Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden

This is a beautifully landscaped park in the middle of Santa Barbara, with over 75 species of plants (many of which are flowering), a large pond filled with turtles, numerous curvilinear paths, a butterfly and moth garden, a sensory garden, picnic areas, a gazebo, abundant open and shaded places, and birds. There is also a low water-use demonstration garden. Alice Keck offers something to delight everyone no matter what season of the year.

Details

Location

1500 Santa Barbara St., SB

Managed By

City of Santa Barbara

Website(s)

https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/parks/features/horticulture/alicekeck.asp

Distance from UCSB

9.9 mi (biking)

How To Get There

Bike, Walk, Drive, Bus

Things To Do

Birdwatching, Picnicking, Playing on Grass Activities, Relaxing, Studying/Reading, Viewing (plants, flowers), Walking

Fun Facts

Formerly the site of a hotel, this land was purchased by Alice Keck and donated to the city in 1975 for a public park to be designed by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Alice chose Elizabeth Kellam de Forest, who had worked for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden for more than 30 years, to be the supervising landscape architect. Many consider it a visionary landscape filled with color and motion. The history of this public garden is inspiring.

Other Information

There is a very good Self-Guided Tree and Plant Tour.

Nearby Public Lands Worth Visiting

After enjoying Alice Keck Memorial Garden, you can just walk across Micheltorena St and visit Alameda Park. One of Santa Barbara’s oldest parks, Alameda has a lot of open/grassy areas, rare trees, picnic sites, a large playground, a bandstand, and is the site for the annual Earth Day Festival, which is sponsored by the Community Environmental Center. If you have time, take this interesting self-guided Tree Tour of the park.

Best Time To Visit

All Year