few places but will save those details for individual reviews. The pier can get busy, watch for pedestrians and kids mostly when driving in or out; nobody seems to use the walk paths.
Plan B.

BEA-​U-​TIFUL!!!
Its better to come in the morning because they are selling fresh fish or crabs to the public, whoever wants to purchase it.
They also have a dew open before 9 not much though. Parking is limited not that much, and i believe they have a time limit.

Nice small pier with restaurants and a winery at the end,
It is a quick and easy walk. You can get great views of SB here.

My first visit just so happened to be on a Sunday when the weekly art show was happening! It was a
Lot of fun to see everyone out and about admiring the beautiful artwork by the local artists. Plenty of places to eat and a fun atmosphere.

I found this place a fun little place to walk in the middle of the night. It’s quiet and it’s well lit. Nice place for a midnight conversation. Great view overlooking the ocean and we even saw the moon rise up and out of the horizon. With it came even more light as it actually gave off notable rays. The skies over isla vista also seem to be much less polluted than major cities so we were able to stargaze somewhat.
I did come across a fairly weird situation in the bathroom however. There are two stalls in the men’s bathroom and in the first one you could see a pair of shoes lined side by side. In the second stall you can see a backpack and some clothes. In both stalls you could not see any feet or legs. Not 100% sure what was going on there nor did I particularly want to snoop around by knocking on the stalls or peering into then.

Having grown up in the Bay and San Diego, I really enjoy wharfs, piers, and boardwalks.
Stearn’s is by far the most underwhelming for the town of Santa Barbara, which hails many visitors. The most entertaining thing really is the games that the local bums set up along the sand to collect spare change.
Other than than, the water is beautiful, but that has little to do with this pier. It could be a lot better if there were better eateries and other attractions, such as Trish’s Mini Donuts at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Now that would be worth a visit.

Been here twice (once in summer 2010 and another time in this December 2014) and I still think Stearns Wharf is a pretty boring pier that comes with a great view.
Pretty good ocean view (especially during the sunset), but no exciting merchants (one ice cream shop and couple gift /​candy shops). Think of Stearns Wharf as a smaller and OLDER version of Santa Monica pier with less shops.
This shouldn’t be the only reason why you should come to Santa Barbara. A great example of tourist traps in Santa Barbara.
P. S. — Free 90 minutes parking with validation from merchant (s).

Everyone is familiar with Fisherman’s Wharf in San Fran but there is actually ANOTHER wharf in Cali which is the oldest working wharf to date: Stearns Wharf. Stearns Wharf opened the port of Santa Barbara to the outside world in the late 1800s and has since endured hurricanes, fires, vandalism, and ship crashes to continue to provide service and recreation to business, residents, and tourists. That alone merits a visit, right?!
Stearns Wharf is the epitome of how one envisions a wharf: wooden planks encrusted with seagull and pelican fecal matter, small tourist shops and restaurants, and people fishing on a sunny day. Boats dot the water and waves gently crash. Basically, it is a walking post card. You can’t miss Stearns Wharf and parking is available on the street (but expect a walk) or on the wharf itself which includes 90 min free (our visit included free valet which I think they do once parking begins to fill up). I definitely recommend to just use the wharf parking.
So what is there to do and see on Stearns Wharf? Walking around will bring you to small tourist shops featuring such items as jewelry, t-​shirts, key chains, and sea shells where you can buy all the Santa Barbara-​themed merch you can possibly want. Kiddos can visit an ice cream/​candy shop while parents can switch it up and visit a palm reader/​psychic. Many of the shops close at around 5pm though so plan ahead.
Stearns Wharf is also ideal for oceanic adventures such as boat rides for $ 12/​person (the last boat leaves the harbor right before 5pm), amazing views and photo opportunities, interactions with pelicans, and ample room for fishing. Once this has worked up your appetite, feast on seafood from the many eateries. Plus, if that isn’t enough, you can stroll on the actual beach or go to the harbor area which includes more shops, boats, and restaurants.
If you are hoping for a commercialized pier like the Santa Monica Pier with amusement park-​style rides and large chain establishments; than Stearns Wharf isn’t for you. Stearns Wharf is peaceful, beautiful, and has a neighborhood charm and takes you back to the dock days of the early 1900s shipping ports. Despite it lacking the big-​city feel, it is lovely for a family weekend stroll or a romantic date. Plus, its FREE! What is there to complain about?! So move aside Fisherman’s Wharf, your older brother is giving you some competition!