Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden

What a Beautiful park so close to State Street! Wonderful paths surrounded by nature. A pond with ducks & turtles is sweet. The trees and flowers unique and so pretty. We discovered it in the Fall , and I can only imagine how much more beautiful it would be in Spring!! Perfect place for a picnic or stroll.

This is such a beautiful park. It’s small, but it has so many different types of wildflowers and trees. There’s even a pond with lots of mallard ducks, and some turtles. There’s a gazebo and several park benches for you to rest. Across the street is an enclosed playground for children. It’s quite large and clean.

Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, located just across the street from Kids World Playground, creates the perfect balance for a well-rounded family outing. But beyond its convenient location, this park is truly one of California’s finest. Home to an impressive variety of lush, vibrant plants, it stands out even in a botanical paradise like Santa Barbara. What truly makes the garden come alive, however, are its serene ponds, teeming with wildlife. From turtles to ducks and geese, the park hosts these familiar favorites in remarkable abundance, adding a dynamic, natural charm to the tranquil setting.

We just had our wedding ceremony at the arbor area in June and it was magical. This park is so special to us and I highly recommend it. We had about 80 guests and a violinist and everyone commented on the beauty of the park!

A quiet relaxed spot tucked away in the neighborhood. Beautiful park, and well maintained.

Beautiful grounds! Peaceful and calm surroundings.

Great garden! Pretty flower, nice landscaping. Pond with ducks and a seagul lol there is also a kids park next to it.

This park is great for people of all ages. The large wooden structure playground is so much fun for children. There are many beautiful gardens and a duck pond. The paths are easy to walk and it is just a very enjoyable experience. There are green patches where are you can stretch out and have a picnic and watch the money pollinators landing on the flowers. I highly recommend this for a stop, especially if you have children that need to get out some energy.

Great park for outdoor portraits! Would highly recommend photographers add this to their list. Pictured here is Mia on black and white film. Looking for portraits in the Ventura County area? Email michaelvmjrphoto@gmail.com to book your shoot! Find me on IG @michael_vmjr Website: michaelvmjrphoto.com

Beautifully kept garden with lots of ducks. Lots of flowers and the trails are well kept. Mostly sand paths with certain areas of stepping stone pathways. Central area elevated with slightly uneven steps. Plenty of parking surrounding the area. We didn't stay close to sunset as there were a few homeless encampments near the central area.

Beautiful park & plenty of benches 2 sit & enjoy the scenery!!! And who doesn't love watching ducks & turtles?!!! Loved watching the turtles plop into the water from the rocks. It's peaceful. Bring a book & a blanket & ENJOY!!!

Alice Keck Park is one of my favorite parks in town. The grounds are well kept, and the layout is easy to get around. Whether you're coming here to explore the garden, have a picnic, or just layout on the grass; this park has something to offer for those who seek a peaceful environment. I love watching the cute little turtles swimming around in the pond, as well as the ducks who also swim or wander around in the grass. Please be mindful and do not feed the animals here. They have plenty of food provided to take care of themselves. We used to have koi fish here, but they were relocated at Chase Palm Park. There is a gazebo here that overlooks the pond, and a great spot for photos! You can also reserve areas of the park for a wedding, but I don't think you can reserve it for a birthday party. There is a park across the street though "Kids World", that is an alternative. I love how this park also caters to the blind with a special sensory garden and sensory posts with interpretive Braille signs. Dogs are allowed here, but they must be on a leash. Overall, a beautiful park to check out and one that I will continue to visit.

Absolutely loved this place and the lush greenery! Street parking in the neighborhood. The closest restrooms I could spot were in Alameda Park (not the cleanest, but manageable)

Excellent place for strolling and turtle stalking. Lots of pathways. Peaceful park. Nice place to picnic or just read

It's very encouraging noticing the changes and improvements over the 5+ years that I've occasionally visited. I look forward to seeing what's to come. The park is great for an early stroll or a midday picnic, and there are paths for walking and viewing the plant collection and wildlife.

