Santa Barbara gets "Sideways" boost; Ventura and Oxnard play up laid-back lifestyle.

Just as Orange County has become "The O.C." thanks to a hit TV series, Santa Barbara is getting extra publicity as a result of the 2004 hit movie "Sideways." And they're happy to get the attention.

"A lot of Californians already knew about wine country, but 'Sideways' has brought more high-end visitors to the area," said Donna Mulgrew director of sales with the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau.

The CVB has plans to launch a culinary tour to go along with its wine tours.

"Everyone is doing wine country tours and dinners now," she said.

That holds true for meeting planners as well as weekend visitors.

Visit bookshops and gift shops along State Street today and it's hard to miss half a dozen or so books featuring "Sideways Country," as it's now called.

To be sure, the Santa Ynez Valley wine country is a draw for weekenders, locals and visitors alike, as is the Santa Mafia Valley to the north. But few know that the wine culture can be traced back about 200 years to vines brought from Mexico.

Today, wine trails focus on several areas of the county: Santa Ynez and Los Olivos; Foxen Canyon and Alisos Canyon; Solvang; Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria. Wine tours also can be arranged from town.

Visitors who fly in perhaps already were surprised to learn that the Santa Barbara airport has 10 nonstop destinations, including Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, and has more than 100 daily flights.

Whether you're starting out in a rental car or driving down from the Hearst Castle to the north, you're likely to be using Highway 101 and seeing sweeping vistas of the Channel Islands off the coast before coming into the seaside city of Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara has long been a favorite filming location--long before "Sideways"--and a hideaway for the stars. But today, instead of Charlie Chaplin, you might bump into Brad Pitt, Kevin Costner, Jennifer Aniston, or Oprah, all of whom own homes in the city.

For Californians, Santa Barbara provides the ideal weekend getaway. Only a couple of hours from most of Los Angeles and about four hours from Orange County, it's got something for everyone, including more restaurants per capita than most major cities.

Downtown alone has more than a dozen art galleries, half a dozen performing arts venues, the E1 Presidio De Santa Barbara State Historic Park--a reconstruction of the original Spanish fort built here in 1782--and the Maritime Museum.

This is a city where you can shop until you drop at centers along State Street like Paseo Nuevo, La Arcada, Victoria Court or E1 Paseo, which was the first enclosed shopping area in the city. A charming visitor trolley will take you up and down State Street during the day for just 25 cents per trip. Its western terminus is at historic Stearns Wharf, which now boasts several restaurants like the rebuilt Moby Dick and Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, or Stearns Wharf Vintners for wine tasting. The new Ty Warner Sea Center on the wharf is a hands-on science center that debuted in April and is part of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Sea Center rents to groups for private receptions.

Warner, the Beanie Babies magnate who lives in Montecito, owns the Four Seasons Biltmore and four other Santa Barbara-area lodging and golf properties and recently announced the purchase of the Miramar Hotel property for an estimated sales price of $45 million.

Santa Barbara is known for a wealth of charming B&Bs like the Inn of the Spanish Garden, the Cheshire Cat Inn & Cottages and Upham Hotel as well as its high-end resorts like Bacara and Four Seasons.

It has beachfront resorts like Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, which stretches along Cabrillo Blvd., Harbor Inn and Hotel Oceana and more rural options like the Santa Ynez Inn in wine country or Inn at Petersen Village in Solvang, about 30 minutes north.

Orient Express has purchased the historic El Encanto Hotel, and will make some cosmetic upgrades this year, Mulgrew said. But in late 2006 it will close for a total renovation.

With the uptick in visitors, it can be a challenge to find weekend rooms unless you've booked ahead, but meeting planners may have better luck with mid-week meetings.

"Occupancy is high, but there are still some bargains," Mulgrew said.

"The big thing to remember is that the good bargains are from November to March," she said.

Despite a rainy winter, first quarter hotel occupancy rose to 71%, with the average room rate at $123, according to Los Angeles-based PKF Consulting, which tracks the hospitality industry.

In all, Santa Barbara has about 4,500 hotel rooms at the beach, downtown or within 10 minutes of the city center. Plenty more dot the surrounding area, including the sprawling Alisal Ranch in San Ysidro, where the term 'executive retreat' takes on a whole new meaning when a company rents the entire ranch for a get-together. Once attendees get over the shock of having no TVs and no cell phone service, they get out and enjoy the ranch, planners say.

Another outdoor retreat is El Capitan Canyon, which has a ranch facility and 15 miles of riding trails. And the Chumash Casino Resort has earned a four-diamond rating from AAA, combining upscale lodging with gaming in the Santa Ynez Valley.

For those who prefer more pampering, top-rated resorts like Bacara, the Four Seasons Biltmore or Hotel Oceana fit the bill. The Four Seasons also has a four-diamond, three-star restaurant in La Marina and boasts the area's only four-star spa.

Part of Santa Barbara's charm is its class Spanish adobe look, with red roof tiles gracing the hillsides. Perched on one of those hillsides is the Santa Barbara Mission, one of the string of missions built by early settlers throughout California. It's a favorite site for receptions, Mulgrew said, as is the county courthouse--said to be one of the most photographed buildings in the country.

