A local's guide to Santa Barbara from September through May.

Photographers get one golden hour a day. Between September and May, Santa Barbara gets a season of them.

That's because our unusual stretch of California coast faces south, which is why the sun here doesn't drop out of the sky so much as slide down the length of the shoreline and settle into open water with the Channel Islands in view. By December, that magical hour is over before five. The practical effect is that golden hour and the first sip of the evening arrive together.

We call the stretch from September through May Golden Season. The light runs long. The beaches empty. The arts calendar bursts to life and restaurants get cozier. Our guide to Golden Season that follows isn't everything on offer—but it's where we'd start when a guest is asking for recommendations.

Nature Therapy

Visit the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden at 100. When it opened in 1926, it was the first garden in the country to commit entirely to California natives. Its 78 acres in Mission Canyon hold five and a half miles of trail, a redwood grove planted in 1930 and a meadow that gives way to an ocean view. Ask for the Centennial Route map at the gate. Sundays in October are free.

Watch migrating whales. The Santa Barbara Channel is one of two Whale Heritage Areas in the United States, a designation that has as much to do with how the boats behave as with what's in the water. More than 20,000 gray whales move through on the way to Baja between late fall and early spring, close enough in that a morning trip has you back at the harbor for lunch.

Saddle up on the sand. Los Padres Outfitters takes riders down through the coastal hills of Summerland and Carpinteria to an uncrowded beach—90 minutes of coastal cowgirl/cowboy bliss!

Embrace the Arts

Ensemble Theatre Company's 48th season, California: Here and Now, opens October 7-25 with Buyer & Cellar, Jonathan Tolins's comedy about the private mall in Barbra Streisand's basement, and carries on with RENT in December, 30 years on; the world premiere musical The Last Used Car Lot in America in February; and Mimi Rogers in Doubt: A Parable in April.

Camerata Pacifica opens October 11-15 with Rachmaninoff and Schubert. In Santa Barbara they play Hahn Hall, which seats an intimate few hundred and has incredible acoustics.

UCSB Arts & Lectures brings Circa's acrobatic Swan Lake, Duck Pond, on October 18; Doug Varone dancing to Glass and Radiohead on November 14; OCEAN in Concert with the Symphony on December 9; the Joffrey at The Granada February 27-28; and Camille A. Brown on April 15.

February belongs to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. From the 3rd to the 13th, 200-plus films and a rotating cast of Oscar contenders take over the Arlington, the Riviera and the new McHurley theater. 

A Seat at the Table

A pre-show dinner is an easy stroll from all ARTS District venues. Some of our favorite recommendations in the neighborhood include:

• Dom's Taverna for vibey atmosphere and coastal, Basque-influenced cuisine—close enough to The New Vic to linger over dessert. 
• Opal Restaurant & Bar for prime location right beside the Arlington Theatre; it becomes the film festival's unofficial living room every February. 
• bouchon for its sense of romance, impeccable hospitality and the impressive all-Santa Barbara County wine list. 
• The Daisy for bright, wholesome, farm-fresh fare and natural wines by the glass in a relaxed, seat-yourself dining room opening to State Street. 
• Santa Barbara Public Market when you feel like grazing or have different appetites to cater to.

Sip in Wine Country

Forty-five minutes inland, fall is the most active working season for the many wineries in the Santa Ynez, Santa Maria and Lompoc valleys—see bins stacked at the crush pad, stained hoses across the gravel and winemakers who've been up well before sunrise. 

For a scenic countryside drive and picturesque wine tasting experience outdoors, book a reservation at Demetria (Foxen Canyon, Los Olivos) or Dovecote (Alisos Canyon, Los Alamos). Pre or post, do lunch in Los Olivos or Los Alamos, and browse along the charming small-town streets. 

Head back to Santa Barbara on scenic San Marcos Pass while you still have daylight to spare to appreciate the golden hour views descending back into the city.

Alternatively, if you prefer to let someone else do the driving, book our Wine Lovers Package which includes a guided, all-inclusive private wine tour stopping at three wineries.

Experience Golden Season

Golden Season runs September through May. Stay 2 nights or longer and save 15% at the Santa Barbara Hotel Collection. This is your season to linger. Book this offer for a limited time.