Sunday, August 29, 2021

Exploring California: A Stopover at Santa Barbara's Chromatic Gate



I love rainbows and have always been fascinated with the fable that there's gold at the end of it. While I find it hard to believe in finding treasure at the bottom of a rainbow, there's something precious about standing next to one ... or a likeness of it!


Last weekend, as we took a road trip to California's Central Coast, I asked my husband to do a pit stop at Santa Barbara so we can visit the Chromatic Gate at the Arco Circle. This historical landmark was designed by artist Herbert Bayer (b.1900 - d.1985) and was installed in 1991, six years after his passing. It is 21 feet high and weighs 12.5 tons.

According to seecalifornia.com, the structure's completion and existence was made possible by art visionary Paul Mills (among others), the longest-serving art director at Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

This lovely rainbow arch has a small park behind it where we saw some people having picnics. It is also located just across a wide stretch of beach and very near the Santa Barbara Zoo. I hope we'd have more time to explore the next time we come visit.  

In case you're wondering, we were there around noon on a Sunday and the foot traffic was light. There were other groups of tourists who also took pictures at the site but it wasn't crowded. People were very respectful of others' personal space so it was easy to have the area to ourselves for several minutes. Parking at the side of the road was also not a problem.



Santa Barbara's Chromatic Gate
is located at Cabrillo Park, 633 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, CA 93103.  See more California travel tips and photos by following @CaliTravelDiary on Instagram.


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