El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
4
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
144 reviews
Excellent
52
Very good
55
Average
28
Poor
8
Terrible
1
retireeVancouver
Vancouver, Canada1,824 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Although I enjoyed many parts of the El Presidio like seeing how the Spanish built those onsite adobe buildings and looking at the painted interior decor of its historic church, the best part was reading the many information boards inside the rooms of the Northeast section on Santa Barbara Street, across the street from the church, about various aspects of life on this Spanish fort. These boards answered questions about the residents' furnishings and foods/kitchen, agriculture, religion, trade, transportation and storage, music, and clothing. Displayed, were some artifacts found on the site like plates, cutlery, buttons, beads to support the written information. I was amazed at the long "shopping list" of supplies that the Captain ordered for his colony. Written on an information board the width of the room (about 12 feet in width), the list of items was organized under headings like The Chapel, The Officers, The Pharmacy, Kitchen supplies. These items were to be shipped to the colony and arrived perhaps 5 months later. In the Visitors' Center where one payed the entrance fee ($4 for seniors), there were books to buy on that time period. I thumbed through a book about the Chumach Indians noting the photographs of their low domed homes. Other photos on the wall showed how the fort had changed over time. Most interesting to me was a map showing how the surveyors in the 1850's had applied a grid street system over the fort which cut up its parade ground into the sections seen today. WC are in one of the buildings inside the compound. We stayed 1 1/2 hours - a very worthwhile visit.
Written October 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina V
Sacramento, CA5 contributions
Jul 2021
Here at EL Presidio de Santa Barbara you can travel back into the 18th century and visit the Spanish fort. Parts of the historic building have been restored for which you can enter and learn about the history that took place on this location. You can read about anything from the Spanish Colonial days to the impact of WWII japanese residents. It takes about 20-30 minutes to walk through and it is across the street from some delicious coffee shops. With only a $5 admission fee its a good place to stop by in Santa Barbara and learn about some Santa Barbara history.
Written September 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ItchyFeet
Camarillo, CA11,838 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
A great place to see history of California and the town of Santa Barbara. The 1st home in CA was in this Presidio. Great place to walk around, soak up culture and history and then Est across the street at a local Mexican restaurant.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oliver S
New York City, NY11,472 contributions
Nov 2022
To begin with, there is no parking. Then, there is not much of anything else, either. They have the real estate and in real estate, it’s all location location, location, right?! But, really, don’t go out of the way to visit, it’s only a location. Don’t even waste your time walking around, just see the movie, that’s enough. They want to catch monkeys with popcorn, i.e. there is nothing there but some muddy walls & foundations, the signage is minimal, nobody around to talk to or ask questions, exhibits at an absolute minimum. Admission is nominal, but even that is not worth it.
Written December 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John E
Phoenix, AZ445 contributions
Sep 2020
always enjoy exploring historical sites, especially the older ones knowing all those who have walked it thru the ages. Things are pretty well marked, but some not open due to virus when I was there. Second oldest bldg I believe still standing in Cali there. Food and drink options in the same area were fun as well.
Written September 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bazi43
Oakland, CA222 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
There's so much history here, and it's unfortunate that so many people pass it by.
This is one of the historic landmarks of early California history under the Spanish rule, and much of it is original (not rebuilt). They have a small vineyard and garden on-site, and they are making the place as much as possible like it was hundreds of years ago.
The museum is filled with interesting bits of local history - even including articles dug up in recent excavations. One cool thing is that the original walls are marked out in the local streets, so you can see the actual extent of the place from which much of California was ruled for a time.
One reason that the Presidio is overlooked is that the word itself in Spanish means "prison," so many Spanish speakers avoid it because - well, who wants to visit a prison?
Another reason that more folks don't just drop in on their way to or from Nordstrom (just cater-corner across the street) is the decision to keep the front of the building in its "original condition."
And lots of folks think that this is just a wrongheaded plan - I mean, there is this big empty lot in front with *nothing* growing in it - "original condition" in this case means before there were sprinkler, back when the place was still half-desert, orangey soil just not looking too inviting.
They really need some box hedges and a nice front lawn, so that even more people will decide to be married there (they already host almost a hundred weddings a year there). They could have a big photo of what the joint looked like in the 1500's - set in a frame with an explanation ab out irrigation techniques or ;some historical notes. As lacking in historicity as box hedges & grass would be, it would be an enticement to more photographers to snap shutters there and would lead to great use by locals and visitors alike.
