Santa Maria and the Central Coast

The Santa Maria Valley lies in the northern part of Santa Barbara County on California’s Central Coast, between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. It’s an agricultural region of strawberries and vegetables, and also a wine valley: the Santa Maria Valley area was the first recognized wine appellation in the region, known for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The city of Santa Maria is the travel base. Santa Maria–style barbecue originated there, cooked over oak coals, and the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum tells the story of the ranches, farms and the barbecue itself. Next to the airport, the Santa Maria Museum of Flight displays aircraft and the region’s aviation history.

To the west, after the small town of Guadalupe, the road ends at Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve, one of the access points to the Guadalupe-Nipomo dunes, one of California’s largest coastal dune complexes, with the mouth of the Santa Maria River and beaches open to the Pacific.

To the south, near Lompoc, La Purísima Mission shows what a Franciscan mission looked like in the early 19th century, with reconstructed adobe buildings, gardens, animals and trails in a peaceful valley.

This destination brings together 1 city: Santa Maria.