Carpinteria is in Santa Barbara County, California. It is east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The small oceanside city is home to good surfing swells, the Carpinteria Bluffs, and our favorite brewery.
On our somewhat regular excursions to Carpinteria, we typically pass the city before stopping in it! If you pass Carpinteria along the coast and continue for roughly 10 minutes (or 5 miles), you will find the also small coastal city of Summerland. Summerland is where you will find one of my favorite coffee shops, Red Kettle Coffee. If you know Troy, you know he does not mess with coffee, but he knows I am a better person when caffeinated so he stops for me. 😊 You might wonder what makes this coffee shop special…let me tell you. For starters, its mascot is a gnome, I mean come on! Secondly, it is always stocked with local artisan crafts for sale. The items are always super unique, and they are constantly changing. Lastly, they make a latte that is called the Salty Bumble Bee. If you enjoy coffee, do yourself a favor and try this. This local favorite is filled with espresso, pink Himalayan Sea salt, and honey….my mouth is watering just thinking about it. If you are like Troy, and coffee is not your jam, try the Summerland, Carp, or Montecito smoothie. These are also excellent.
Once caffeinated, we about-face back to Carp, and head straight for the beach. The area has tidepools, rock formations, and a long shoreline to walk along. We easily spend a few hours exploring. Often, we find some sea glass and many ridged clam shells (species: Littleneck and Cockle clams).
After several hours, we have developed quite the thirst, so we walk to Island Brewing Company. This place has delicious brews, an awesome relaxed vibe, and frequent live music. It can be found beside the train tracks, which gives it a funky edge and a definite photo opportunity. Our favorites brews are the Tropical Lager, Avocado Honey Ale, and Pacific Coast Hefeweizen.
After filling up on liquid carbs, we head to Tidepools. Once again, one of my favorites. Troy enjoys this place too. We literally could stay in here for hours looking at every hidden item and cute detail. Walking into this store, you feel transported to Hawaii. It is full of shells, sea glass, art, body products, jewelry, candles, and more. Basically, anything and everything ocean/beach. We never leave without getting something.
After perusing the store, we head to the Carpinteria Bluffs Trail for the perfect sunset. This is an easy mile long walk that leads you to the Carpinteria Seal Sanctuary. This viewing point is much like San Simeon, but on a smaller scale. If you are not familiar with San Simeon, we will be doing a blog down the road about the area so be on the lookout. You will see sunbathing seals, pelicans soaring across the ocean, and if you are lucky a baby seal might mosey around the shoreline. This will undoubtedly be one of your favorite views.
Before heading back home, we hit the best chocolatier ever…Chocolats du Calibressan. Each chocolate is a piece of art in this shop; Lips, Buddhas, Shells, Turtles, Pineapples, and more. We cannot leave this store without getting a box to take home. We WISH this place were closer to us, although it is probably better for both our stomachs and our wallets that it is not. You guys MUST go here. Our go-to chocolates are:
~ Passion Fruit – Passion fruit caramel in a white chocolate shell.
~ La Arcada Turtle – Milk chocolate ganache with “cajeta” (Mexican milk caramel), in a milk chocolate turtle shell.
~ Buddha Beauty – Salted caramel in a dark chocolate shell.
~ Champagne Truffle – Dark chocolate ganache enhanced by Marc de Champagne, covered with dark chocolate, rolled in cacao powder.
All in all, everyone should come visit Carp. It provides the perfect setting to spend the day or weekend unwinding from the hectic work life that most of us share in. We encourage you to take a deep breath, get your feet wet, and relax.
Beach hair don’t care,
TnT
PS – Camping at Carpinteria State Beach is also a fun weekend idea. It’s in the city, which is usually not the type of site we prefer, but this one is an exception. You camp in a park right along that beach that offers beautiful ocean views, fire pits, and easy walking access to town. Here are a couple bonus pics from our overnight stay.