Nice quaint garden and we came by just to check out the turtle pond. Saw at least 25 turtles and 5 ducks. We didn't walk through it, but seems clean and many people were walking their dogs.

Gorgeous and relaxing this location perfect for picnicking, strolling the garden, reading and reading! We love it here!

During the midst of a global pandemic, there was and still are so many unknowns about the virus that made 2020 a nightmare for all of us. What we have learned is that being outdoors (socially distanced) can be therapeutic for the mind, for the body and even for the soul. Being immersed in Nature with fresh air surrounded by beautiful plants, tall trees that provide natural shade and sunshine that radiates onto our skin is sometimes the best medicine to keeping us both balanced and sane. There is no doubt in my mind that the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden in Santa Barbara provided some much needed sanity for me and my family this past May after being cooped up in the house for nearly 2 months. We decided to take a drive up to Santa Barbara and get lunch to-go from our favorite sandwich spot, Panino's in Montecito. From there we started driving into Downtown Santa Barbara in search of a nice secluded spot to eat our lunch. As we were driving we noticed a park on our right so we decided to pull over and check it out. And just like that we were surrounded by nature's beauty and we instantly felt a little bit of normalcy that we had been longing for so badly. After we ate our lunch on a bench under some shade, we decided to walk around and see what the memorial gardens were all about. The grounds are very well kept and were truly thought out to honor Alice Keck Park. There are so many different walking paths to explore, places to sit and read a book and there's even a man-made poi and turtle pond within the gardens. While we were there, we saw many people like us just needing an escape from being indoors for so long. You could almost tell that everyone we encountered was just in need of a little normalcy to make them feel like everything was going to be ok. For us, it was a day to be outdoors and for a slight second, it almost felt like what we were going through as a society was just a dream, but in that moment I was extremely thankful to be with my family, to be safe and to be surrounded by nature's existence.

One of my all time favorite parks in the entire world. I love their most calming and zen duck and turtle pond with an island oasis in the middle you can meditate in as you soak in the wonders of our earth. I appreciate all the beautiful trees and shrubs, including cherry blossom flowers surround this gem of a park. Lovely trails following rock water features take you to the top with a view of downtown Santa Barbara and nature terraces. I enjoy signs across this park encouraging us to keep this park safe and clean. I especially adore how many musicians and community organizations share their music with us at this park. Lovely human and fur fam all around. Thank you Santa Barbara for this wonderful slice of heaven!

What happened to this park?!! It used to be pristine and have beautiful flowers and plants. It was the kind of park where it's caretakers clearly loved their jobs. It's now overgrown with weeds everywhere, the pond is brown with algae and other scum floating on it. Homeless people are encamped deep in some of the bushes. But it's the weeds, the dead and dying plants, and the lack of love and care that are disturbing. It's very brown in this park except for some of the trees. It's August and I expected it to be lush and fragrant and greener with lots of late summer blossoms and it was ridiculously disappointing. This is billed as the "crown jewel of Santa Barbara" but it's more like a cheap cubic zirconia. Sadly, the city can't seem to get it together for this park. It was much more beautiful a few years ago. So disappointing and not worth the visit.

This is such a beautiful park. My family and I came here to have a picnic and then we took a walk around. I love all the trees and shade. It is a nice garden with a little lake. It is just a great place to spend a few hours relaxing.

Such a beautiful spot. The pond has so many turtles and ducks, fabulous flora AND fauna. The trees and plants are abloom despite it being just February, and there is a sense of relaxation and peace that engulfs you. Sit or stroll, picnic or meditate, grab a yoga mat or just watch the turtles live their best turtle lives. You'll feel better about everything just by being here, and if I lived closer, I'd come every day!

This was a great place for a picnic! Our toddler loved the turtle pond - there's so many of them! The gardens are beautiful and there's so many places to sit and relax. Wish we had allowed more time for this!

I love all the seating in this park! It's so peaceful with plenty of shade and spots to have a picnic. I appreciate any type of plant labeling for the people like me who are becoming plant moms !

