Family Vacation Center at UC Santa Barbara
Located at UC Santa Barbara, CA
Look no further than the Family Vacation Center held each summer on the beach, on the campus of UC Santa Barbara. My family spent 10 fabulous summer vacations there. Their motto is “the best vacation since becoming parents” and they live up to the motto in all respects.
We have been going to FVC every year since 2016. Our kids, who are preschoolers, love the counsellers, activities, and especially the variety of food that FVC (by way of the UCSB cafeteria) has to offer. The staff led by Sheri really go out of their way to make sure that your family has a fun and stress free vacation. You have the ability to structure your daily acitivities to emphasize relaxation, fitness, partying, or a combination of all three. The location (UCSB campus) is breathtaking and has lots of room to wander, run and explore. Brian
Family Vacation Center at UCSB. The dorms are not rustic, and adult beds are transformed into 'kings' with foam padding and zip ties. The staff is amazing, you are steps from the beach and the pool is on site. If you decide to go, share my user name!
UCSB has something like family camp, with a kids' camp on-site, but you stay in the dorms which I assume are not rustic. It's expensive though!
Archived Q&A and Reviews
August 2008
Re: Family camp next year for 6 and 7 year olds?
Try Family Vacation Center at USCB in Santa Barbara. We went to San Jose family camp for a few years, but sleeping on a cot in a tent in 100 degrees did not make for a comfortable week for us parents! ''FVC'' at UCSB houses you in dorm rooms. We have two children and arrived to find we were placed in a 4 bedroom dorm room. We had two bathrooms, two showers, a bed for each child and a bedroom to store the bikes. Privacy for mom & dad was a real plus!
We went knowing nobody but both my kids had ''best friends'' in a day or two. There is enough activity to keep any parent happy. It's just a bit higher class than many other camps, but the price is very reasonable. We enjoyed wine tasting and tours, yoga, kayaking, horseback riding, surf lessons, BBQ on the beach, movies, etc. but you can also do nothing but read by the pool if that suits you.
I also can't say enough about the counselors for the kids. I don't know how they do it, but they are unfailingly enthusiastic and fun, and the kids just LOVE them. They participate in so many activities as well. As parents we seem to have just the right amount of alone time and also the right amount of family time. No matter what I think, both kids voted to attend three more years and still want me to book next year. I really can't say enough about the location, the staff, and the fun times we have there. We have met really neat friends there and even learned to surf (fairly badly - but it's not for lack of quality instruction!) Check it out before you decide. For us, the drive is well worth it. Kirsten
Santa Barbara Family Camp
Feb 2006
We are considering a family vacation this summer at Santa Barbara Family Camp. Has anyone had any experiences with it? Gina
If you are talking about the Family Vacation Center at UCSB, we have attended with our three children 2 years and are going again this year. We love it. The counselors are great. The family activities are wonderful. The accommodations are suites with several bedrooms and a living room. The food is really quite good. The activities for the adults are fun too. Something for everyone and there's no pressure on the adults to do anything if you don't want to do it. The only thing is that it can be hard to get into because it is very popular. If you are looking into it, you should call soon as I imagine the most popular weeks are already sold out. Shannon
Parent Reviews
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