Established in 1972, the Carriage and Western Art Museum of Santa Barbara is a non-profit organization with the mission to collect, display and preserve historic horse-drawn vehicles, saddles and western memorabilia. Stop by and inspect their collection, one of the largest in the United States. In addition, the Museum's collection of saddles is second to none. The collection includes saddles once owned by Will Rogers, Clark Gable, Cisco Kid, Jimmy Stewart plus others.
Stagecoach Junction
Bart Dickens of Dickens Innovations designed and built the western town facades at the museum, recently named Stagecoach Junction. Aged wood, 100 year old and square nails were just some of the materials used in the craftsmanship of this unique setting, perfect for the western theme events hosted at the museum.
First the Museum decorated a corner of the barn area to look like a cantina. It was Chuck Pressley's vision (Past Vice President) to make the saloon the beginnings of a western town. With the building of Stagecoach Junction, they've enhanced the educational value of a tour through the Carriage Museum by merging the vision of the town with the experience of the children as they study the history of west.
Rental facility
The Carriage Museum is available for rental most of the year. The Museum offers its entire facility for rental, providing round tables, banquet tables, and folding chairs for dinner seating. Cocktail party-style arrangements will accommodate hunrdreds of guests. Step up to the old-time saloon area for a more intimate gathering. For large parties, the room can be expanded by opening the barn doors and utilizing the outside lot. The room measures 160 feet long and 40 feet wide (6400 Sq Ft) with a 22 foot high ceiling. Except for the permanent displays, all carriages can be relocated to accommodate your party. New fixtures and electrical upgrades allow for discretion in lighting, giving you the choice to create a variety of moods. The premises has no cooking or refrigeration facilities, except for bar cooler.