Such a beautiful park nestled within downtown Santa Barbara-- just a 10 minute walk from the county courthouse/administration building. The highlights are a beautiful pond, complete with sunbathing turtles and ducks, and lots of shade trees. This is a great spot for an afternoon full of lounging and reading in the park, or a quick stroll if you have a little bit of downtime while in downtown. I would highly recommend paying this park a visit. My only regret is not having visited it years ago.

Alice Keck Park is such a nice place to visit. I like going here with a cup of coffee and just watching all the turtles and ducks. There are plenty of places to sit and it shouldn't be hard finding a shaded spot under all the plants and trees around here. Its just great. Or you can just sit on one of the random giant rocks near the pond. The highlight of the park, to me, is the pond. There are literally dozens of turtles just swimming about. Best of all, if you go near the water, they just SWARM YOU! Well, sort of swarm. They actually just sloooowly swim to you in a large group (hoping that you'll feed them). One of my friends introduced this place to me while I was down in a rut. And man... I was just blown away. Since then, I've taken my brother and his family here so that my niece could feed the turtles. Well... she tried to at least. All the ducks kept stealing the food away from them. But regardless, we had a good time.

Stopped by here during Santa Barbara's Summer Solstice Festival. Beautifully park that's well maintained! I really thought the pond with the turtles was cute, having a red-eared slider of my own I made note of this sanctuary. I have been meaning to release my turtle into the "wild" since it's getting to a beastly size... It's a great place to visit in the afternoon/evening as the warm sunlight filtering through the tree leaves makes this a magic place. A group of hippies was sitting on a grassy mound across the pond signing and playing various music instruments. What really impressed me was number of quartz singing bowls they had, one looked to be about 24" in diameter! O_O Never seen one that huge. Traditionally used in Buddhist meditation I think the group was just using them for sound healing. As I wandered off to explore other areas of the garden I heard one of them say, "All you need is love and light, LOVE and LIGHT!" =) I do like how in there is a informational board displaying the park map that names all the flora and fauna. This is most helpful because you can learn what each plant was and give yourself a little botany tour. I was super happy when I saw an "Edible Fig Tree" on the map. In true Yelp fashion leading the way with my stomach, I had a great time hunting down this tree. After a good 10-15 minutes... Eureka! But to my dismay the figs were not ripe... till next time tree. =p

I really liked it, I do wish it was bigger. There seem to be adjoining parks across the street, but those areas seemed quite a bit more worn down. A handful of homeless around, along with a couple taking wedding photos there. A handful of benches in the shade, for short strolls around the pond. Parked right on the street.

A lovely little park in Santa Barbara with easy parking and access to the park no matter where you are. Lots of benches to sit on and enjoy the passers-by or just listening to the birds or ducks in the pond, or watching the fish and turtles. Very pleasant even in warmer temps due to all the shade created by the trees. Large area of grass to lay or sit on....... very green and inviting. Nice assortment of flowers, but I wouldn't have minded a little (or even a lot more) of those. One can never have too many flowers !! Still and all, a nice place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the more touristy places to be.

Wonderful park with a pond full of ducks and turtles and a great playground. It was a perfect stop for our toddler to run around during on our road trip. Will definitely return here next time we pass through Santa Barbara.

Accidental find-we were jogging in the neighborhood and found this beauty. Pictures don't do justice. It's too bad my iPhone cannot (or maybe its me the photographer lol) capture its beauty. Flowers, plants and animals are lovely. Also love how community members come out to garden! Never seen such community effort to maintain a restful beautiful garden! It was such a treat to visit.

One of the best small parks in Santa Barbara. No turtles today! Hope nothing is wrong - kids (and kids-at-heart) love the turtles. Benches are scattered around, walking paths lead you thru the park... Another SB gem!

