The Funk
The Funk Zone is a trendy area that was recently converted from industrial properties to restaurants, bars and galleries. Check out Figueroa Mountain Brewing and get my absolute favorite beer Hoppy Poppy. There's a tiki bar in the area and tons of wine tasting rooms. The Lark is a great place for dinner with a medium/high price point. Walk around downtown, check out the bell tower, then go to the Mission. It's absolutely beautiful and has a wonderful rose garden and spacious grass lawn.
Food
For Mexican you'll want to go to Los Agaves or Los Arroyos (more for burritos and enchiladas than tacos). For Tacos, go to Lilly's.
Brophy Bros. and the Boathouse at Hendry's are both good seafood options—Hendry's is right on the beach and is usually more of a local scene than Brophy Bros. Eureka! is a good burger spot downtown.
Casual breakfast/lunch options: On the Alley (Baja fish tacos), The Shop.Â
My favorite place on earth is Cold Spring Tavern on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The BEST tri tip sandwich I have ever had, bar none. They bring in local bands to play throughout the day, there's bikers, yuppies, SB Locs, and everything in between. Sounds like they may be doing things differently on account of COVID but hopefully that changes in the coming months.
Beaches
The beaches in SB proper are mostly lacking—the Channel Islands block most of the good surf and keep debris floating around. Drive to Santa Claus Lane in Carpinteria. Also check out the Biltmore Hotel and Butterfly Beach in Montecito.
Golf
You can't beat the views from Sandpiper. I hear the nearby Bacara is a great resort/spa situation but can't personally vouch for it.
Hikes
This is a Ben-approved list of hikes in and around SB. The nice thing about many of them is that the trailhead is only a 15 minute drive from downtown.
Los Olivos/Santa Ynez Valley
If you ever head North, take the 154 Cachuma Pass instead of the 101 through Gaviota. It's 100x more scenic and there's wine all over the place, it's also faster. The pass takes you right out of Santa Barbara and you get this amazing view of the city and coastline when ascending the mountain range. Los Olivos is a quaint downtown with plenty of tasting rooms.