El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park — Attraction in Santa Barbara

For many couples who may be planning their Santa Barbara wedding remotely, it helps to read reviews and see photos. I thought it might be helpful to offer a different perspective of El Presidio from a light and lines point through the eyes of a wedding photographer.

For many years I lived downtown just up the road from El Presidio. I love capturing the Spanish architectural style that Santa Barbara is known for. We have been branded the American Riviera. There are so many beautiful spaces that capture this Spanish history of our gorgeous town, but not with as many historical ties as El Presidio. The story of El Presidio is engrained in Santa Barbara. One of the most interesting facts is that the old foundation crosses the street and can still be seen in the asphalt.

As an artist who experiences spaces for their lines, composition and textures, El Presidio embraces Santa Barbara’s Spanish energy. The aggressive texturing of the white walls and old wooden beams and branches of the exterior overhang give off rustic yet elegant backgrounds. Their attention to detail carries throughout from the rooms with thick beam tables to the stick fences. The intimacy of the space creates photos that feel like you’re time traveling back to Santa Barbara’s earliest years when it was just founded. The loft inside the church allows me to capture a unique perspective of the ceremony above the guest’s heads and create a wider variety of angles.

El Presidio’s location in downtown Santa Barbara makes it a perfect spot to plan your dream reception anywhere. If you’re looking to create incredible wedding photos that capture the heart of Santa Barbara’s Spanish architecture, El Presidio’s history and architecture are directly at the center. I love...

Well preserved site giving a good idea of how Spanish soldiers and their families settled and lived. The adobe bricks, ovens, tiles, chapel and utensils are some of the things worth checking. You have to pay about $5 for full access to the site (which in my opinion is worth it), but there are sections you can check out for free as well. The lady at the front desk is very friendly and gives a great overview of the historical background and how to best explore the place.

There are a few things which I found a bit problematic and would be good to keep context of while you are doing the tour. In how it glorifies the settlers and their intentions, this is practically a shrine to early settlers and their lives, and hence to colonialism. There is little mention of the native Chumash people, and whatever there is, seems to be a bit whitewashed (e.g. how the fort was built by Spanish soldiers with the 'help' of the native people). There is one display right at the end which talks a bit about native peoples (in pics), but barring that it would seem as if everything was hunky-dory and everyone co-existed peacefully, which, as history tells us, was certainly not the case.

I would still recommend the tour, since it puts you in the same space and rooms occupied by people a century back, but take everything with a...

This is a must! This experience is by far one of the richest in history and culture! The visitor's center is the first place to stop and buy your admission to the self-guided tour. This is on the corner of Santa Barbara street and Canon Perdido right in Downtown Santa Barbara between Anacapa and Santa Barbara St. We found parking on Casa de la Guerra at. The visitor's center attendee was well-informed and calmly explained the tour to us. He pointed out all of the points of interest and have us a walking tour book.

The booklet tells you everything you need to know. My kids got in free because they are under 16, and my admission was only $5! Well worth it! We also bought some souvenirs in the Visitor's Center.

Park a couple blocks away and walk through, you will have memories to last a lifetime. I am so intrigued that I purchased several books on the Anza trail, the local Natives, and the Spanish, Mexican, and American history of this...