Entry No. 16 — the Santa Barbara file — filed under: historic theater

Arlington Theatre — the indoor starry ceiling

Inside this 1931 movie palace the walls are built out into a fake Spanish village of balconies and staircases that dissolves overhead into a painted twilight sky 'peppered with twinkling stars which blinked throughout each performance' — one observer likened it to 'a swashbuckling scene straight out of an old Zorro motion picture.'

The move: Buy tickets to whatever's on the bill — film, touring band, comedy set — mostly as an excuse to sit under 2,010 seats' worth of fake night sky; get there early and just tilt your head back before the house lights drop.

• 📍 Downtown Santa Barbara
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 1317 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-20