5 STARS: "Where The Locals Go!" Nature-History Tour

Santa Barbara, USA

2 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Likely to Sell Out

High Ropes Adventure Course near Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

5.0

(162)

High Ropes Adventure Course near Santa Barbara

from $69

Likely to Sell Out

Santa Barbara, California

5.0

(247)

Epic Zipline Tour near Santa Barbara

from $155

Solvang Santa Ynez Valley Small Group All-Inclusive Wine Tour

Santa Barbara, California

4.8

(144)

Solvang Santa Ynez Valley Small Group All-Inclusive Wine Tour

from $220

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Discover many of Santa Barbara’s key historical highlights—and most scenic vistas—on this private, half-day tour. Pick a time that works best for you, and set off to explore landmarks like the Santa Barbara Courthouse and Clock Tower, Mission Santa Barbara, and the More Mesa Preserve. You’ll also hike along the city’s seaside cliffs, will learn about the local Chumash people, will discover the Santa Barbara Harbor, and more.

See many of Santa Barbara’s top attractions, all in just half a day
Learn about the city’s history, Native American origins, and local wildlife
A private tour makes for the most personal, flexible way to travel
Visit the Santa Barbara Mission, Harbor, Shoreline Park, and more

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Cruise Ship: If you are traveling on a Cruise Ship, we stand right next to the Boat Launch as you walk out from under the canopy at disembarkation. Please tell us the time of disembarkation and time you must return to ship. We are able to adjust the time for you. All others meet us at 107 Harbor Way in front of the entrance to the Harbor by the restaurant called Gracie.

Meeting point

Gracie
107 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, USA
Meet Just Outside of Gracie Café, 107 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. Look for Sign: DCE TOURS

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Franceschi Park

Santa Barbara County Courthouse

Santa Barbara Waterfront

Douglas Family Preserve

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Masks available if guests prefer them.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 4 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Featured review

Richard_K

Joseph was extremely knowledgeable and interjected humor that informed and entertained the group. His varied background was a real asset to his narrative about Santa Barbara. Highly recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in a tour outside the most visited sights. In addition his tours serve as a teaching tool for kids in the area who are looking to fast track to the working world with a unique skill. I can’t recommend it enough!

Reviews

4.0

based on 8 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

A full tour

Laurie_K, Nov 2024

Joseph told so many stories about a wide variety of topics, but was willing to modify as you like. He also gave us resources for deeper dives into history, music, charity events and more.

Not a private tour

Patricia_W, Nov 2024

Joe seemed to be a nice man. He kindly offered snacks and beverages. The reason for the rating is my family, a party of 3, found out when we arrived at the meeting point that the private tour in a car had become a group tour in a van. We had not been notified of this change and definitely would have canceled had we known in advance. We left the tour at the Mission and took a taxi back to the cruise ship. Another personal issue I had was not with Joe’s stories per se but the fact he stated immediately that not all were true and we were to guess which were true and which were not. I tour to learn the facts of the region and don’t quite understand Joe’s reasoning behind this. He needs to curtail the details of his personal life. For these reasons I cannot recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

First of all, we will offer a full refund to these first and only guests who gave us less than a 5 star review! Had these guests shared their concerns, we could have adjusted everything to meet their expectations. To respond to their specific comments: 1) Private Tour: this designation was given to let Cruise Ship guests know that it was not a "ship offered" tour. In other words, we are able to adjust and accommodate small groups to a more customized tour. To prevent any future misunderstanding we have changed that designation and explained in the description who we differ from Ship Based Tours (while this was the only one). We do have other vehicles and drivers and could have easily separated this group had they notified us at any time there was a problem. 2)Facts & Stories: In order to have fun on the tour, we do "offer" to play a game. The game only consists of "we the locals, personal stories." With regard to the History and Nature all the facts are true. We even provide a comprehensive brochure, and note that we also have an online brochure, providing detail of the Santa Barbara History and Nature facts. The game is meant to be fun, and we do mention at the outset if the group would rather not play, just let us know. In all the years of doing the tour, most people highlight and note that this part of the tour made the experience more enjoyable. Once again, had these guests shared their needs and thoughts we would have immediately met them. Let me emphasize that we will offer a full refund and apologize for any misunderstanding.