If you're seeking an elegant setting for a special event, or just some relaxation, visit the Botanic Garden, a 78-acre living museum, or the Zoo, which added snow leopards to its facility early this year as well as a giraffe encounter that allows you to break bread with the towering animals. The Zoo can host a variety of corporate events, reunions, family picnics and birthday parties.

Plentiful parks, gardens, jogging and biking trails and beaches lure most visitors to the shore during warmer weather, but land/sea tours, whale watching, kayaking, snorkeling, diving and trips to the Channel Islands also are at hand.

Santa Barbara boasts six championship golf courses as well as nine-hole and private courses that include Rancho San Marcos, River Course at the Alisal, and La Purisima.

New to the dining scene: the Quantum Restaurant & Lounge near the wharf, which serves tapas-style dishes and Eclectico Gourmet Mushrooms and Truffles. For California cuisine, try Kevin Costner's Epiphany, the Spanish-style nu or the Wine Cask, which also boasts more than 30,000 bottles of wine. For casual dining, the FisHouse near the foot of State Street is a local favorite, though Brophy Brothers and the Harbor Restaurant may be better known.

State Street is the heart of the nightlife scene, with everything from Irish and English pubs and nightly entertainment at restaurant SohO to Absinthe for the younger crowd and Indochine for cabaret-style entertainment.

Try to include Solvang and Ojai on your way to Ventura.

Solvang is Southern California's 'Little Denmark,' replete with pastry shops, restaurants and windmills. The shops and inns are charming and the food is tempting.

State Route 154 wends its way from Solvang past Lake Cachuma recreation area and through the hills south toward Ventura. When you reach Route 33, turn toward Ojai, where the Ojai Valley Inn has just completed a $70 million renovation that brought its room count to 308, including 63 suites. Set on 220 acres, the Inn has evolved from a golf club to a full-service resort and spa. With an 800-acre ranch adjacent, there are plenty of opportunities for horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking or fishing. The Inn operates Camp Ojai for children 5-12, enabling adults to do their thing while the kids visit the petting zoo or learn about local Indian tribes.

VENTURA/OXNARD

Ventura marks roughly the halfway point on your tour to L.A., and is well worth a stop, even if it's just for the beaches, the fisherman's market at the marina or a day-cruise to the Channel Islands.

A host of hotels like the Marriott, Holiday Inn (soon to be rechristened a Crowne Plaza) and Pierpont Inn have benefited from recent renovations that have brought a decidedly more upscale feel to the city.

Downtown, too, has experienced rejuvenation. While views of the city from the graceful city hall and the San Buenaventura Mission illustrate the town's beauty, energy emanates from new restaurants, nightclubs, wine bars and a growing stable of art studios and galleries.

Tutti's Restaurant relocated to Ventura from Montecito within the last year and restaurants like Jonathan's, The Sidecar Restaurant, and Cafe Fiore provide an exceptional epicurean experience. For an international culinary touch, try the Taj Cafe, specializing in Northern Indian cuisine and Cafe Bariloche, an Argentinean restaurant.

New bars and nightspots like Dargan's Irish Pub and J's Tapas--a martini bar with live jazz--have joined others like bistro Table 13 to spice up the nightlife.

A stylish collection of wine bars including Westside Cellar Cafe & Lounge, Wine Lovers. Alegria! and Nona's Courtyard Cafe & Wine Bar offer a chance for quiet conversation; or take part in Alive After 5--a program of evening cultural activities that includes poetry readings, art receptions and other specials downtown.

"Business is strong," said Jim Luttjohann, executive director of the Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau. Luttjohann said the town has even developed its own "Sideways" itinerary for tour operators heading to the area.

Ventura CVB director of sales Kathleen Fitzgerald said teambuilding and corporate retreats focused on outdoor adventure are mainstays of the meetings business.

"There are programs for executive surfing and kayaking and the state park has an event planner on staff to help obtain permits, or build bonfires for groups," she said.

Using the Yellow Umbrella catering company, groups can even hold a meeting on the beach.

Heading south to Oxnard, you can get back on U.S. 101 or take the scenic coastal road through Port Hueneme, modeled after the more famous 17-Mile drive in Monterey.

In Oxnard--named for a former sugar beet factory owner--you can explore the city's agricultural history at Heritage Square, where historic structures have been preserved.

Other historic spots include a Children's Museum, Maritime Museum, and the Otis Chandler Museum of Transportation and Wildlife.

Outdoors, visit the Dallas Cowboys' training camp in summer or explore seven miles of beachfront.

New this year: the largest kosher winery on the West Coast, Herzog Wine Cellars. The 73,000 square-foot winery will have the capacity to produce 200,000 cases of wine annually and will conduct tours and wine tasting.

Oxnard has roughly 1,800 hotel rooms, including 248 on the beach at Embassy Suites Mandalay Bay, and about 150,000 square feet of meeting space in all at other facilities such as the Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn and the River Ridge Golf Course. Coming soon: a 166-room Hilton Garden Inn.

And now, back to U.S. 101 toward Los Angeles.