Carpinteria – Hidden Gem on Central California Coast
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Where and what is Carpinteria?
Carpinteria is on the Central Coast of California, about 11 miles south of Santa Barbara and 85 miles north of Los Angeles.
Carpinteria is a small city (2020 pop. 13,000). It’s known as having the “World’s Safest Beach”.
How are Santa Barbara and Carpinteria different?
Santa Barbara (aka the French Riviera of the US) is very beautiful, with temperate weather, south-facing beaches, Mediterranean-style architecture, and several Universities/Colleges. Santa Barbara’s 202o population was 86,000.
Carpinteria shares Santa Barbara’s gorgeous weather and beach attributes. However, it is a much smaller city than Santa Barbara, with a 2020 population of 13,000. Carpinteria has a more “average”, small-town American vibe.
Who might like Carpinteria more than Santa Barbara?
People looking for a quiet, low-key, more affordable vacation spot might prefer Carpinteria.
Santa Barbara would be better for college-aged folks and/or people looking to party. Also, those looking for high-end hotels and restaurants will have better luck in Santa Barbara.
Where should I stay in Carpinteria?
One of the charms and problems with Carpinteria is that it does not have any beachfront hotels. This gives the beach a more secluded feel. Carpinteria has a recent city ordinance banning short-term rentals in most zones. That means you need to stay one month or longer for rentals near the beach.
I stayed a month in the wonderful Carpinteria Beach Cottages, and recommend it highly! Read my honest impressions of my stay and check out a video tour of my Cottage here.
If you are looking for a shorter term, there are several hotels, mostly near the 101 freeway, each about 1/2 mile from the beach.
What is there to do in Carpinteria?
Carpinteria State Beach
Carpinteria has a gorgeous, deep, and wide beach with lovely fine sand. If you go all the way to the right side of the beach you can bring your leashed dog. Happy days!
Carpinteria calls itself the World’s Safest Beach. Here is the story on that:
Matthew Roberts, Carpinteria’s Parks and Rec director: “The Carpinteria beach faces south and in fact if you go right off our beach and you don’t hit Santa Cruz island, the next thing you’ll hit is Antarctica. So we really do face south and that protects us from typical Pacific Northwest storm swells that come in. That south swell allows our beaches to build up with softer sand, and with a nice gradual slope offshore, making it predictable when you wade into the water. It also helps change the dynamics of currents and riptides that you’ve heard about that are more dangerous in other locations.”






Ganna Walska Lotus Land
Sycamore Canyon Road and Cold Spring Road, Montecito
Go Here! This amazing private garden is located in Montecito (the current hometown of Oprah, Prince Harry and Meghan), which is about a 15-minute drive from Carpinteria. I don’t know much about plants, but I was truly floored by the crazy variety of plants on display. Many times I felt like I was on another planet!
The Gardens are divided into several different sections including Japanese, Water, Aloe, Fern, Cactus, Blue, Orchid, Shade Fern, Tropical, Topiary, and Cycad.
Lotusland is open only from mid-February to mid-November each year, and it sells out quickly. Tickets are pricey at $60 per adult, but I think worth it for this stunning experience! My pictures don’t begin to do it justice.












Seastrand Apparel & Gifts
919 Linden Avenue, Carpinteria
This charming boutique features women’s clothing, jewelry, baby clothes, candles, and home decor.


The Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center
865 Linden Ave, Carpinteria
This center, right on Linden Ave, has a fun little art gallery to browse. They also have live music some nights in their courtyard.
I wish I’d realized before I visited for a month, they offer lots of fun classes/workshops you can sign up for. Take a look at their schedule before you go. I wish my home community had these sorts of offerings, like Wreath making, a Bungalow Walking Tour, and Watercolor classes.



Local Newspaper – Coastal View
Be sure to pick up the free local newspaper called “Coastal View.” It will give you info about events going on that week/month, and it’s also just a charming small-town newspaper. I really enjoyed reading it each week during my stay. One of the most fun parts is a section called “Halos & Pitchforks”, where readers can give a “halo” to someone for something good they did or a “pitchfork” for something bad!

Homestead Antiques & Trading
943 Linden Ave, Carpinteria
This is a beautifully curated antique store. Lots of fun to browse for new treasures.



Laughing Buddha Thrift
771 Linden Ave, Carpinteria
This is a really cool place I almost skipped. From the front it kind of looks like a messy garage sale! But once you go into the building, you’ll find room after room full of well-curated random treasures! Well worth taking a look.



Carpinteria Seal Sanctuary
This section of the beach is a protected habitat for harbor seals to give birth between December and May. I went in November and there were no seals to be found, but I did see the pretty little “Townsend’s warbler” while there.



The Alcazar Theater
4916 Carpinteria Ave, Carpinteria
The Alcazar is a charming community theater that features stage performances and also movies. When I was there a Rod Stewart/Rolling Stones Tribute band performing. That’s not something I’d generally seek out, but it ended up being so much fun and really impressive!
You could really feel the community vibe here with so many attendees greeting each other and yucking it up. It felt so friendly and welcoming! Be sure to check out what’s playing when you plan your visit.
Note of caution: bring your earplugs if you have sensitive ears!




Carpinteria Farmers Market
800 Block of Linden Ave
This is a nice farmers market about a block long with produce, flowers, jewelry and art. It’s held every Thursday from 2:30-5:30PM.



Eat
Check out this post for recommendations on Carpinteria’s Best Restaurants!
Please let me know in the comments if you have any recommendations for other fun Carpinteria ideas!