Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens - Tourist Attractions

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Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens
updated: Aug 28, 2010, 8:40 AM

By the Dedicated Staff

Here at Edhat, we call it the "Park Park."

That confuses people until they realize that Alice Keck Park was the full name of the lovely lady for whom this mid-city garden is named. The garden is an oasis from the downtown hubbub and a treasure for all of Santa Barbara to enjoy. A long time ago, there was a hotel in this spot called El Mirasol.

Year-round, the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden is a lovely spot to walk, sit, think, nap, read, photograph, paint, relax, watch animals (including people), count turtles, feed ducks, catch some sun, and much more. There's not much you can't do at the park, except catch the fish enjoying life in the lily pond. Sometimes painting and photography classes and small weddings are held there. We recommend you don't leave Santa Barbara without stopping by.

Here are some of the best reasons to go to the Park Park:

It's an oasis. The only thing that makes it less of one is how popular the garden is. Even in the heart of Santa Barbara's mild winter, you will find people picnicking there. Last February Edhat held a member lunch there in howling wind and slight rain. Here's the story. When it dropped water on us, we retreated to the shelter of a pond-side gazebo. The park is most popular on sunshiny weekends when area residents bring out their towels and lemonade and the grassy knolls start to look a little like a beach. But if you look carefully, there are still secluded benches and quiet spots where you can get away and have some time to yourself. To get more solitude, visit during daytime hours, but not at lunchtime.

For artistic inspiration. It's hard to take a bad photograph in the garden. There is no shortage of subjects for the landscape artist or nature photographer. The wide variety of colorful flowers, plants and trees creates constantly changing views that will keep you coming back with your camera, easel or sketchpad all year long. It's also a great spot to bring the family or the kids for a portrait with a lovely backdrop. Toddlers running after ducks or turtles can be awfully cute.

For the plants. The garden isn't just beautiful, but much of it is a well-designed low water-use demonstration garden that can help you learn how to design a yard or garden in drought-prone Santa Barbara. A plant list is provided at the kiosk on the southwest side of the park and you can find out what plants will be less thirsty before your next visit to the nursery. The park is maintained by the City of Santa Barbara Parks Department. Edhat garden columnist Billy Goodnick once wrote a whole column about the plants at the park in wintertime, which you can see here

Take the kids. Kids love the garden. They love to look at the turtles and are often spotted trying to catch them before they escape back into the pond. The last time we were there we saw a patient dad who'd picked up a turtle for his son to see -- which was a big hit. They love running around on the grass and chasing the ducks. And if they get bored, Alameda Park, with its famous Kids World giant playground is just across Micheltorena Street. You really can't go wrong. Don't forget the sunscreen, snacks and hats!

For the perfect picnic. There are so many lovely spots to picnic in Santa Barbara, from the beach to the ocean view parks to the more rural mountain parks. In an earlier Tourist Attraction feature, we recommended picnicking at the Mission Rose Garden (LINK), and that's another favorite spot. Whether you pack your basket with a gourmet selection of cheese and crackers or make a peanut butter and jelly and stuff it in a backpack, you will be loving life with lunch and a good book at the park. A great spot is along the bank of the lily pond, which has a gentle grassy slope. Just watch out for those hungry ducks. They're known to be aggressive.