But don't be fooled by signs nor appearances - the place is a cool little wonder of great historical value. They even have on sale small bottles of olive oil from their own local grove, pressed locally and beating anything on the market shelves. And there is word that they will soon sell bottle of local wine, produced from grapes grown in a Presidio-owned vineyard not far from the museum itself.
It's all there - open daily and only a few bucks to wander around and take in the sights... what it was like in Santa Barbara 435 years ago.
This is one of the historic landmarks of early California history under the Spanish rule, and much of it is original (not rebuilt). They have a small vineyard and garden on-site, and they are making the place as much as possible like it was hundreds of years ago.
The museum is filled with interesting bits of local history - even including articles dug up in recent excavations. One cool thing is that the original walls are marked out in the local streets, so you can see the actual extent of the place from which much of California was ruled for a time.
One reason that the Presidio is overlooked is that the word itself in Spanish means "prison," so many Spanish speakers avoid it because - well, who wants to visit a prison?
Another reason that more folks don't just drop in on their way to or from Nordstrom (just cater-corner across the street) is the decision to keep the front of the building in its "original condition."
And lots of folks think that this is just a wrongheaded plan - I mean, there is this big empty lot in front with *nothing* growing in it - "original condition" in this case means before there were sprinkler, back when the place was still half-desert, orangey soil just not looking too inviting.
They really need some box hedges and a nice front lawn, so that even more people will decide to be married there (they already host almost a hundred weddings a year there). They could have a big photo of what the joint looked like in the 1500's - set in a frame with an explanation ab out irrigation techniques or ;some historical notes. As lacking in historicity as box hedges & grass would be, it would be an enticement to more photographers to snap shutters there and would lead to great use by locals and visitors alike.
But don't be fooled by signs nor appearances - the place is a cool little wonder of great historical value. They even have on sale small bottles of olive oil from their own local grove, pressed locally and beating anything on the market shelves. And there is word that they will soon sell bottle of local wine, produced from grapes grown in a Presidio-owned vineyard not far from the museum itself.
It's all there - open daily and only a few bucks to wander around and take in the sights... what it was like in Santa Barbara 435 years ago.
Written August 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CaliforniaLen
California162 contributions
Sep 2019
We were glad we took the informative self-guided tour and learned about the presidios that provided the military support for the missions in early California. Very easily reached from State Street that runs through the center of town.
Written September 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kenneth L
Los Angeles, CA398 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
Several years ago I visited the Presidio and helped make adobe bricks. Today I came back to see the wall that the bricks went into. We bought a membership and we began our tour. Almost half of the Presidio have been reconstructed with city streets piercing the walls in two places. Restoring the outer defense wall is the current project and many more adobe bricks will be required.
We followed the tour path through the various buildings and areas, across the streets several times and got a feeling of what Presidio life was like two hundred years ago.
We followed the tour path through the various buildings and areas, across the streets several times and got a feeling of what Presidio life was like two hundred years ago.
Written August 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
July1955
California63 contributions
Jul 2013 • Friends
If you have any interest in history this is a required stop. It's right in the city, and won't take more than a couple of hours. Most of the standing Presidio is restored, not original, but the feel is authentic. Go into the Gift Shop to pay the $5 and get a pamphlet to guide you around if you want to get the most out of it. Right outside the gift shop there's a notice that the tour starts there and payment is in the shop, but the way the place is split up, I'm sure people wander in and out of a few areas without realizing it's all connected and accessible through the far end. There is 75 minute parking on the street, but the woman in the gift shop was nice enough to let us know that it is STRICTLY enforced. She gave us a map showing the parking lots and after an hour we moved our car to a lot. The first 75 minutes is free in the lot, and it's something like $1.50 per hour after that. Between parking on the street and then moving to the lot we didn't have to pay for parking.
Written July 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Griselda CT
Los Angeles, CA109 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
Another place for history lovers. Got to see how the spanish army lived upon settling at this spot. Small quarters for soldier and the family, with a small garden. My favorite part of the whole area is the kitchen. A lot of spanish, native, and mexican artifacts.
Written May 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How long should I allow for tour?
Written April 30, 2016
My wife and I came late in the afternoon, but were able to see everything in 30 to 35 minutes. We did not spend too much time reading the display information, but still enjoyed the experience.
Written May 9, 2016
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