The city of Goleta – which means “schooner,” or “small ship” in Spanish – got its name because of the schooners that stopped in the harbor to drop off goods and pick up hides.

Just nine miles north of Santa Barbara, Calif., it’s not one of the state’s bigger towns: The 2023 population was 32,665. But Goleta has a rich and diverse history that offers something of intrigue for everyone.

Two tranquil local attractions are all about butterflies, because monarchs migrate to California November through February. The Coronado Butterfly Preserve and the Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove are located near each other. The Coronado site is 9.3 acres and naturally landscaped, featuring native coastal sage and eucalyptus. The Goleta site, also known as the Ellwood Main Monarch Aggregation Site, is larger – 137 acres – and is known for a significant population of Monarchs during the winter months.

Best of all, there are no admission fees. As many as 1,000 visitors attend per weekend of the butterfly season.

Other outdoor attractions in Goleta include LeCumbre Peak, Lizard’s Mouth Rock and the Moreton Bay fig tree, which is the largest Ficus macrophylla in the United States. There’s more to the tree than just being big, though. There’s a plaque at the base which tells the story: A seaman visiting Santa Barbara in 1876 gave a fig tree seedling to a local girl. She planted it, and when she moved away a year later a friend transplanted it to a different location.

The tree was designated as a historic landmark in 1970, and it is so big that no directions to find it are necessary. It’s hard to miss: Its total height is 80 feet.

Another setting of natural beauty that is open to visitors would be the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. It has almost 80 acres of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. More than a simple garden, it is considered a living museum, dedicated to research, education and conservation of California native plants.

For those who prefer museums, there are plenty to choose from in Goleta. There is the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, the Carriage and Western Art Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the South Coast Railroad Museum. There are also landmarks such as the Reagan Ranch Center and the Rancho La Patera and Stow House, a beautiful historical Gothic Victorian home that once served as headquarters of the original Rancho La Goleta.

There is plenty to do for children, too; how about Kids World, which is described as the mother of all playgrounds, in Santa Barbara? The 8,000 square feet of fun contains castles, swings, slides, whales to sit on and sharks to climb over. There’s also a special enclosed section to keep toddlers safe and stadium seating from which parents can watch.

The Santa Barbara Zoo has more than 200 species, and it’s special too; the staff aims to maintain genetic diversity, sustaining and guarding against extinction.

If the kids are interested in a wholly different experience, take them to the Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation, or MOXI. It has seven themed areas: technology, sound, natural forces (such as gravity and magnetism), speed, light, media and a rooftop garden. Time spent here is meant to inspire the future and help children learn through interactive experiences.

Consider checking out the Shipwreck Playground or maybe Wallis Park, whose merry-go-rounds and swings, bank shot basketball, bocce and chess are meant for adults and children alike to enjoy. It even has a piñata pole.

At Sunny Fields Park, children can experience a gingerbread house, a puppet theater and a Viking ship. There’s kayak rental available, and skateboarding is OK in designated spaces. There are also opportunities for camping.

But above all, Goleta is particularly known for lemons and avocados.

The two fruits were initially brought to California in the late 18th century. Sherman Patterson Stow planted the first known commercial lemon orchard in 1875, incorporating new varieties such as thorn-free Eurekas and Lisbon lemons. In 1881, Stow sold his lemons at 90 cents for 70 pounds.

Lemon acreage in Goleta increased greatly in the 1930s. By 1936, the first packing and storage plant employed as many as 350 workers during peak season. By 1951, when a new plant was built to replace that original one that had been destroyed by fire the year before, it was the largest lemon processing facility in the world at 182,000 square feet of floor space.

Agricultural history and pride are well-reflected in the Goleta Lemon Association brand labels: Goleta and San Marcos were top quality, La Patera was extra choice, Schooner, Channel and Arboleda were choice and Estero was standard.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Goleta has hosted a lemon festival every year since 1991. This year it will be held Sept. 27-28. Featuring free parking and admission, the festival, which takes place at the Santa Barbara Airport, offers a Kids Zone complete with wristband for all-day carnival rides and plenty of free activities: bungee, bounce houses, rock walls, slot cars, miniature golf and an interactive castle, to name just a few. There’s also Safety Street, where kids can meet Santa Barbara first responders, climb into a firetruck, sit in the driver’s seat of a police car, check out an ambulance and pet police dogs. If that’s not exciting enough, there’s a Jaws of Life rescue demonstration during which a crashed car is torn apart.

Local artists perform on the Riviera Bank Main Stage both days; come prepared to dance. And each day at noon there is a pie eating contest – lemon pie, of course. Saturday offers a classic car show.

One can often see lemon and avocado groves side by side in Goleta. Ellwood Ranch grows approximately 100 acres of avocados, and Rancho La Paloma is a certified organic avocado farm selling not only avocados but boxed trees.

The sunny climate lends itself as well to avocado production as well as lemons. And yes, there is an annual Avocado Festival, too, in nearby Carpinteria.

After enjoying lemons and avocados, visitors can tour the wineries: Au Bon Climat, Silver Wines, Andrew Murray Vineyards, Barbieri Wine Company, Beckmen Vineyards, Bedford Winery, Bien Nacido & Solomon Hills, Blackjack Ranch Vineyards, Brander Vineyard, Buttonwood Winery and Cambria Estate Winery. The list seems endless, and every vintage is delicious. And there is every kind of food imaginable at local restaurants: mesquite barbecued chicken at the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch, pizza and more at Ca’ Dario, as well as coffee, desserts, deli sandwiches, smoothies, hot dogs, sushi and more.

Ten different art galleries await both residents and visitors alike. Goleta has shopping and spas, libraries, movie theaters and performing arts venues, too. There’s the Chumash Painted Cave, with centuries old Native American artwork. There are Depot Days, which celebrate the time the train station was saved from being demolished, and a holiday parade and the Stow House Holiday celebration at Rancho La Patera, where the kids can see Santa and his goats. That’s right: not reindeer, but goats.

To wrap it all up, Goleta has so much to offer that visitors may decide not just to tour, but to stay.

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