Information for Visitors

Driving Directions

Coming from the south on northbound Highway 101, take the Airport/UCSB exit onto Highway 217. This exit is past all 12 Santa Barbara exits and follows Turnpike and Patterson exits in Goleta. Drive 2 miles (3 km), keeping in the left lane, until you reach the UCSB east entrance at the end of the freeway. Turn right at the circle and take the next left into the parking garage. 

Coming from the north on southbound Highway 101, take the Storke/UCSB exit, turning right onto Storke Road. Drive south toward the ocean, away from the mountains, for 1 mile (2 km), past three traffic lights, to the fourth traffic light at the end of Storke Road. Turn left onto El Colegio and drive 1 mile (2 km) to the UCSB west entrance. There is no information kiosk on the west side of the campus. Where the road branches and turns right, take a left turn onto Stadium Road. Proceed until the stop sign at the end of Stadium Road, turn right onto Mesa Road. Go past two traffic lights and turn right onto one of the parking lots. 

From Santa Barbara Airport, drive south on Fowler Street toward the ocean, away from the mountains, for about 1/2 mile (1 km). When you see the Highway 217 bridge, turn left onto the on-ramp to Highway 217. Once on Highway 217, keep left until you reach the UCSB east entrance at the end of the freeway. Turn right at the circle and take the next left into the parking garage. 

Using google maps, enter the following address to obtain directions to the engineering side (west) of the UCSB campus: Harold Frank Hall UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 @34.414,-119.841

Parking

Parking permits are required at all times (including on holidays and outside normal business hours). Permits can be purchased from automatic dispensers located at most campus parking lots.

Lodging

The Santa Barbara/Goleta area has numerous fine facilities for your stay. 

There are a few hotels in the town of Goleta very close to the campus. Some of these have a special UCSB rate and offer a free shuttle service to the campus. The following two are frequently used by our visitors:

A more extensive list of hotels in Goleta can be found here. 

Staying downtown Santa Barbara is another option. Downtown hotels are further away from the UCSB campus (approx. 10miles), but place our visitors in the middle of a fun and beautiful town. For lodging in Santa Barbara, you may check one of the standard lodging web sites (hotels.com, expedia, etc.) or the following Santa Barbara's website.

Dining

Santa Barbara's restaurant community combines excellent food and an ingrained regional sense of casual luxury and hacienda hospitality. The mild climate makes alfresco dining a viable option year round. With more restaurants per capita than most cities in the world, Santa Barbara promises to dazzle your palate no matter what type of cuisine you crave. Choose from Argentinean, American, Italian, Japanese, French, Mediterranean, or Thai to name a few. Taste the city's rich Hispanic heritage in our spicy Mexican cuisine or savor flavors from our own backyard. You can consult http://www.santabarbara.com/dining/ for the latest dining options in Santa Barbara.