Take a dip in easy-to-reach naturally heated waters.

The catch with hot springs is they aren’t always easy to get to. There are plenty of burbling waters that seem like a fantastic destination—until you realize they require a 20-mile hike. Take heart: you can drive right up to Big Caliente Hot Springs , tucked within Los Padres National Forest. The drive northeast out of Santa Barbara takes slightly less than two hours. Spring waters naturally warmed to 100° or more are captured in a crude cement tub that comfortably holds about six. It’s a popular spot; visit on a weekday if you want to have the spring to yourself. Stay quiet and you might be visited by grazing deer.

Discover how ceramics were made, used and traded in early California with the newest exhibit at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, Ceramics Rediscovered: Science Reshapes Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California. Based on a decade-long investigation of ceramic production using archaeological evidence and scientific analysis, the exhibit offers a rare glimpse into daily life during California’s Spanish and Mexican periods (1769-1848). Featuring period artifacts and reproduction pottery, this groundbreaking exhibit traces the evolution of California’s earliest potters and the material culture they helped shape.