Travel

Located right by the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, Santa Barbara is approximately 100 miles (160 km) north of the Los Angeles airport and 350 miles (560 km) south of San Francisco.

The conference will be held on the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus, which is located approximately two miles from the Santa Barbara Airport (code: SBA). The airport is served by several airlines, including American, American West, Delta, United, and US Airways.

We strongly recommend that you fly directly to Santa Barbara Airport.

FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE, which transmits between the Santa Barbara Airport or the Santa Barbara Airbus Goleta drop-off site and UCSB campus, is available for participants. (Information will be included in your confirmation email) Many Goleta hotels provide free shuttle pick-up from Santa Barbara Airport to UCSB as well.

If you decide to fly into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), you can rent a car or use the Santa Barbara Airbus. Santa Barbara Airbus provides daily bus trips from LAX to Santa Barbara (appx. $88 round-trip if reserved in advance, schedule/rates). Reservations are strongly recommended: (800)423-1618 (toll-free US/Canada), (805)964-7759 (outside US/Canada) or www.sbairbus.com. Discount rate is available for early reservation and for parties of two or more. If staying on campus, you will get off at the GOLETA stop and call for UCSB free shuttle service from there (you will receive the appropriate phone number in your confirmation email, depending on your residence hall assignment).

All major rental car agencies are represented in Santa Barbara. Driving directions link.

AMTRAK also has rail connections from both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amtrak terminals are located in Santa Barbara (12-15 miles from campus) and Goleta (5 miles from campus). NOTE: UCSB does NOT provide free shuttle service to/from the train stations; you will need to take a taxi.

Information about on-campus accommodations and local hotels can be found here.
Maps of the UCSB Campus, the Goleta- area, and othe local information are available here.

Important: Bring a sweater and/or jacket and comfortable shoes. Santa Barbara can be chilly at night. (This is crucial for the beach party!)

Parking

To park on campus, you must have a permit 7 days per week.

Participants staying on campus will be housed in Manzanita Village and will receive complimentary parking in 22 Structure. The 22 Structure will be stamped on their yellow conference permit. These permits will also be valid in Lot 3 AFTER 5pm for evening events on Sunday & Monday in UCen Lagoon Plaza.

Attendees from other UC campuses: Click for full information on UC Reciprocity visitor parking.

The off-campus non-UC attendees will need to pay for their parking. The cost is $8/day and $4 on evenings and weekends.
ARC participants staying off-campus with 22 Structure permits from pay and display machine can park in lot 3 AFTER 5pm for evening events on Sunday & Monday in UCen Lagoon Plaza. Off-campus participants may also purchase a permit from lot 3 AFTER 5pm if they do not already have a permit.

PARKING INFORMATION & DRIVING DIRECTIONS for OFF-CAMPUS participants

Parking information in this box is ONLY for participants staying in HOTELS or other OFF-CAMPUS accommodation. (Those staying on-campus should see the separate housing confirmation email.)

General Parking Info: UCSB parking permits are required 7 days per week. Be cautious of where you park. Guests are responsible for following parking rules and fo r any penalties. Please note that UCSB is a pedestrian campus and parking is limited. Your parking lot assignment may not necessarily be close to your assigned Residence Hall or session location.

“PAY & DISPLAY” PARKING PERMIT MACHINES: ARC participants staying in hotels or other OFF-CAMPUS accommodation will drive directly to the parking lot assigned for the conference. Machines selling “Pay & Display” permits are located in each parking lot.
Follow the below DRIVING DIRECTIONS and STEPS FOR PURCHASING A PERMIT if you are coming from OFF-CAMPUS accommodations

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: UCSB is easily accessible from highway US-101. Please see the map link at the top of this page. Note that if using driving directions/maps websites (such as Google Maps), there is no proper street address for UCSB; you can get basic directions by entering just the zip code of “93106”.

SUNDAY, JULY 13: PARKING IN LOT 3 ON SUNDAY and after 5pm during evening events in UCen Lagoon Plaza:
From the South: Take US-101 northbound to the Airport/UCSB/Hwy 217 exit (appx. 8 mi. north of downtown Santa Barbara). This expressway will take you directly into campus. As you enter campus, stay in the left lane; enter the roundabout, then exit the roundabout onto Lagoon Road. Turn right at the first stop sign onto UCEN Road, follow the road to the end, and turn RIGHT into LOT 3 PARKING before you come to the stop sign.
From the North: Take US-101 southbound to the Storke/Glen Annie Road exit. Turn right on Storke Road. Proceed 2 miles to El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road, proceed about one mile, and enter the UCSB campus. After entering campus, turn left at the second traffic light onto Ocean Road. Proceed on Ocean Road, make a sharp left turn at the stop sign, get in the right lane and bear right at the end of Ocean Road onto Mesa Road. Proceed into the traffic roundabout near the East Entrance of campus; exit the roundabout onto Lagoon Road. Turn right at the first stop sign onto UCEN Road, follow the road to the end, and turn RIGHT into LOT 3 PARKING before you come to the stop sign.
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, JULY 14-16: WEEKDAY PARKING IN STRUCTURE 22 PARKING ONLY
From the South: Take US-101 northbound to the Airport/UCSB/Hwy 217 exit (appx. 8 mi. north of downtown Santa Barbara). This expressway will take you directly into campus. As you enter campus, stay in the right lane and proceed on Mesa Road. Do not enter the roundabout. Turn left at the third traffic light onto Ocean Road. Proceed on Ocean Road through three traffic lights. About 100 yards past the third traffic light, turn left into the three-story STRUCTURE 22 PARKING.
From the North: Take US-101 southbound to the Storke/Glen Annie Road exit. Turn right on Storke Road. Proceed 2 miles to El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road, proceed about one mile, and enter the UCSB campus. After entering campus, turn right at the traffic light onto Ocean Road. Proceed about 100 yards and turn left into the three-story STRUCTURE 22 PARKING.

STEPS FOR PURCHASING A PERMIT in LOT 3 on SUNDAY and after 5pm during evening events in UCen Lagoon Plaza:

Purchase an evening permit using the machine in the lot. The “ARC” menu option will not be displayed.
Machines DO NOT GIVE CASH CHANGE, but do accept credit/debit cards.
Purchase the permit and place on the dashboard of your car on the driver’s side, so that it is VISIBLE from outside the car.

STEPS FOR PURCHASING A PERMIT in 22 PARKING STRUCTURE:

You may purchase a new one-day permit in 22 PARKING STRUCTURE each day OR you can choose “ARC”from the menu on the machine and choose the number of days you would like to purchase.
Machines DO NOT GIVE CASH CHANGE, but do accept credit/debit cards.
Purchase the permit and place on the dashboard of your car on the driver’s side, so that it is VISIBLE from outside the car.