Where the Locals Go

Mary_L, Nov 2024

If possible I would give this a zero! No matter how many times the guide told us he always gets ratings of 5 changed our experience. We were told on our booking and additional communications we would be in a private tour of only our party of 4 in a car that included the guide but the day of the tour we found out we were a party of 9 in a van - 7 passengers plus the guide and one of his trainees. There was the option to book a bigger tour with a van BUT WE SELECTED THE PRIVATE 3-PERSON TOUR! The guide should have clarified this change in the numbers to us in advance and let us decide if we wanted to spend the day with additional travelers - we would have canceled and booked with another tour instead. This is my biggest reason for the low rating - we did not get the tour we were expecting. As to the tour itself - we did not find the van used to be comfortable at all! We could have sat all the way in the back row but I experience some motion sickness so not an option plus the we would not have seen much from back there. As it was we were sandwiched in 3 people in the smaller row behind the driver. Very uncomfortable and not pleasant. It was not the car we were expecting and thought we had booked. And then the guide started by saying he likes to tell stories - no problem there - but some are not true. Why do that? Also, we didn’t need to hear about all of his hobnobbing with the rich and famous. Were those the untrue stories? Who knows. We enjoyed the stop at the overview of the region. But when we finally got to the Old Mission, the primary reason we booked this tour, we were told we did not have time to tour the mission. This is where we bailed the tour and had a much better day going through the mission by ourselves and taking a taxi back to the port. Then my sister traveling with us got the strangest email from the guide about our leaving the tour abruptly and how surprised he was by that since everyone else had the best 5 star experience. Another false story? Who knows but I would not book this tour again.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

This review is from the same group that provided another identical review. First of all, we will offer a full refund to our first and only guests who gave us less than a 5 star review! Had these guests shared their concerns, we could have adjusted everything to meet their expectations. To respond to their specific comments: 1) Private Tour: this designation was given to let Cruise Ship guests know that it was not a "ship offered" tour. In other words, we are able to adjust and accommodate small groups to a more customized tour. To prevent any future misunderstanding we have changed that designation and explained in the description who we differ from Ship Based Tours (while this was the only one). We do have other vehicles and drivers and could have easily separated this group had they notified us at any time there was a problem. 2)Facts & Stories: In order to have fun on the tour, we do "offer" to play a game. The game only consists of "we the locals, personal stories." With regard to the History and Nature all the facts are true. We even provide a comprehensive brochure, and note that we also have an online brochure, providing detail of the Santa Barbara History and Nature facts. The game is meant to be fun, and we do mention at the outset if the group would rather not play, just let us know.3) Van uncomfortable: We take a maximum of 9 guests in a 15 passenger Chevy Express Van. This group only had 7. It is very comfortable and we have never had any complaints. In all the years of doing the tour, most people highlight and note that this part of the tour made the experience more enjoyable. Once again, had these guests shared their needs and thoughts we would have immediately met them. Let me emphasize that we will offer a full refund and apologize for any misunderstanding.

Insider look

AndreArgeaux, Apr 2024

Joseph was very personable and very informative. He has lived in Santa Barbara for many years. We feel that we have seen many parts of the area probably not covered by the big your.

Wonderful tour around Santa Barbara.

Valerie_K, Mar 2024

Joe, our driver. Was great. Took us to places where we would never have found on our own. Would highly recommend. Santa Barbara is a gorgeous place to see.

A wonderful Santa Barbara experience!

Therese_I, Oct 2023

Joseph was a delight to be with! I only wish I could remember a fraction of the interesting things he mentioned. He was personable and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and definitely saw the best of Santa Barbara. Highly recommend him for this tour!