Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura.
This popular seaside town offers world class shopping and dining … as well as an abundance of nightlife. There are unique opportunities for athletes; surfing, bicycling, hiking and much more.
Carpinteria Beach is known for its gentle slope and calm waves in selected sandy areas but also good surfing swells in some of the more rocky areas. Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May at the rookery in the nearby Carpinteria Bluffs, as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopuses and sea urchins.
There is bird watching at Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, established in 1977 and administered by the Natural Reserve System of the University of California. The Waldholme Torrey Pine, largest known Torrey pine tree on earth, is located in downtown Carpinteria.
Carpinteria hosts an annual California Avocado Festival, with a history extending back to 1986. Over 80,000 persons attend the three-day festival which takes place during the first weekend of October on Linden Avenue. The festival offers avocado products and locally made goods.
The Carpinteria Amtrak Station is located on Linden Avenue by the beach. It is served by Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.
