Carpinteria, California (Dining, Camping, and Campground Sites)
Why did I pause before gathering all these photos of my favorite dining, camping, and campground sites in Carpinteria, California? Because I still want to be there.
It was as if I thought I could pretend I was still there if I just didn’t share that I wasn’t. But, of course, I want to share.
Like many places we visit, we accidentally found ourselves in Carpinteria. And once we found it, we knew we’d happily go back to Carpinteria at any time.
Carpinteria felt so peaceful to me. The town felt small and walkable. The streets were wide. The sidewalks were wide. The beach was wide open.
Hardly a person was in sight (unless it was a holiday/school break, at which point humans briefly appeared with force).
Just a throw south of Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Summerland, I found Carpinteria to be a calm community tucked into what I imagined California looked like more than a few years ago.
The town, trails, and beach felt cozy and spacious, all at once. And it seemed Carpinteria was the rare small beach community in California set far from the highway.
Dining (in Carpinteria, California)
The Brass Bird, our favorite morning coffee shop in Carpinteria, even offered a few gluten-free vegan breakfast, pastry, and lunch items. I loved the beautiful ambiance of their indoor and outdoor spaces. And the employees were amazing and kind.
Pacific Health Food, Carpinteria’s healthy food store, was our go-to for groceries, personal supplies, and gluten-free vegan deli food. Kind friends pointed out PHF’s delicious fresh gluten-free vegan bakery items, which we would have otherwise missed entirely.
The Food Liaison was where we might have become addicted (M-F; 11-3; thank you eco takeaway containers) to the gluten-free Vegan Crack Bowl (with aioli sauce). It was exceptional, customizable, and so filling.
Lao Thai was our favorite Carpinteria eatery to order takeout (with eco takeaway containers) gluten-free vegan Pad Thai. Lao Thai was so very kind to us and made this one of the most delicious gluten-free vegan Pad Thai dishes I’ve ever tasted.
Siam Elephant was where we loved to sit down in Carpinteria and enjoy a special meal, either inside with Thai beach cabin ambiance, or outside under the special Thai structures. The owners were lovely. Gluten-free vegan Pumpkin Curry and ice cream were at hand.
And here’s why The Good Plow was a serious favorite of ours—until it closed its doors!
Camping and Campground Sites (in Carpinteria, California)
Carpinteria State Beach is where all the official full-service campground sites were found along the length of the beach, and it seemed to welcome every camping option from tents up.
Viola Fields was technically a day park, but also open 24/7 high on a bluff, so this is where we headed when the rains and flash floods arrived (and town/campgrounds were evacuated).
And we stealth camped near Carpinteria. Then, every few days, we’d go to Santa Barbara Sunrise RV Park for one night, charge our power bank, and enjoy hot (coin-free!) showers.
Nature Beach Hikes (in Carpinteria, California)
Many campers remained in the campground near the beach or enjoyed strolling in town. But more outdoor beauty was there to be explored. Here’s my favorite early morning hike, which took me through each of the natural wonders we loved in Carpinteria…
I usually began my favorite early morning hike from Viola Fields, following the Carpinteria Bluffs Trail. I loved the round boulders and wildlife that appeared (hawks, rabbits, lizards).
I could also begin this early morning hike from the Carpinteria Bluffs Trailhead, passing through and seeing more of Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve (greenery, flowers, mountains).
Railroad Caution: I learned to carefully cross the railroad by looking both ways intently while crossing quickly (never looking away from where the train could come from), as the weather and curve prevented me from hearing/seeing the train until the last minute—and, from either direction, it moved too quickly to get out of its way (five of us almost lost our lives here).
I continued this hike by following the trail to the Carpinteria Seal Sanctuary where baby seal season was on full display (but my photos did not turn out!).
After crossing through more beautiful bluff greenery and wildflowers, I hiked down to Tar Pits Park and walked the beach, end to end, where exquisite shells washed up daily.
I also meandered through the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park, a small hidden pause in the day I would have missed had it not been pointed out.
