Santa Barbara

The air in Santa Barbara smells like sunscreen and eucalyptus, and the mountains drop so close to the water that you can see both from the same parking lot. Most families who pass through spend a couple of hours on Stearns Wharf, walking out over the water before grabbing a table at Brophy Bros. for clam chowder and a view of the harbor. If you have kids who have been sitting in the car too long, the beach right next to the wharf gives everyone room to stretch out. A lot of travelers also walk State Street and poke around the Funk Zone — it's a small cluster of old warehouses near the train tracks that now has wine bars and restaurants, including The Lark, which is worth a stop if you're there for dinner. The Old Mission is a short drive up from downtown and takes maybe 45 minutes to walk through, but it's the kind of place that actually holds everyone's attention. If you're driving the California coast, Santa Barbara sits at a natural halfway point where a few hours can turn into a full afternoon without any effort — and that's usually the best argument for building it into your route.