WELCOME TO THE PRESIDIO

The historical heart of Santa Barbara, The Presidio encompasses nine-square blocks just off Santa Barbara’s State Street, full of history and alive with culture.

Santa Barbara’s oldest neighborhood has a rich multi-cultural history. Established in 1782 at El Presidio de Santa Barbara, the last of four military fortresses built by Spain in California, it has been home to multiple cultures over the centuries, – Chumash, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese.

The Presidio features some of California’s oldest Spanish Colonial and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, including the State’s second oldest surviving building – El Cuartel (1788).

It is not surprising then, that The Presidio has become an art and culture hub. El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, Casa de la Guerra, the Lobero Theatre, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, the quaint walkways of El Paseo, the Santa Barbara Film Center, the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop, and The Space are all located in The Presidio.

It’s where locals go for the vibrant atmosphere and some of Santa Barbara’s finest wine-tasting rooms, restaurants, unique locally-owned shops, and establishments.