One of my favorite local sanctuaries is virtually in my own backyard! I'm fortunate enough to live right across the street from this beautiful park and take advantage of its beauty often. It's so thoughtfully designed and really has unique surprises in each little nook. I'm consistently in awe over the variety of planned vegetation here - who knew that Santa Barbara's climate could foster so many varieties of plants? I guess it's not really a surprise, but I do appreciate the overall beauty it lends. The park has a wonderful racetrack-style layout where there is a main walking area flanked by small side paths where one may veer off and admire the many sections. The small, flowing creek is an excellent touch and I totally admire the abundance of turtles. I also appreciate how the plants are all named and that there is a legend in the park's center denoting each. All in all, a beautiful space and one of Santa Barbara's true gems.

This is a larger, tranquil garden with a duck pond, gazebo, grass lawns, and impressive succulent garden quadrant. I'm a big succulent plant nerd, so was mesmerized by their aloe, agave, dyckia, and furcraea selection in the succulent plants quadrant. They have a variety of rare plants with some outstanding specimens such as a very large furcraea selloa (Wild Sisal), which looks like an agave palm tree. However, after perusing their selection, it became shockingly clear that nearly the entire aloe selection was infested with gall mite, also known as aloe cancer. I counted as least 50 plants with the disease. This is an airborne, infectious disease caused by microscopic mites that create cauliflower-like, frilly, tumor growths on the plant that permanently disfigure and ruin various aloe species. I emailed the Santa Barbara Parks director about this, but have not heard back. I sure hope they remove the diseased plants as soon as possible as they have a valuable collection worth saving. Hint: Fire the gardener.

A great place for a stroll. There is plenty of shade, trees, water, grass and stream. You can have a picnic on the grass and people watch. It's not a park where children play at, but a place to hang out. It's dog friendly, but don't forget their leash.

This park is nice. It is well maintained with a lot of overhanging foliage like trees. With a lake and proximity to a central part of Santa Barbara, and by extension many restaurants, bars and shops to partake in, what's not to love about this place? There is a little dirt trail that runs through the garden and sits by a lake. The lake itself was drained the day I went, which was a shame, but the rest of the park seemed well maintained. There is a variety of foliage, from trees to bushes, to grass, to flowers, you name it, this park has it. Near the Memorial Gardens is a central part of Santa Barbara. Literally walking distance away, you'll find a wide variety of bars, restaurants and shops to partake in. There's something for everyone. Would come back to this place more often, but it's a 2 hour drive from Orange County.

On a whim we walked to this park. The abundant diversity of plants and animals made for a lovey afternoon. The guided audio tour was an added bonus, especially for our hearing impaired friends.

I know it's human nature to see buttons and press them, but do not give in when entering these gardens. That enticing little button activates a speaker that goes on for minutes on end loudly explaining the already apparent charms of the Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. Sure, you could listen for a second then walk to the other side of the park, but you might disturb the group of middle-aged white folk doing tai chi on a nearby lawn. Other than the obnoxious recording, I can find no fault with this place. It's a free attraction, and relatively empty, and it's absolutely lovely. The gardens are filled with hundreds of varieties of plants with flowers in every color. There's even a directory that purports to list them all. There's a sundial, in case you care what time it is. There's a pond, and there's a tiny island with a bench, on which cute old people sit and enjoy the beautiful views. The pond has dozens of swimming turtles, and you can spend time spotting the horny ones - turtles in heat flap their claws with uncharacteristic vigor. When turtles are mating, the world is right, and that's the feeling you get at this gem of a park.

This memorial garden is not very large but it is simple, pretty and clean. They had some very pretty plants and complemented the grounds with a nice use of water and lakes.

