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Go Back to School at UCSB
updated: Mar 19, 2011, 8:45 AM

By the dedicated staff

The University of California at Santa Barbara is the area's largest employer, and a nationally renowned educational institution. Situated on a beautiful coastal bluff, it's one of the most gorgeous locations for a university to be found in the entire country.

Most locals have some connection to the university, even if it's just a friend or family member who attended there. But if you're not a student, parent of a student, alumni, employee or otherwise part of the Gaucho family, here are some tips and highlights for a visit to campus.

The most important thing to know before you go at UCSB is about parking. There is no free parking on campus at any time and you must purchase a parking pass from one of the computerized kiosks located in every university parking lot. They take cash and credit cards. Trust us on this one - those tickets are no fun. The only option for nearby street parking is to walk onto campus from Isla Vista.

The very best resource we can direct you to before visiting is the campus map. Find it online right here. It shows you where the parking lots are, the location of various departments and dorms, and will help you plan where you want to start and end your tour. All of the highlights mentioned below are on the map.

Walk the labyrinth and the lagoon. The campus lagoon, which allows for the ingress and egress of overflow ocean water, is a unique part of UCSB. Flanked by dorms and the University Center, this unique water feature has sandy bluffs on the coastal edge, with trails for walking or jogging. You can observe wildlife here, including birds and raccoons, dolphins and whales offshore, and sometimes even a coyote. Just this year, a contemplative labyrinth was built in the center of the lagoon bluffs. It's a neat addition to a spot that already invites thoughtful meditation.

Visit the art museum, or just check out the art around campus. One of the best-kept secrets on campus, the University Art Museum offers compelling rotating exhibits. Unfortunately, it's currently closed for a seismic retrofit and scheduled to be open again in Fall 2012. Link to Museum website. In the meantime, take a stroll around campus and view all of the interesting, mostly modern art located around the classrooms and office buildings. There are lots of unexpected things to see. Two of the newest, largest public art pieces on campus are, the Henley Gate at the Hwy. 217 entrance to campus, and the large abstract mural on the side of the engineering building. These are definite conversation starters.

Dine at the Faculty Club. The best food on campus is at the Faculty Club, a gourmet restaurant operated for faculty and administrators, but open to the public. The Faculty Club is located with a view of the lagoon in a sunny, modern building, and is also rented out for private events. The menu changes seasonally, and you can see a constantly updated menu of weekly specials, including prices, here. Best bet: Faculty Club risottos are always delicious. If you're looking to get closer to the students during your UC dining experience, head for the downstairs food court at the UCEN, the student center in the middle of campus that also includes the university bookstore.

Catch a game at the Thunderdome or Harder Stadium. A funny thing happened on UCSB's journey to academic success - the university also built some pretty good sports programs. Without a football team, athletic energy at UCSB is focused primarily on three sports for men and women: basketball, volleyball, and soccer. Each of the teams is NCAA Division I, competing at the highest level of collegiate competition. This year, the men's basketball team won the Big West Tournament, and earned a spot in the NCAA tourney, and the men's soccer team is a past national championship winner. The Thunderdome, where Gaucho fans famously throw tortillas on the court during really big games, is an intimate venue for watching basketball or volleyball. At Harder Stadium, the men's soccer team has led the nation in game attendance for the last four seasons. Get the full athletics schedule during your visit

Back to class at Campbell Hall. Nicknamed "Hamburger Hall" by students, the famous domed lecture hall is where most UCSB freshmen have at least a couple classes. It's also a venue for major lectures and film screenings. UCSB offers a wide-ranging public program of talks, screenings, dance and music performances called Arts and Lectures. (See full schedule of events Students get discounts, and the community gets the benefit of broadening its academic horizons long after the diplomas are handed out. Some of these events take place in theater venues in downtown Santa Barbara, but many are at Campbell Hall, where you can sink into a seat with a little wooden desk and feel, maybe just for a minute or two, like you are back in college again - without all the pesky reading and exams, of course.