Your job: Decide to get out of town and fast. Our job: Help you find where you're headed. This week, NBCLA's Worth the Drive takes us to...
Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival: It's a mondo four-day celebration devoted to the grape.
Dates: Friday, April 16 through Monday, April 19
Premiere event: The alfresco party in Lompoc on Saturday afternoon, April 17. Over 130 winemakers and their fans will be libationing it up in one of the area's prettiest towns. Have you been to Lompoc? Murals. So many.
Other to-dos: We're liking the Vintners Visa, which is a pass to a dozen area wineries of basically your choosing (you'll want to eye participating places). Tasting fees will be vamoosed, courtesy of your visa. Plus, each winery is doing something a little different. Rideau is tempting us, with its fried chicken barbecue on Saturday, April 17. And the many discounts, at places like Summerland and Mandolina.
Price: The Vintners Visa is $35, but drops to $25 if you buy a ticket to the Saturday fest in Lompoc. Which is $75 in advance.
Plus... Santa Barbara's own Community Environmental Council, one of the first groups anywhere to get an Earth Day party together way back when, is throwing a large two-day Earth Day festival at Alameda Park. Get details.
And... It's Santa Barbara's Founding Day on Saturday, April 17. There will be cake at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. There will be historic demos. There will be stirring words spoken. Santa Barbara is turning 228, and we didn't get it anything. Next year.
