Take Flight

Santa Barbara is home to the nation’s longest-running paragliding school, Fly Above All Paragliding. Whether you’re a first-time flier or want to level up your existing skills, you will be in very good hands booking a lesson or session with Fly Above All Paragliding at its Elings Park launch site. Newbies can partake in an hour-long tandem flight experience with an instructor at the helm or enroll in a full day of training to prepare for solo flights. If you’re more serious about learning the ropes and want to get certified, book a two-day course or P2 Novice Certification Course to earn your wings. 

For a less intense, but equally invigorating aerial adventure, book a flight with Santa Barbara Parasail. Up to three people (ages five and older) at a time can take flight—reaching 1,000 feet—while being pulled by a speedboat along the picturesque Santa Barbara coastline. An adrenaline rush is guaranteed. In the heart of Santa Barbara, you’ll find Santa Barbara Trapeze Co., which provides a different kind of adrenaline rush—combining aerial arts and a thrilling workout all in one. Trapeze your way through the air with this unique and exhilarating way to see Santa Barbara from above.  Last but not least, visitors over the age of 16 can “levitate” above the sea with iSurf Santa Barbara’s eFoil boards. With the power of an electric board and top-notch lessons, you’ll be equipped to hover over the Pacific and experience a new version of riding the waves. 

Blaze Trails

Santa Barbara’s mountainous front country and backcountry abound with potential for outdoor adventuring on land. Cal Coast Adventures runs guided mountain biking excursions catering to different ability levels and featuring diverse terrain types. You can take things a little slower and soak up the sights and scents of the season on a horseback ride with Los Padres Outfitters, whose knowledgeable guides will lead you through the foothills and along the shores of Summerland’s beaches or Circle Bar B Stables, which will take you backcountry. Hiking through our region’s distinctive chaparral is equally splendid in fall. See our guide to the best hikes in Santa Barbara for tips on trails ranging from easy half-milers to grueling 10-mile out-and-back treks.

Get Grounded

If you’re looking for a restorative and grounding outdoor activity, bring your yoga practice into the great wide open. Santa Barbara Beach Yoga offers a regular schedule of outdoor classes enjoyed by locals and visitors. Choose from morning and evening classes held right on the sands of East Beach or on the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion’s rooftop deck overlooking the beach. Become more attuned to Mother Nature on a guided Bird Walk at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. An experienced local naturalist leads these monthly walks through the garden’s meadows and woodlands, where you’ll learn to spot quails, woodpeckers, wrens and other fine feathered friends. More “secret” meditative walking opportunities can be found at the Lagoon Island Labyrinth on the UCSB Campus in Goleta and on the grounds of the Vedanta Temple in Montecito.

SPECTATE in Style

Here in Santa Barbara, we consider pausing to watch the nightly sunset show an “event,” too. Find a perch on the beach or a hillside park and settle in to watch the sky change colors as the sun drops below the horizon—in the fall, after the sun disappears, the deep pinks, oranges and purples tend to get even more saturated and dramatic, so it’s worth waiting around for a spell.

The colors of the season are also on full display at weekly Santa Barbara Certified Farmer’s Markets. The community ambiance is just as good as the produce picking as you stroll along the booths displaying locally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers and more. Markets are held in Downtown Santa Barbara on Tuesday and Saturday, Montecito on Friday and Goleta on Sunday.