Thanks! I'm wondering; is Santa Barbara too far of a drive to the library? Would like to stay near the ocean if possible.
You would be in for a long day to start in San Diego, visit the library and then continue on to Santa Barbara.
You might also consider stopping at Nixon's Library, it is off the 57 and 91 about 6-8 miles from I-5.
As an alternative to SB, you could consider staying in Ventura (30 minutes from SB) at the PierPont. Close to the ocean (have to walk under freeway), and then go into SB the next day.
I do not know the area very well near the Reagan Library, sorry.
Santa Barbara is about 75 miles away. Traffic between Santa Barbara and Ventura can be very bad at times even on weekends.
If you want to stay on the water, and want to see the Santa Barbara Mission, look up the Marriott in Oxnard which is two
blocks from the sandy and windy beach, or go to the hotels on the Ventura Marina... also there's a Holiday Inn on the beach right in downtown Ventura, which is now a funky, fun Main drag with Starbucks and restaurants/bars... Also, there are alot of B&Bs in the area that might give a cozier stay than the standard hotel room...
the new Air Force One bldg is awesome and there are new exhibits on RRs California days and Hollywood days, worth the day it will take to see it all, enjoy!