About
Outdoor Education includes activities such as coastal kayaking, sea cave kayaking, snorkeling, surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, rock climbing, archery, canoeing, whale watching, hiking, natural history hikes, camping, backpacking, and beach games. The program also uses a high ropes course, low ropes course, a high ropes challenge course, team building and leadership building activities, icebreakers, reflective activities, and orienteering. Additional experiences include tidepooling and tide pooling, park interpretation and education, museum visits, a service project, college tours and panels, and kayaking into sea caves, through kelp beds, and in a marine protected area.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Two- to five-day excursions
Since 1998, Santa Barbara Adventure Company has operated Outdoor Education as part of its work as an adventure travel outfitter on the Central Coast. Trips are planned and operated by experienced staff with strong backgrounds in education and outdoor recreation. The organization states that NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) is incorporated into the curriculum, and that activities are integrated with students’ academic curriculum and fields of study through custom programs that supplement formal education. Outdoor Education is offered as an outdoor classroom with a focus on sustainability, social skills, and activities that relate to mental and physical well-being, and it is described as inclusive and welcoming for students of all needs and abilities. The provider is a full-service outfitter that handles logistics, lodging, curriculum, gear, and meals for these trips and does not sell outdoor equipment.
The mission of the organization running Outdoor Education is to inspire a love of nature and community by empowering all people through guided experiences. It has been providing educational trips for hundreds of school groups in California for over 24 years and works with each school individually to understand the curriculum students are learning in the classroom. It has been named Best Adventure Tour Company by Newsweek Readers’ Choice 2026 and voted #1 “Best Kayak Tour” in the nation by USA Today’s readers. Testimonials describe the trips as “the highlight of our trip. An experience we will never forget,” “absolutely fantastic,” and say that “the guides’ knowledge & communication were beyond all our expectations.”
Last updated July 2, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Two- to five-day excursions
Since 1998, Santa Barbara Adventure Company has operated Outdoor Education as part of its work as an adventure travel outfitter on the Central Coast. Trips are planned and operated by experienced staff with strong backgrounds in education and outdoor recreation. The organization states that NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) is incorporated into the curriculum, and that activities are integrated with students’ academic curriculum and fields of study through custom programs that supplement formal education. Outdoor Education is offered as an outdoor classroom with a focus on sustainability, social skills, and activities that relate to mental and physical well-being, and it is described as inclusive and welcoming for students of all needs and abilities. The provider is a full-service outfitter that handles logistics, lodging, curriculum, gear, and meals for these trips and does not sell outdoor equipment.
The mission of the organization running Outdoor Education is to inspire a love of nature and community by empowering all people through guided experiences. It has been providing educational trips for hundreds of school groups in California for over 24 years and works with each school individually to understand the curriculum students are learning in the classroom. It has been named Best Adventure Tour Company by Newsweek Readers’ Choice 2026 and voted #1 “Best Kayak Tour” in the nation by USA Today’s readers. Testimonials describe the trips as “the highlight of our trip. An experience we will never forget,” “absolutely fantastic,” and say that “the guides’ knowledge & communication were beyond all our expectations.”
Last updated July 2, 2026.
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