Welcome to Santa Barbara! You are on the verge of discovering an impressive menu of first-rate museums, fascinating historical sights, stunning gardens, informative tours and oceangoing adventures. Look around you. Chances are that many of your fellow tourists are Santa Barbarans, who unabashedly proclaim that they'd just as soon spend their vacation discovering their own city as jet off to some exotic clime.

Of course the locals have "been there, done that," but they know that dynamic new exhibits and programs, expansions and upgrades make Santa Barbara attractions worth discovering again and again. The zoo, for example, has a long list of projects in the works. And the $50 million Santa Barbara Channel Aquarium and marine education center, which is slated to open on the Santa Barbara waterfront in the year 2002. Expected to be a world-class facility, the 7.1-acre complex will offer exhibits and displays, conservation programs, research facilities and education programs aimed at local schoolchildren. Add this to the ongoing improvements in our existing attractions, and you can see why Santa Barbarans are happy to spend their vacations at home.

If history is your thing, most of the city's historical sights are conveniently situated in the downtown area and can be seen in a couple of hours by taking the self-guided Red Tile Walking Tour, which begins at the County Courthouse, one of Santa Barbara's most famous landmarks. If you're more interested in some seaside fun, we've included Stearns Wharf and the Santa Barbara Harbor, where you can smell the salt air, grab some fresh seafood or browse the specialty shops.

We'd be hard-pressed to pick favorites, but don't miss the Museum of Natural History, Mission Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, the Botanic Garden, Stearns Wharf and our perfectly charming zoo. Although difficult to gain access to, Lotusland, in Montecito, is definitely worth the wait.