Ellwood Butterfly Grove

Lisa Frank ain't got nothin' on Santa Barbara: One of the most beautiful sights in SoCal (and, arguably, in the world) is the city's Monarch Butterfly Grove. In the late 1800s, a man named Ellwood Cooper grew olives, walnuts, grapes, almonds, oranges and lemons on his ranch in Goleta. Butterflies flocked to this bounty during their yearly migration, and still arrive in droves every year from mid-November through mid-February. Visits to the Ellwood Mesa, where the Grove is located, are free—there's an abundance of hiking trails, as well as beach access and public restrooms in the parking lot. Tip: The pretty creatures are most abundant on cool, early mornings, but most active on warm afternoons.