When I was in High School one of my best friends lived across from a pretty ugly vacant lot. An old hotel (the El Mirasol) had been torn down many years before. The lot was full of old tires, weeds higher than our heads and a stray appliance or two. It was a great old lot! We loved that lot as much as any teenage boys can love a vacant lot. It was also the home to one of Santa Barbara's greatest transformations! It is now a botanical wonderland. When my wife and I picked varieties for our landscaping, it is where we went. It has a creek and a pond. There are Koi fish and Turtles (lots of turtles) it even had some piranahs for a period--seriously! There are hundreds of varieties of non-native plants, if you have an interest in things botanical, you will be in heaven! From what I hear some people actually like to do things other than wine taste in this town. The story behind it is wonderful. When it was dedicated the donor was anonymous. When that person died, her name was revealed. Alice Keck Park (her father founded Standard Oil Co.) Her name presented a problem in naming the place. Alice Keck Park park. Hmmm didn't have a great ring to it... so park was changed to memorial gardens and all was good. I have been in the park when bands were playing when people practiced their juggling! It is active and fun. There are paths and places to picnic. Certainly a great, great jewel in this wonderful town! If you would like to learn more about this wonderful little oasis... here is a link to a nice article: http://www.independent.com/news/2006/jun/08/the-story-of-alice-keck-park-m/

I left the house in a hurry and discovered, as the bus was rocking down Hollister, I had brought the camera but forgot the memory chip. That left approximately 12 pictures of internal memory. When the bus arrived downtown, I walked away from the station and I could feel my feet adjusting to my old shoes, I could taste the throbbing in my back from yesterday's boat ride, and I kept thinking about my 12 pictures. During my pissed-off walk I saw a park and a sign that read Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. I saw a little lily pond and took a picture (11) saw an overgrown path (10) sat down on the bricks of a bridge that ran over a small pond and took a picture of the classic-looking gas lamps that were nestled into the wild growth (9), the old man under the tree reading from a textbook (8) the couple laying in the grass, kissing (7) interesting flowers (6)(5)(4)(3)(2)(1). I felt the wind come through and watched as a couple of monarch butterflies were stirred from their hiding place. Then the white flower petals above me fluttered like confetti to the ground. It's a beautiful little place to sit and study, contemplate the mosaic of your life, or just enjoy natural beauty in the middle of the bustle... even if you fart, the scent is gently caressed into the air.

This is one of the City of Santa Barbara's most beautiful public parks, and I'd dare say, one of the loveliest in the entire state. A hardworking corps of volunteers keep the gardens and gorgeous koi pond in tip top condition. The best "seat in the house" is to be found within the rustically charming gazebo, which gives you a ringside view of the "show", consisting of some pretty darned enthralling interspecies antics between the resident carp, turtles and ducks. Watching the humongous goldfish, lazy amphibians and frisky quackers going at it has to be the best entertainment value in this vainglorious playground of the rich and famous. Heck, it's worth the current price of gas to see the critters going at it in blissful oblivion. Another highlight of the park is the winding walkway which meanders about, connecting various areas of specialty plantings, that feature many lovely species. Many of them hit the double jackpot by also being appropriate for xeriscaping. Each varietal has been chosen to thrive with minimal watering. The gardens are not only aesthetically pleasing but go to show that beauty need not consume mass quantities of precious water. If you are a photographer, you will love the opportunity to add to, or commence your floral portfolio, as well as grabbing some great candids of the denizens of the pond. Alice Keck must surely be smiling from the Great Beyond to know this park that is her namesake, provides so much happiness to so many. A visit there is always on my To Do List when I am in Santa Barbara, and you should plan a visit there as well. (Be forewarned however, you aren't allowed to feed the animals, so save your old crusts for making bread pudding instead).

What an awesome little park in downtown Santa Barbara. During my last trip to Santa Barbara a few weeks ago, I had a few hours to kill. I pulled out my trusty Yelp app to look for something to do near by that was free, and Alice Keck Memorial Park popped up. It wasnt too far from the main downtown attractions and so I knew it would be a quick walk or drive there. The park was really beautiful, even in winter (when I went). The park, which features plants that grow well in the Mediterranean climate, is divided into a few sections including a sensory garden, a pond, and a succulents garden section. The sensory garden was cool, which apparently was designed for those who had visual impairments. The sensory garden features plants with strong scents or contrasting textures to allow people with any visual impairments to enjoy the garden using their other senses. The pond is also really cute--lots of shorebirds and waterfowl come here to get some water and be fed. Don't forget about the turtles--there are probably hundreds of them. If you don't see the turtles, you're on the wrong side of the pond --walk around until you find them (I found them near the mini gazebo). Lastly, the succulent gardens were super cool since not many places around the world feature these types of plants as part of a garden. I had recently read a book on succulent gardens in California, and I believe Alice Keck was featured in the book! As mentioned before, Alice Keck is very close to the main downtown attractions (about a 15 min walk from Figueroa and State Sts). For those driving, there is ample 2 hour parking and no time limit parking as well. Since Alice Keck is in a residential area, there are street sweeping schedules to be mindful of. Alice Keck is a great little hidden gem in the downtown Santa Barbara area that offers visitors and locals alike a great place to walk, chill, or learn about nature. Best of all it's free, conveniently located near downtown, and parking is easy! 5 stars.

