Recently, I set out to visit all of the California missions on one long road trip. It was an amazing experience that gave me a great appreciation for California’s preservation of these relics of our past. They are some of the oldest buildings in the United States as they date back to when Spain controlled […]
Santa Barbara County
Mission Santa Inés: Exploring Solvang’s Mission
Mission Santa Ines was the 19th of the 21 California missions to be created, and it resides in the small Danish town of Solvang only a few miles off Highway 101. The mission was founded by Father Estévan Tapís in 1804, and it is most famous for being the start of one of the largest […]
Mission Santa Barbara: The Queen of the California Missions
Mission Santa Barbara is second only to San Juan Capistrano in beauty and popularity for the California Missions. It was the tenth mission established by the Spanish Franciscans and it was planned to be established by Father Serra but he passed away before he was able to. Father Lasuen ended up founding it in 1786. […]
Cold Spring Tavern in the Mountains Above Santa Barbara
Cold Spring Tavern is one of those historic and beautiful places that has an amazing atmosphere, great food and a fantastic location to add to it. From the moment you walk into the quiet little log cabin and see the fire roaring you will wish you had more time just to sit and listen to […]
Chumash Painted Cave State Park in Santa Barbara
Chumash Painted Cave State Park in the mountains that overlook Santa Barbara is a cool stop that will literally take you 15 minutes to see. It probably takes longer to drive up the hill from Santa Barbara then it does to see the state park. That being said, it was great to see how well-preserved the […]