Arroyo Burro Beach, also known as Hendry's Beach by local residents, is a public beach in Santa Barbara County, California. Located off of Cliff Drive, it is the terminus of Arroyo Burro Creek, and stands at the foot of the Santa Barbara coastal bluffs of the Wilcox Property which is adjacent to the east. The community of Hope Ranch is about one mile to the west.
Arroyo Burro has a reputation as a "dog beach", and is a popular location for dog owners to walk their pets off leash, though Arroyo Burro itself is actually on-leash (the off-leash area is just east below the Wilcox Property Douglas Family Preserve). Surfers also frequent the beach's waters, and outdoor showers facilitate the sport. The beach's other recreational features include a grassy area with picnic tables and barbecue grills, the Arroyo Burro County Park building which houses a restaurant and snack bar with outdoor and indoor seating, and a building constructed out of recycled and reclaimed materials that houses an ecological education center known as the
"Watershed Resource Center". The park officially opens at 8:00 am and closes at sunset, at which time entrance to the (free) parking lot is prohibited. However, vehicles parked before sunset can remain into the evening hours.
A once popular restaurant known as "The Brown Pelican" formerly situated overlooking the beach closed in November 2007, after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors declined to renew their lease of twenty-five years. The "Boathouse" opened up in August 2008 in its place, with new owners and significant remodeling.