California Vacation Guide 2015 - 52

LUXURY

Sunstone Winery

Wine-tasting
road trip

FROM LEFT Stearns Wharf; Santa Barbara
Farmers' Market

Kids say
"thank
you" to
farmers
offering
samples
of juicy
peaches,
and guitarstrumming
folk singers
gather
clusters of
listeners.

FARMERS' MARKETS AND FOOD HALLS

n Tuesday afternoons, State Street morphs into one of
the most appealing farmers' markets anywhere. Whitejacketed chefs snap up thick bunches of fresh herbs to
use that night on just-caught local sea bass or black cod. Kids
say "thank you" to farmers offering samples of juicy peaches, and
guitar-strumming folk singers gather clusters of listeners.
Miss market day? There are six more farmers' markets in the
area every week, year-round. And there's the nonstop-delicious
Santa Barbara Public Market around the corner, on W. Victoria
Street. Inside this temple to regionally sourced, sustainably made
food and wine, sample international cheeses at Counter Culture,
miniature cupcakes filled with ollalieberry-lemon mousse at Enjoy
Cupcakes, and a crusty rosemary olive loaf at Crazy Good Bread Co.
AN URBAN WINE SCENE

few blocks east, tucked between U.S. 101 and East Beach,
a narrow band of warehouses has become an enclave of urban wine-tasting rooms, artists' studios, surfboard-makers,
and bohemian-cool restaurants like The Lark.

Start your sampling at AVA Santa
Barbara with its dozen or so house wines,
each made with grapes from a different
corner of Santa Barbara County. Continue
to sip your way east toward the beach,
finishing with a delicious pale pink rosé
from Municipal Winemakers, then stroll
a block to the sand to dabble your toes
in the surf. End in true California style,
watching the sunset from the tip of Stearns
Wharf, a wooden gem dating back to
1872. From here, it's just you, the swirling
gulls, the barking sea lions, and the twinkling lights of town against the soaring
coastal mountains. -HARRIOT MANLEY

5 MORE SPOIL-YOURSELF DESTINATIONS
NORTH COAST

NAPA VALLEY

SACRAMENTO

BIG SUR

PALM SPRINGS

The region is known
for its luxurious
Victorian-era hotels
and B&Bs, like
MacCallum House
in Mendocino or Eureka's Carter House
Inns. northcoast
ca.com

Revel in wine
country at awardwinning retreats
like St. Helena's
Meadowood Resort,
Yountville's Bardessono, or Mediterranean-style Auberge
de Soleil in Rutherford. visitnapa
valley.com

With eye-popping
views of the cupolatopped State Capitol, Citizen Hotel,
a 1920s midtown
landmark, makes
a classy urban
retreat. visit
sacramento.com

This romantic coast
boasts some of
the state's premier
lodgings, including ultra-romantic
Post Ranch Inn and
high-on-the-bluffs
Ventana Inn & Spa.
bigsurcalifornia.org

The hot trend here is
swanky do-overs of
existing hotels, like
the splashy Hard Rock
and Saguaro hotels.
A subtler remake:
Sparrows Lodge, a
rustic-chic desert gem
in the heart of town.
visitpalmsprings.com

52 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

LAURA FLIPPEN (3); KODIAK GREENWOOD

The Santa Ynez Valley, just north
of Santa Barbara, is one of the
most diverse grape-growing
regions in the county. Near the
Paciﬁc, fog and cool air rolls in at
dusk, ideal for Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir grapes. Thirty miles inland at Happy Canyon, it's sunny
and hot-perfect for Bordeaux varieties like Cab Franc and Merlot.
ONE TO TRY Sunstone Winery
(Santa Ynez; sunstonewinery.com):
cool wine caves, sustainably
grown grapes, and a spectacular
limestone chateau available for
overnight stays. MORE INFO
visitsyv.com

http://www.sunstonewinery.com http://www.visitsyv.com http://www.visitsacramento.com http://www.northcoastca.com http://www.northcoastca.com http://www.visitsacramento.com http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org http://www.visitnapavalley.com http://www.visitpalmsprings.com http://www.visitnapavalley.com http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Vacation Guide 2015