My Town Monday: Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara

San Diego sunset (because I'm back home and it's an evening post) :)

I should really rename this post My Town Monday EVENING EDITION!

It was a busy weekend. I was in Santa Barbara from Thursday to Sunday with Child #3 for a water polo tournament. Very fun times. Child #3 played well. The weather was great. I shared a hotel room with another mother and her son. They dynamics among the four of us were perfect. However...the traffic back down to San Diego last night was HORRENDOUS! And, I already had plans for today.

Hence, the very late (fashionably late?) My Town Monday post. ;)

So...Santa Barbara....There are many, many things to do in this town of about 100,000 (including outlying areas such as Goleta and Carpenteria). From The Santa Barbara Natural History Museum to Chumash Painted Cave State Park to University of California, Santa Barbara to the Summer Solstice Parade to....and the list goes on. There is A LOT to do in Santa Barbara and its environs.

For this evening's post, we're going to stroll along Stearns Wharf. This wharf is visited by FIVE MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR! We won't be lonely. And many pelicans (who love to hang out at the end of the wharf)!

We'll start our walk at the three dolphin entrance.

Some facts and a little history:
-Stearns Wharf was built in 1872 to handle both passenger and freight shipping.
-It's mostly built of creosote, a chemical that helps protects it from sea water damage
-The Wharf has dealt with a fair number of natural disasters such as earthquakes, wars and fires.
-It was named after its builder, John Peck Stearns.
-It's the oldest operating wharf on this coast.



Some things we can do on the Wharf:
-learn about the future from psychic Madam Rosinka
-stop for a bite to eat at one of several restaurants, such as at Longboards Grill or Moby Dick's
-shop at Mother Stearns Candy Company!! I love candy!!
-visit the Coastal Winery
-buy souvenirs for our friends back home from Coastal Treasures
-pop into the Stearns Wharf Bait and Tackle to get outfitted for some fishing
-squeeze in another visit to Mother Stearns Candy Company

We really would have fun, wouldn't we?

Here's a link for a virtual tour of Stearns Wharf

Please pop over to Travis Erwin's blog. He's our Fearless Leader for My Town Mondays. Along with his own MTM post, he'll have a list of participants.


Sources:
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Visitor/Things/Waterfront/Stearns_Wharf.htm
http://www.santabarbara.com/points_of_interest/the_waterfront/stearnswharf/