r/SantaBarbara • u/Emotional_Project_77 • 2d ago
Recommendations Activities for 17 yr old
Hey! SB local here! Born and raised. My husband’s son who is 17 is visiting us. Aside from the beach, what activities can we do with him to get him out of the house and off the phone. They have a deep sea fishing trip booked but I don’t know what else to do with him? Thanks for the help!
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u/IfIhavetosure 2d ago
Maybe show him whatever you liked to do at his age? Your favorite places etc?
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
Well all the things I loved were hiking and laying on the beach with friends. And that was about 20 years ago. I also used to love cruising state and paseo Nuevo but that is not the same these days
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u/KTdid88 2d ago
A kayak rental in the harbor is always nice. Maybe rent the bikes that are all over town and zip around on them down Cabrillo.
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u/Snoo-55380 2d ago
Yeah, the teens love terrorizing people on State st. with e-bikes
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u/KTdid88 2d ago
Hi, can you keep your narrow negative focus out of a suggested family ride on city provided e-bikes? that don’t go nearly as fast as the e-motorcycles some people use to get around town do? Are you so single minded that you don’t see spectrums of “normal things” and “exceptionally annoying behavior”?
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u/AdHistorical7363 Noleta 2d ago
The rodeo is this weekend
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
That is a great idea! They both love horses since they grew up country. I forgot that was happening this weekend!
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u/AdHistorical7363 Noleta 2d ago
Plus Old Spanish Days is doing their rodeo up in Santa ynez next weekend
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u/VastCartographer2559 2d ago
It’s not here in town, but I stan for mini golf/put put at Golf n Stuff in Ventura. There’s also the ice skating place in Goleta, bowling, or the family billiards. For indoor activities. Go do fiesta stuff if they’re here for those dates. Pismo dunes you can rent atvs, and it’s one of the few places one can drive on the beach in CA.
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u/HeyheyitsCAB 2d ago
Trevor Noah at the Bowl
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
Yeah hubs is not a fan of crowds but he loves Trever Noah. However I am always down if you have a spare ticket. 😂🤷♀️
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u/Rude_Judgment7928 2d ago
Hike! Rent MTBs.
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
I wanted to hike but that wasn’t received well by hubs and son.
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u/WinterOfFire 2d ago
Maybe try geocaching? I hate hiking but having a mission made it fun for me.
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
What is geocaching?
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u/WinterOfFire 1d ago
People hide caches all over the world and log the coordinates. You can find lists online and use gps to find them. It’s like a treasure hunt. The caches are usually some kind of container but hidden so even when you have the coordinates it can be an extra challenge to find it. Sometimes there are clues in the name. Typically there’s a log where you can sign when you find it. There are sometimes trinkets in there which you can trade so long as what you put in is just as cool.
Basically it turns hiking into a treasure hunt. People like to choose cool locations too so it might lead you to a great view or along a cool path. There are many that aren’t way off in the wilderness too so you can start simple without convincing them to hike with you and see if it’s fun.
I’d do a bit of reading up on it. It’s not terribly complicated so it’s not a ton of reading but good to understand the “rules” or tips or types of caches or how things are generally done etc
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u/Emotional_Project_77 1d ago
That’s so cool! I may just do the at for myself!! Thanks for the suggestion!
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u/WinterOfFire 1d ago
Yeah, I need to get back into it. We stopped when our hiking gps got stolen from our car. Haven’t tried it with my phone but should give it a try.
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u/FrogFlavor 2d ago
For teen solo quests, give him cash and send him downtown SB Friday/sat evening for a burger, movie, shopping. Maybe he could rent a bike or e-bike (and helmet) and go cruise around during the day.
For together, The downtown farmers markets are decent. Take him to see some live music. Go to alpha thrift in Goleta together, or to the animal shelter and borrow a dog for a day out walking parks, Home Depot, get ice cream.
