Start planning your visit! See below for campus-wide activities that are available throughout the weekend.
Registration opens September 24. Take advantage of reduced pricing by registering before October 15. Registration closes October 29 at 5:00 PM [PST].
Check in at Gaucho Family Headquarters to receive your all-access passes and event tickets. We'll also be here to answer questions and help plan your day. Located inside the University Center (UCen) Lobby.
Friday 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Markets & Eateries
Pop into one of our retail dining units during the weekend! At our on-campus cafes, eateries and markets Campus Dining strives to offer value, convenience and delicious culinary options that reflect the cultural diversity and dietary needs of our guests in a welcoming atmosphere.
Visit the Markets & Eateries website for locations and hours of operation.
Dining Commons
Share a meal with your student during the weekend at one of our three self-operated, award-winning dining commons that provide a comfortable setting to enhance the living and learning experience. Visitor's can purchase meals at the door using a credit card, Gaucho Bucks, or by charging to their student's BARC account.
Adults: $17, Children 5 - 12: $12 and children 4 and under are free. Please note, the student must be present to use Gaucho Bucks or charge to a BARC account.
Visit the Campus Dining website for locations and hours of operation.
Parents are welcome to visit the Residence Halls during the weekend! Coordinate a location to meet up with your student to get a tour of their residence.
Visit the Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises website for more info.
The UCSB Campus Store has a large selection of UCSB apparel and gifts, school supplies, and more. Store hours are:
Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed on Sunday
Shop online at the UCSB Campus Store.
TIP: Remember to schedule time to spend with your Gaucho! Go to the beach together or share a meal, whatever it is, document the moment and share it on social media using #UCSBPFW.
Self-Guided Tours
Follow this self-guided tour around the campus lagoon and learn about the natural history and current management of this coastal resource. Habitat restoration for wildfire and water quality will be reviewed as you leisurely walk the 1.5-mile loop around the lagoon.
View the tour on the campus map.
The reserve is an excellent place to see unique wildlife and habitats. Explore these habitats along a two-mile loop trail or visit smaller sections at a time. Along this trail, you’ll find 19 interpretive signs with associated downloadable podcasts that provide additional information.
Directions/Parking:
From the 101: Exit Glen Annie/Storke and turn onto Storke towards the ocean. Take Storke until it hits El Colegio. At this point, Storke turns into Slough Road- but you have to stay to the right of Storke Rd to enter Slough Rd. Continue straight on Slough Rd. At the end of Slough Road, there are UCSB parking lots where you can purchase a day-use permit.
Throughout history and around the globe, humans have gathered resources from plants. This tour highlights 10 plant species that provide us with food, medicine and folklore.
View the tour on the campus map.
UCSB is home to plants from six of the seven continents on Earth. A few species are unique to campus and are not found anywhere else in Santa Barbara County. This tour takes you on an hour-long loop through some of the most unique and prized tree specimens on the campus.
View the tour on the campus map.
Open to students, staff, faculty, and the public. Specially designed to be ADA compliant & Wheelchair accessible. The campus labyrinth is a place of calm that encourages meditation, reflection, and rejuvenation. The beautiful location of the labyrinth - on the bluff above the Pacific Ocean - invites an appreciation of nature in a very special way. There are sights, sounds and scents of nature with tremendous restorative power. Instructions and directions are available on the Student Wellbeing website.
UCSB is home to over 25 interesting palm species. This tour provides an opportunity to see eleven palms that provide a distinctive element in the landscape of the campus.
View the tour on the campus map.
Campus-Wide Activities
Be sure to stop by and explore the various exhibits on display. Visit the Art, Design & Architecture Museum website for more information or explore the online exhibitions.
Friday 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Climb one of the largest imprint rock walls on the West Coast. UCSB's 30-foot imprint climbing wall has natural features built-in, making it look and feel more like real rock! Equipment and training are provided. There is no age limit to climb, however, it is requested that children under the age of 18 be accompanied by an adult.
Friday & Saturday 11:30 AM - 8:30 PM
Located in the MAC (Multi Activity Center) at the Rec Cen.
Adults: $8/per person, UCSB Students: FREE
Check out the Fall exhibits at our Campus Library. Visit the UCSB Library Event & Exhibitions website for more information and specific exhibit hours.
Registered families of Parents & Family Weekend receive FREE admission to the Rec Cen on November 6 & 7. Guests must be 18 years or older to participate and valid a valid photo ID. Show your PFW name badge at the front desk for access.
Rec Cen Hours:
Friday 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
#UCSBPFW
Share your Gaucho Family experience on social media!
Questions About Parents & Family Weekend?
Contact us at (805) 893-7382 or email Parent@ia.ucsb.edu.
This event will be photographed and/or recorded. By entering this space, you agree and grant irrevocable permission to have your likeness, image, voice, and appearance photographed and recorded for any University business-related purpose and used as embodied in UC Regents Product[s] whether recorded on or transferred to videotape, film, slides, photographs, audiotapes or other media, now known or later developed, and to be included in various University marketing, outreach, or news campaigns.