Santa Barbara Funk Zone Food and Photo Tour

Overview

Eat your way through the Funk Zone - Santa Barbara's hip, new 'hood - while learning about local culture and how to take great food photos.

This food & photo tour starts on lower State Street and will walk you through the Funk Zone neighborhood where you will taste what Santa Barbara is known for with bites of fresh seafood, gastropub creations, Mexican food, artisan beer, and locally grown wines several different locations. Along the way, you’ll get immersed in the local culture and hear interesting stories about each place you’ll visit.

You’ll also learn easy-to-shoot photo tips from your pro tour guide and take your food photo skills to the next level using your smartphone’s camera app. By the end of your 3 hour tour, you’ll be eating like a local and shooting like a pro!
(Please note: we cannot accommodate shellfish allergies, vegan or celiac restrictions at this time. However, we only have one shellfish/seafood tasting on the tour.)

City: Santa Barbara

Mon 23 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Mon 23 Dec

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Local guide

Wine tasting

Beverages

Food tasting

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Infant meals not included
Minimum drinking age is 21 years
Not recommended for vegan or celiac dietary restrictions. Shellfish allergies cannot be accommodated, but will only miss out partially on one tasting.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
We are still adhering to all current guidelines for Santa Barbara County. Please do a quick online search for "mask mandate Santa Barbara County" so you can stay in-the-know for your trip! We will also be updating all our guests on any COVID guideline changes as is needed.

What To Expect

Funk Zone

Begin your 3-hour Santa Barbara walking food tour at a central location in the Funk Zone, located near lower State Street. This region once housing warehouses and scuba shops — now revitalized into a bustling neighborhood of hip eateries, wine-tasting rooms, and artist studios — is where you’ll meet your guide for an afternoon food tasting and photo tour. Set out on foot at a moderate pace as your guide shares insights into Santa Barbara’s history and burgeoning art culture. Keep your smartphone ready so you can practice the helpful photo tips your guide offers along the way. You'll have many opportunities to take food photos and colorful portraits in the lively Funk Zone. Along the way, your guide stops for food & drink tastings (all included) at restaurants, a wine bar/bakery, & one microbrewery. Learn how to properly position your food for the best photos as you sample local fare. After your tour you can continue to explore and capture this fun & funky neighborhood on your own.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (93)

Geri_R

Dec 2022

We had so much fun and our guide, Christina was fantastic! The funk zone was so cool and we definitely would not have found some of these great spots!

Michaelshoney

Sep 2022

Good- 1)excellent food choices 2)good variety of food 3)always gave water out at each stop where it was available (it was very hot that day) 4)Good information given about places and Santa Barbara in general, especially the Funk Zone which we had never really knew about 5)lots of stops and extra food from places we couldn’t go to (chocolate and popcorn!) 6)We had one 21+ and one non alcoholic tour. I loved that for the non-alcoholic I was given lemonade at 2 stops. Thanks! 6)Very nice tour guides Other- 1)New person with an accent so sometimes it was hard to understand (and she talked a little soft at times) 2)during pizza and ice cream even though she got the napkins she did not pass out the napkins. I had to get up and go over to get some during pizza and even that didn’t clue her in to passing out the napkins to others or putting them in the center of the table, the others had to get them themselves. I understand that it involves her touching the napkins but she already touched them to get them. 3)first stop I don’t think was enough time, at wine tasting stop at valley winery I thought it was too long, the others seem to be a good enough time 4)this tour was billed as Eat This Shoot That and we were going to learn picture taking tips. We only did 2 tips throughout our 3 hours. It seems if that is going to be in your title we should have had many more tips (though the tips she shared were good) Overall this excursion was good, but just not 5 stars.

Response from Host

Sep 2022

Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review! We take all feedback very seriously and will definitely be taking your comments under advisement at our next staff meeting to ensure every guest walks away happy. Thanks again for coming on our tour and we hope you had a great time in Santa Barbara!

InHouseCounsel

Aug 2022

This was my second time for the Santa Barbara Funk Zone Food and Photo Tour. I enjoyed it so much several years ago when I was in the area by myself for work, that I signed up again with my wife when we had a vacation in the area last week. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience- it is a great way to get some exercise walking around while learning about the history and culture in the Funk Zone. The guide was knowledgeable and made sure we all had fun. There was plenty of food, including wine, beer, and spirit tastings, and we enjoyed getting to know fellow travelers during the tour.

Response from Host

Aug 2022

Thanks for coming back to enjoy our tour again! We hope to see you on our Solvang food tour someday!