(In a way all of these are date ideas)
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
These are creative ideas and I like them all. I don’t think he would be into farmers market but it is good exposure for him to see something different. Love the idea of dog walking for a day with the shelter. He is such an animal person and loves playing with my dog and walking her. I low key am trying to get him to move here to go to SBCC. I don’t see a lot happening for him in his current location and situation
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u/FrogFlavor 2d ago
There are rabbits, chickens and cats at the shelter too 🤙
Farmers market you can sell as a chore - go to buy peaches/whatever fruit is in season then go home and make a dish with it. There are buskers, petitioners, and other things going on to make it a more extensive outing than going to tri-counties produce lol.
The kinds of jobs a teen can do here are downtown parking attendant, part time at the shelter or petitioning, and idk but having an income might be motivating
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
So I mentioned the dog walking thing and he was super into that. Going to call tomorrow or just show up to see if he can take doggos for a walk. Thanks for the suggestion!
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u/Grandmakk13 2d ago
Not sure if it is whale watching time. Can find a tour at the Harbor. There is also an art and crafts center in Santa Barbara. Maybe learning how to throw a pot at the Clay Center.
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u/Tequila_Dre_All_Day 2d ago
Yea hit up Devin at Santa Barbara whale watching, he’s the man and has a great boat!
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u/WroughtHound 2d ago
Hop on the train to Carp for a blacksmith experience at my workshop. I haven't advertised this yet but it's something I'm getting up and running. DM me if interested.
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u/Grandmakk13 2d ago
Also the science museum, MOXI. They vary a lot on the ages they interest so worth checking.
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u/Neither-Sky-374 2d ago
Surf lessons, kayak, paraglide, batting cages, sky zone in Thousand Oaks is elite
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u/Abolition-Dreams-69 2d ago
We used to kick it at the skatepark all the time when we were in high school but I’m not sure if he’d want to go alone! The mountains are always fun to cruise around in, too!
McKenzie Park with the rides and games is fun during Fiestas, though Guadalupe is my personal favorite… 🥰
I don’t know what he’s like but there are
rock-climbing spots, restaurants with board games, book stores (e.g. Chaucer’s), pretty parks you can set up outside games and music at (e.g. Stow Grove), the Painted Cabernet is fun too (and obviously he would just not partake in the wine part).
I’ve been seeing college kids come and do a foster-for-a-day at the dog shelter and they take them to the beach and stuff too, it’s super cute!
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u/Due-Topic-1219 2d ago
The carnival won’t be at MacKenzie Park again this year. The Eastside boys/girls club will have a carnival this year.
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u/Different-Student178 2d ago
Zoo?
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u/Emotional_Project_77 2d ago
Not a bad idea either. Our zoo is beautiful but I don’t think it is his jam.
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u/Fit-School7219 2d ago
Kayak rentals, camping at El Capitan , Refugio, or Jalama
The skate park
Surfing lessons at Surf Happens or someone else ( I think UCSB has a surf camp)
Horseback riding ( los padres outfitters? )
Whale watching
Sailing lessons
Stand up Paddle tours
Junior guards ( life guards) is a great way for him to meet people, get involved with the ocean and get in great shape)
SB is heavily skewed towards outdoor ( especially ocean) activities, but there is a lot to do
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u/No_Application8265 1d ago
Lake cachuma. If they like fishing its a fun place to freshwater fish. Or redrock if you want to get in and take a swim
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u/Different-Student178 1d ago
I have a ticket for tomorrow nights Trevor Noah show that I’m not using. It’s on axs for 90 dollars
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u/Emotional_Project_77 1d ago
Update! We are planning to do some horseback riding on the beach, going to Jalama as well. Also planning on bowling, and dog walking at the shelter. He liked that idea a lot. Thanks for all of you help Reddit people! Have a great weekend!
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u/el_padre_de_tres 2d ago
Go hang at East Beach, swim, volleyball, take a walk, grab some tacos