Arroyo Burro Beach

Description

Arroyo Burro Beach, also known as Hendry's Beach by local residents, is a public beach in Santa Barbara County, California. Located off of Cliff Drive, it is the terminus of Arroyo Burro Creek, and stands at the foot of the Santa Barbara coastal bluffs of the Wilcox Property (i.e. Douglas Family Preserve), which is adjacent to the east. The community of Hope Ranch is about one mile to the west.Arroyo Burro has a reputation as a "dog beach", and is a popular location for dog owners to walk their pets off leash, though Arroyo Burro itself is actually on-leash (the off-leash area is just east below the Wilcox Property Douglas Family Preserve). Surfers also frequent the beach's waters, and outdoor showers facilitate the sport. The beach's other recreational features include a grassy area with picnic tables and barbecue grills, the Arroyo Burro County Park building which houses a restaurant and snack bar with outdoor and indoor seating, and a building constructed out of recycled and reclaimed materials that houses an ecological education center known as the "Watershed Resource Center". The park officially opens at 8:00 am and closes at sunset, at which time entrance to the (free) parking lot is prohibited. However, vehicles parked before sunset can remain into the evening hours.A once popular restaurant known as "The Brown Pelican" formerly situated overlooking the beach closed in November 2007, after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors declined to renew their lease of twenty-five years. The "Boathouse" opened up in August 2008 in its place, with new owners and significant remodeling.HistoryThe Hendry's Beach name is used by local residents, as the nearby farm land was the home of Scottish immigrants William Nicol Hendry and Anne Stronach Hendry and their twelve children. William who arrived in Santa Barbara circa 1872, initially worked as an agricultural laborer for Ellwood Cooper at his Goleta Valley ranch for a number of years before becoming a substantial landholder himself. By 1884, Hendry leased over 360acre in the vicinity of Arroyo Burro, including Veronica Springs and portions of Hope Ranch. He principally cultivated hay, oats, barley, and most profitably lima beans. The Hendry family inhabited the area until 1918, when William sold the farm for $80,000 and moved his family to Chapala Street in downtown Santa Barbara.