Alice Keck PARK Memorial Gardens (the name entered for this garden is incorrect) is the best public garden in Santa Barbara. It is not only beautiful to walk around and laze about on the numerous grassy knolls, but is horticulturally stimulating as well. The Environmental Horticulture students from the local college come here to study plant names and Brooks photography students are often at the park taking photos. Wednesdays are my favorite days at the park for two reasons. First, because of Circus Wednesdays. From 5:30-ish onwards, hula hoopers and poi spinners gather on the grass near the pond and play around. Anyone is welcome, there are usually extra hoops to share. Sometimes stilt walkers appear, and sometimes someone brings a croquet set for a game or two. Second, up in the center of the park, an Old Time band jams. It's wonderful to listen to. The circus group only meets when daylight extends into the evening. I imagine it's the same for the old time band. Pretty much spring, summer and most of the autumn. I uploaded some pictures of a hooper at the park, and the band. Give the Gardens a visit and come play!

Nice park. Lots of areas to sit and just take it all in. Very peaceful. It would have been nice if some of the plants were labeled with something other than a marker with a letter and number on it. If you love looking at pond turtles, there are hundreds of them!! Nice collection of hibiscus plants!

This really is one of SB's hidden gems. Take a blanket and a picnic and it's the PERFECT place to spend the afternoon. I agree with some of the reviews, it's not much of a tourist stop. But it's a VERY beautiful park to just relax in. Take a nap to recharge from the hectic sight-seeing. =) It's a botanical garden, so if you love gardens, this spot is a must see. It's beautiful, free, and incredibly peaceful. My favorite part of the park is the Butterfly Garden.

I'm very impressed with this public park. If we had something like this in LA, the plants would be trampled and plants picked. SB does a great job with maintaining the park, and situated in a nice quiet neighborhood. I loved the wide array of plants and the layout of the gardens. I was in love with all the turtles in and around the pond, and some laying on the lily pads. We parked on the street and walked most of the park. Great place for photos and very relaxing to walk around.

Beautiful. A little oasis in the heart of Santa Barbara. The lake is lovely. The benches picturesque and perfect for some time alone to read or spend with someone you love. Kids abound watching ducks. People meander through the foliage. Lovely! Word to all: Love it that so many people want to feed the ducks, but please don't feed them bread. Especially ducklings! It can prove deadly. It's so unhealthy. The ducks can't digest it properly. Cracked corn, bird seed, or waterfowl food you can get at a feed store works best. Or go online and look for other things you can safely feed a duck. Not trying to be difficult but I have a Brook in my yard and ducks of my own, so I'm kinda sensitive about these amazing little creatures. Enjoy the park!!!! Side note: easy easy parking around the perimeter is another plus.

Santa Barbara really has some lovely outdoor spaces and the memorial Garden is certainly one of them! I come here to walk my dog, sit and think or picnic and it is always so peaceful and relaxing with the combination of beautiful flowers and trees and serene water. There are so many little books and crannies to sit and read or think or a bunch of paths to explore if you're like me and need to be moving. In terms of wildlife, obviously there are ducks and various birds, but look out for turtles in the pond and on the rocks as well. The butterflies that are drawn to the place because of the butterfly habitat come in a wide array of colors and are certainly a sight to be seen.

