Stearns Wharf is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Santa Barbara, California. The wharf dates all the way back to the year 1872, but it’s just as relevant in 2019 as it was all those years ago. People come here to eat, drink wine, shop for souvenirs, fish, people watch and experience the views.

Fans of the wharf say it’s a TON of fun and a must-see attraction. Critics say it’s outdated, underwhelming and a tourist trap. My opinion? I’d recommend finding somewhere better to eat (more on that below), but otherwise I think the wharf is a fun place and well worth the visit. Check out some of the things you can see and do if you decide to visit Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara:

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History maintains an educational facility on Stearn’s Wharf. While the museum itself is on Puesta del Sol, close to the Santa Barbara Mission, the Sea Center is located in a separate facility which is right on Stearns Wharf. It used to be called the Ty Warner Sea Center, and it has re-branded as “The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center”. It is open to the public.

The center is kid-friendly and offers interactive exhibitions that are designed to be interesting for people of all ages.

People Watching on Stearns Wharf

Stearns wharf can get busy and rowdy on weekends and holidays — so if you love people watching, it’s an ideal spot to go for that. But if you hate crowds, you’ll probably want to steer clear on the busy days of the peak season.

Restaurants on Stearns Wharf

There are restaurants on Stearns Wharf, but I wouldn’t recommend any of them. Why not? Bunches of reasons — but for us, the biggest deal breaker is that none of them are serving organic food.

My husband Mike and I eat an organic diet to avoid consuming pesticides, artificial preservatives and unhealthy ingredients to the best of our ability. The food you’ll find at the wharf is your standard fried-in-unhealthy-oil, preservative-laden, pesticide-filled fare. If you eat that way, you’re likely to find options that work for you, but I encourage you to do better.

Santa Barbara is an absolute paradise for finding healthy food (although not necessarily at the local restaurants). Out of all the places we’ve been, Santa Barbara tops our list of THE BEST places on earth to find good organics. Please, instead of eating at the wharf, do yourself a favor — stop at the farmer’s market or one of the zillions of specialty stores to grab your meals. Seriously, you deserve the best! It’s really too bad the best cannot be easily found at the restaurants on Stearns Wharf…

From diners who don’t care about health food, one of the most frequent complaints about Stearns Wharf restaurants is that the food is overpriced. So, there’s that, too.

Fool’s Anchorage

Santa Barbara, California is one of the most beautiful cities on earth — but, like every city, it has its flaws. In this picture, you can see one of the biggest problems lurking in the otherwise spectacular city of Santa Barbara. It’s called “Fool’s Anchorage”.

See all those boats in the waters beyond Stearns Wharf? That’s Fool’s Anchorage.

In this picture, the anchorage looks innocent enough. In fact, you can see the anchorage from the restaurants on the wharf, and even from there you might look at it and not see the problems with it…

I wrote about Fool’s Anchorage in my Santa Barbara Harbor travel guide — so rather than derail this page with more info about it, I’ll refer you to that page if you want more info about all the problems with Fool’s Anchorage.

How to Get to Stearns Wharf

Roughly where State Street ends at the ocean, Stearns Wharf begins. Cabrillo Blvd. is the cross street. The wharf is located on the Santa Barbara waterfront; it’s close to the Santa Barbara Harbor, which is clearly visible from the wharf. See this page for precise driving directions to Stearns Wharf.

Where to Park

If you’re driving to Stearns Wharf, you can drive right onto the wharf and park in the parking lot there. Do be cautious when walking on the pier, as pedestrians and cars share the space.

Water Taxi Rides to and From Stearns Wharf

If you’d like to take a brief tour of the Santa Barbara waterfront area, the Lil Toot water taxi might be of interest to you. You can catch the water taxi right on Stearn’s Wharf; from there, you’ll be taken to the Santa Barbara Harbor. The water taxi also makes trips starting from the harbor, so you can get to the Wharf from the harbor on Lil Toot if you prefer that.

So there you have it — in a nutshell, that’s what you can see and do at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. Overall, I think the wharf is well worth the visit if you’re in the area.

Related Resources:

• Santa Barbara Harbor
• Oxnard, California
• Long Beach, California
• My Main Page of Travel Guides for Traveling around California, the USA and the World

References and External Links:

• Bud Bottoms’ Website and Resume
• The City of Santa Barbara Website

This page was last updated on 4-22-2019.