AlanHarmon.net

We love to travel to Solvang. There is so much to do there you can go every year if you live in Southern California or Central California. Here is our list of things to do:

Nearby Towns

• Santa Ynez
• Buelton
• Los Olivos
• Ballard

Some Attractions We Have Been to in each City
Solvang - Solvang Brewing, Tons of Bakeries
Buelton - Distillery
Los Olivos - Olive Oil Shop, Figuroa Mountain Brewery, Firestone Winery(north of town)
Ballard - Lincourt Winery, Bob's Well Bread Bakery
Santa Ynez - Trattoria Grappolo Restaurant, Gainey Vineyards, Sunstone Winery, El Rancho Market

Everything is less than 15 minutes Away

You can travel from one corner of the triangle to another in less than 15 minutes (not including traffic). Sometimes traffic is an issue though, so plan accordingly.

This area is densely packed with so many different things to do that you can easily spend several weekends here exploring without repeating anywhere you have gone before. From my experience, I like to return to those 'go-to spots' and then add in some new ones to make the trip a little more interesting.

Solvang

There are so many things to do here. Everything Danish, Great Food, Beer, Wine, Fun People to Watch - what more can you ask for?

Los Olivos

This tiny town is packed with fun places to browse around, or hunker down for a while and have a nice relaxing time with your friends and favorite beverage.

Buellton

The first time I was in Buellton we went to the DorWood Distillery and I talked to the owner for about an hour about his journey into spirit making. He and his brother quit their day jobs and went on this adventure together, while his elderly mother was doing errands for him and brining him luch everyday. Here is where I really started my journey on learning about distilled spirits.

My second trip to Buellton was to visit the Tesla Supercharging Station. That was my first road trip with my Tesla back in 2019, and I began to understand what range-anxiety really meant. I think i had 3% charge remaining when we finally located this spot next to the hotel. We walked down the street for a much-needed drink at the Firestone Walker Brewing Company.

Santa Ynez

My favorite Merlot is from Gainey Vineyard. In fact, I only have one bottle left and I will be searching for more while I am up there. I think that is the best value merlot there is. For about $13 a bottle, in my blind taste tests with family, this is usually picked as there favorites, even going up agains much more expensive bottles.

Strange to mention El Rancho Market, right? Wrong. This place is a great stop for made to order foods, prepared foods, or a well stocked travel grocery store. If you are hungry or are preparing a meal at your timeshare, be sure to stop here.

Ballard

We went to Lincourt with my soon-to-be sister in law back on our Tesla Road Trip in 2019. She loves their Chardonnay. The grounds are fun, and I love how the vineyard is right there to explore.

We have never been to Finley Farms or Bob's Well Bread Bakery (strange name huh?), but we love going to small produce stands and fun bakeries, so they will be on go-to list for our next trip up here.

10-7-2023 - Solvang is about two and a half hours from home, so not too far. We usually stay Saturday and Sunday night, and come home on Monday to avoid having traffic issues. -Alan
(76.169.161.191) - [Post-00076]

10-6-2023 - Never been! How long do you stay? We may go soon but it looks like quite a drive without a couple days right? -Tom
(149.34.252.59) - [Post-00076]

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