'''Santa Maria''' is a city in Santa Barbara County in California.

Get in

By plane

'''Santa Maria''' has a one terminal airport. Scheduled flights are available to and from Los Angeles (5-6 flights per day on '''United Airlines''' [http://www.united.com/]) and Las Vegas (Sunday, Wednesday and Friday service only on '''Allegiant Air''' [http://www.allegiantair.com/]. Non-stop flights are offered to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Prices start around $200 for a ticket purchased separately, but are much less expensive when combined with flights going through Los Angeles. Some direct weekday flights from Santa Maria to Las Vegas via Allegiant Air can be as inexpensive as $29 each way. Air Charter or air taxi is another alternative, where you can catch flights to San Diego for the weekend, or to any large or small airport. Air charters fly point-to-point, at the departure time, departure airport, and arrival airport of the passengers' choosing. Prices start around $150 for a seat on flights that might already be going to your destination, or go from $1,000 to $10,000 or more for a custom-chartered flight where you hire the aircraft to fly you directly to your destination, any time you want to go. On-demand flights, and seats on flights already chartered to/from Santa Maria are offered by '''Great Circle Aviation''' [http://www.iflyfast.com/] and other charter airlines.

By bus/train

'''Amtrak''' [http://www.amtrak.com/] provides connecting bus service through '''Santa Maria''' (bus stop is located at the IHOP near 101/Main St). The bus connects with the Pacific Surfliner train in Santa Barbara. There is a train station in the near-by town of Guadalupe served by the Pacific Surfliner Amtrak train (one southbound train from San Luis Obispo stops there in the morning, northbound train from San Diego stops there at night).

There is a Greyhound station at 755 W Cypress Street, and the Greyhound bus also stops at the same IHOP as the Amtrak bus.

By car

'''Santa Maria''' is home to one of the first and one of the few still-operating drive-in movie theaters, it is definitely a car town. Highway 101 runs through Santa Maria, as well as California highways 1, 135 and 166. North on 101 takes you through '''Pismo Beach''' and on to '''San Luis Obispo'''. South takes you to '''Solvang''' and '''Santa Barbara'''. Highway 1 is a scenic drive, taken northward it leads you through several small towns eventually connecting with 101 just past '''Pismo Beach'''. Taken south it leads to '''Lompoc''' and Vandenberg Air Force Base. Highway 166 west takes you to Guadalupe, and east takes you to the great central valley of '''California'''.

Get around

Santa Maria has public transportation, '''SMAT''' [http://www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/], with more coverage during the day, and service ending at 10:15 pm. SMAT has routes all throughout the city. Central Coast Area Transit operates routes between San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, and riders can connect with other CCAT routes in San Luis Obispo to go further north into San Luis Obispo County. As of 2008 it only costs $2.00 for the 33 mile bus ride from Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo. The Guadalupe Flyer takes you west of Santa Maria through scenic Highway 166 to Guadalupe. There is also the Breeze Bus which has stops in near Vandenburg Air Force Base, and nearby Lompoc. Public transportation in the valley will take you anywhere you want but a car would be best.

See

There are not very many tourist attractions in '''Santa Maria''' proper, but the '''Santa Maria Inn''' [http://www.santamariainn.com/] has a very interesting set of photos and documents about the history of the area and '''Captain Alan Hancock''', the person who essentially established '''Santa Maria''', or '''Central City''', as he knew it.

Do

  • Boomers! Fun Park. 250 N. Preisker Lane. 1 805 928-4942. ttp://www.boomersparks.com/park/santamaria/index.html. -F: 12 noon-9PM, Sa: 10AM-9PM, Su: 10AM-9PM. Miniature golf, go-karts, batting cages, arcade, and rock climbing wall.
  • Hi-Way Drive-In Theatre. 085 Santa Maria Way. 1 805 937-3515. One of the few remaining drive-in movie theatres in the United States. Call for current film and showtime.
  • Santa Maria Speedway. 900 Hutton Rd. /4-mile (0.4 km) north of the 101/166 interchange. 1 805 202-1492. ttp://www.santamariaspeedway.com/. id-April to mid-October. Sa: Gates open at 3PM, races start at 5PM. all +1 805 922-2233 for prices. 1/3 mile (0.5 km) clay oval track on which everything from factory stock to bandit sprint cars race. Part of the Coors Light Summer Racing Series.
  • Waller County Park. 1 805 934-6123. ttp://www.sbparks.org/Scripts/ParksDetail.asp?ParkID=25. AM-sunset. ree. A huge park with lakes, pony rides, hiking and biking trails, a frisbee golf course, and plenty of grassy lawn space.

    Buy

    Eat

    Drink

    Sleep

  • Best Western Big America. 725 N Broadway. 1 805 922-5200. 1 800 426-3213. 1 805 922-9865. ttp://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05453.

  • Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites. 100 N. Broadway. 1 805 928-6000. ttp://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/smxca.

  • Motel 6. 040 North Preisker Lane. 1 805 928-8111. 1 805 349-1219. ttp://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=0675.

  • The Historic Santa Maria Inn. 01 South Broadway. 1 805 928-7777" email=". 1 805 928-5690. ttp://www.santamariainn.com/. A Central Coast landmark since 1917.

    Get out

  • '''Nipomo-Guadalupe Dunes''' - an 18 mile stretch of shoreline containing the second-largest coastal dune field in California. Located west of Santa Maria.