Additional Post Conference Excursion: Visit Santa Barbara!

We have added a second post conference excursion to the #WBC14 agenda for Sunday evening, July 13th!

Hosted by Visit Santa Barbara, this excursion begins at 3:45pm (at the conclusion of the Bridlewood Estate excursion), making it an excellent option to create a full post-conference day in the region. The city of Santa Barbara is one of the premier beach towns in California and this excursion shows off the best of the city from a wine lover’s viewpoint.

The excursion includes bus transport from Buellton to Santa Barbara; small-group tours of the eclectic Funk Zone neighborhood with its tasting rooms and food trucks, led by local winemakers as your tour guides; and a pizza party at the Santa Barbara Winery. The excursion finishes in Santa Barbara and you are free to stay the night or continue onward. If you stay the night, you can easily fly out from Santa Barbara or arrange transport to LAX the next morning.

The cost of the excursion is only $15.00 per person.

• If you have not yet registered for the conference, you can both register for the conference and for any or all of the excursions together here.
• If you have already registered for the conference and want to add an excursion to your itinerary, you can register via this page.

Itinerary & Logistics

Sunday, July 13, 2014

• 3:45 PM – Bus departs Santa Ynez Valley Marriott (bring your luggage)
• 4:45 PM – Bus arrives at the Santa Barbara Winery for a warm welcome to Santa Barbara (store your luggage here)
• 5:30 – 7:15 PM – Explore the Funk Zone tasting rooms by foot in small groups led by a local winemaker and enjoy small bites from local food trucks
• 7:30 PM – Return to the Santa Barbara Winery to enjoy additional wines from wineries with tasting rooms located in downtown Santa Barbara paired with freshly prepared pizza from a local chef
• 10:00 PM – Event concludes. Uber cars will be on hand and available to transport attendees to area hotels and/or to your final destination, if needed. You are responsible for this transportation cost.

Hotel Accommodations
Participants of this excursion are responsible for their own lodging. The Santa Barbara CVB has negotiated rates of $239 single or double occupancy ($50 off published rates) at the Fess Parker Doubletree Hotel, one of the premier hotels in the area. Reservations must be made by June 13, 2014 and you can book your room by contacting the hotel directly at 888-884-8508 and referencing “Wine Bloggers Conference”.

For less expensive accommodations, consider the nearby La Quinta Inn ($175 on Orbitz for this date), Orange Tree Inn ($160), Hotel Indigo ($189), or Avania Inn ($179).

Participation on this excursion is limited, so sign up soon if you want to conclude your WBC14 experience by having a little beach city fun with us in Santa Barbara!