For drier weather and an easy beach day with kids, La Jolla; for a zoo day and cooler, wetter winters, Santa Barbara. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals put about 12 inches of rain a year at La Jolla against 19 inches in Santa Barbara, and both see summer highs in the upper 70s. La Jolla Shores has a mile of sand, usually the gentlest summer waves of any San Diego beach, a permanent lifeguard station and a playground, and Birch Aquarium at Scripps is also in La Jolla. Santa Barbara answers with its zoo and the Sea Center aquarium on Stearns Wharf.
La Jolla’s family anchors
La Jolla Shores Beach: about a mile of sand with usually the gentlest summer waves of any San Diego beach, a permanent lifeguard station and a playground.
Birch Aquarium: Birch Aquarium at Scripps, at 2300 Expedition Way.
Weather: drier La Jolla, wetter Santa Barbara
NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals give the La Jolla 2.1 SE station 12.07 inches of rain a year and the Santa Barbara station 18.98 inches. Santa Barbara’s wettest months, December through March, average 3.07 to 4.43 inches each; La Jolla’s wettest, January and February, average 2.39 and 2.73 inches.
Summer afternoons are close: Santa Barbara’s August normal high is 77.7°F, and San Diego’s official station at Lindbergh Field, about 10 miles south of La Jolla, reads 77.3°F. Nights differ more. Santa Barbara’s January normal low is 46.5°F against 50.3°F in San Diego, and its August low is 60.3°F against 67.5°F.
NOAA’s coastal water temperature guide puts the sea at La Jolla between 58.9°F in January and February and 68.4°F in August.
Family days in La Jolla
The City of San Diego describes La Jolla Shores as a sandy beach about a mile long where summer waves are usually the gentlest of all San Diego beaches. It is one of nine city beaches with a permanent lifeguard station, and it lists a playground, picnic areas, fire pits, restrooms, showers and beach wheelchairs. It borders the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve, so nothing may be fished or taken from the water.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is at 2300 Expedition Way in La Jolla.
Family days in Santa Barbara
The Santa Barbara Zoo opens daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in fall and winter (last entry 4 p.m.) and until 7 p.m. in spring and summer, and recommends reserving tickets. On Stearns Wharf, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center is a highly interactive aquarium of animals from the Santa Barbara Channel, including moon jellies, a California moray eel and its most popular resident, the two-spot octopus.
Which to choose
Pick La Jolla for a beach-centered family trip with less rain, warmer nights and usually gentle, lifeguarded summer surf at the Shores. Pick Santa Barbara if a zoo day matters most, and pack warmer layers for its cooler nights.
Related La Jolla guides
FAQ
Is La Jolla or Santa Barbara warmer?
Summer highs are about the same, in the upper 70s. Nights are warmer near La Jolla: San Diego’s normal January low is 50.3°F against 46.5°F in Santa Barbara, and its August low is 67.5°F against 60.3°F (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
Does it rain more in Santa Barbara than La Jolla?
Yes. NOAA’s normals give Santa Barbara 18.98 inches a year and La Jolla about 12 inches, with most of it falling from December through March.
Is La Jolla or Santa Barbara better for families?
For beach time, La Jolla: La Jolla Shores has usually gentle summer waves, a permanent lifeguard station and a playground, and Birch Aquarium at Scripps is in La Jolla too. For animals on land, Santa Barbara has its zoo, plus the Sea Center aquarium on Stearns Wharf.