McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams in Santa Barbara
As I was researching things to do in Santa Barbara, there were all the usual things to do; tours, beaches, historical museums, all the normal stuff. But there was this lonely article about an unique ice cream shop. The writer did a good job making it inviting and who doesn’t like ice cream.
A quick history
After the war, Mac (the creator) moved with his wife from New Jersey to Santa Barbara where he spent months creating the recipes that would eventually become McConnell’s ice cream. To make the now famous ice cream Mac got rid of the traditional mixers and started using a hybrid french pot to create the amazing ice cream. In December of 1950 Mac opened the shop on State and Mission Street to immediate success as customer come from miles to try the ice cream.
Cold Springs Tavern
This place is really off the beaten path. It is high in the Los Padres National Forest. It is about 20 miles outside of Santa Barbara. We had to take a old windy stagecoach road into the most gorgeous pacific mountain scenery. I had a mushroom bisque soup. It was great! Denise had a beef chili and she was very pleased.
We have seen many old time places but this is the most authentic. It doesn’t come across as a tourist trap, just a good place to visit.
A little history:
Over one hundred twenty five years ago, dusty stagecoaches stopped here at what was then known as “Cold Spring Relay Station” to change teams of horses and allow travelers to rest at this stagecoach stop and get a hot meal. The Cold Springs also served as a “Gang House” where the Chinese Road Gang bunked when they built the “Toll Road through the rugged San Marcos Pass in 1868.
Lompoc
When people think of Lompoc they think flowers and the spectacular murals that have turned Lompoc’s downtown into an outdoor art gallery. We just had to see what all the commotion was about. It was truly an art gallery on buildings as we walked the downtown streets. Building after building had beautiful murals painted to it’s side.
A little history:
The Mural Project started at a time when old downtowns were dying all over the country. Lompoc was no different.
“The mural program has been one of our greatest civic successes,” Gene Stevens, founder said, “But that’s because we pull together here so well. To me, this place is paradise.”
Most recently, at a California Mural and Tourism Symposium, Lompoc was proclaimed the “most successful mural city” in California.
About 40 giant murals dominate downtown, all paid for by donations raised by the Lompoc Mural Society. Businesses also have commissioned their own works. There are maybe 100 murals now, large and small, splashed across everything from alleyways to government buildings.
We are staying at:
Santa Barbara Elks Lodge. Since we are Elks members we are able to stay at the Elks Lodge RV park for a donation of $25/day. We have water, 50amp electrical, cable TV and free wifi. We would definitely stay here again.
