West Beach
West Beach is a wide beach between Stearn’s Wharf Pier at State Street and the Sea Landing/Harbor. It offers a picturesque sandy area for sunbathing, swimming, picnics, kayaking, windsurfing, and beach volleyball. This is also where the Ka Nai'a Outrigger Club holds their Sunday lessons. A wide walkway/bike path with large palm trees, leads from here west to the UCSB campus and east to Butterfly Beach. It is easily accessible and a popular tourist spot for biking, skating, or just walking the waterfront. There is plenty to do, eat, and enjoy on Stearn’s Wharf Pier all year long! There are many businesses on the Wharf, including restaurants, a shellfish restaurant/market, a bait and tackle shop, an old fashioned candy store, wine tasting, a toy store, a shell shop, an ice cream parlor, a palm reader, a general store with clothing/souvenirs, and a marine museum with an interactive marine education facility. Amenities near the beach include the West Beach Wading Pool, a playground, and Los Baños Pool. West Beach also provides public art, viewing plazas, and historical and interpretive signage. West Beach is home to Santa Barbara's spectacular New Years and 4th of July Fireworks shows. Leadbetter beach, a favorite picnic spot with the locals, is about four blocks down and the breakwater is about three blocks away.
