Every time I visit Santa Barbara County, I wonder why I don’t live there. As I drove up the coast from Los Angeles on a scorching summer day, the temperature dropped to a pleasant 75 degrees and the Santa Ynez Mountains pierced an azure sky. It felt like something out of a movie … until we got stuck in standstill traffic on the 101.

Periodic congestion aside, the “American Riviera” along the Santa Barbara County coast is one of the most idyllic destinations in the contiguous United States. Galleries and boutiques fill the pedestrian-friendly streets, farmers markets overflow with bounty, local wineries produce international-quality bottlings, and casual eateries can outchef some of the best restaurants in the country. It’s hard to imagine a higher quality of life, which is perhaps why stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have decided to reside there.

Though our Sunday afternoon traffic jam was an inauspicious start to our journey, as soon as we exited the freeway, our week of travels through Montecito, Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley was filled with rich rewards.