A drive up and over the mountains on State Route 154 is always pleasant. Cut across on Route 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley to visit the Danish colonial town of Solvang. It's not my style but it's popular with tourists. For something more nature-y, visit Nojoqui Falls Park nearby. It's an easy walk in a shaded canyon to a tall falls. Link: http://www.countyofsb.org/parks/parks02.aspx?id=8068.


With your late international arrival, staying at one of the hotels near LAX instead of trying to drive somewhere more scenic is reasonable. Traffic on weekends starts to thicken up after 10am, so as long as you're under way by 09:30 you'll avoid most of it.