Just a great park all around!! This park is three city blocks and each block of park has its own feel. The elbow block has a giant kids play area with huge wooden play structure and other play equipment. No pets allowed, and it is gated off with a low fence from the rest of the park. Grassy lawn with shade trees take up the rest of this block. To the south is a quiet block of park with lawn and trees. Calm and relaxing or great for a picnic. The third block of park includes a pond (where people dump unwanted turtles and which as a HUGE population of red-eared sliders) with ducks, some lawn, and a botanical garden. There are walking paths through the plants and in the spring the flowers are gorgeous. It's very common to see wedding ceremonies here on a weekend in the spring. Beautiful and relaxing and great for photographs! Free parking on the streets, though it gets crowded on beautiful weekends.

Very nice area to hang out. My kids enjoyed watching the ducks and turtles in the ponds. There are quite a few seating areas with shade.

Cute and peaceful little park. A quiet and quaint little spot to have a picnic or to even just go read a book or watch the ducks and turtles and relax! I recommend this place for a few minutes of meditation or serenity.

Most beautifully laid out public park. Has so many areas to rest, picnic, read or stroll. Love all the streams. Many shaded areas too. We'll be back.

Small park with a peaceful environment! Like the small pond with ducks, seagulls and turtles! Good place to relax and see some birds and dogs!

(Post 1/5 on our "Get the heck out of LA for a day" road trip) It was so hot here in the LA area that hubby & I decided to take a spur-of-the-moment road trip out of town. Heads, we go north. Tails, we go south. Heads! First stop: Santa Barbara. I Yelped SB to find someplace that would be lovely to look at (and free). Someplace cool and relaxing. The Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens fit the bill perfectly. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D2z42OxeHojKEyAYcfIIzA?select=kef4XnmYkBMSQ-OgQRpkBA It's a lovely family (and dog)-friendly park! The locals are friendly. Even the park rules are friendly! We've been to some gardens where we've had "to stay on the designated paths". There were quite a few people lounging on the grass and taking in the sun. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D2z42OxeHojKEyAYcfIIzA?select=ORCxUqxBqsBCaWN0wOMEKA There's informational audio stations here and there to tell you about the flora in the immediate area. Interesting fact- The garden was planned with water conservation in mind. Plenty of benches and sitting areas under the trees to relax in. A large koi-turtle-duck pond that branches out to become little streams in nearby areas. A gazebo overlooking the entire pond area. Some delightful pathways that could be easily missed unless you're taking your time wandering about. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D2z42OxeHojKEyAYcfIIzA?select=BspqH2Wh9BEOuN4FJDMLlg A large stone sundial that I couldn't figure out. Many gorgeous Monarch Butterflies were flitting about! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D2z42OxeHojKEyAYcfIIzA?select=vqKV6mjB6ohD5yqi5ymrjw The fall foliage is beginning to show. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D2z42OxeHojKEyAYcfIIzA?select=WbqzVH95O99iT38zqPLj0g Right across the street is a play park for the kiddies. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/D2z42OxeHojKEyAYcfIIzA?select=Qa8ewl-JDJHTl1auQN8VzQ I could imagine that many brides & grooms come here to take their wedding portraits. Photo opportunities are plentiful. If you're a garden enthusiast, I'd recommend a visit! Note: I read elsewhere and in Vee C's review that this 4.5 acre garden is maintained by local volunteers. Kudos! Your garden was much appreciated and we had a lovely visit!

Turtles, a gazebo, hidden paths, koi, and people getting married. I also saw a huge owl here once. AKA Alice Keck Park Park, since the lady's full name was Alice Keck Park. Good thing it wasn't Alice Keck Conveniencestore or Alice Keck Minimall, because then we wouldn't have this nice park.

I used to live across the street from here and it was where I would escape to when I needed to get back in touch with the 3D world after editing all day long. There's Koi, turtles and lots of different birds for the bird watchers. But the main thing here is the different types of plants and trees that are kept pristine by the city and volunteers. Something the other reviewers haven't mentioned is that it is completely organic, they don't use pesticides. So take in a deep breath and soak in one of the best parts of Santa Barbara.