Things to Do in Solvang, CA – Found in the scenic Santa Ynez Valley in California, Solvang is a lovely wine country trip including unique architecture, historical attractions, antique stores and museums. Check out Old Objective Santa Ines, tour the Wildling Art Museum, see an efficiency at the Solvang Celebration Theater, and appreciate vintage motorbikes at the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum. Finest things to do in Solvang, California with kids consist of Hans Christian Anderson Park, the Solvang Trolley and the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art.
Things to Do in Solvang, CA
1# Old Mission Santa Ines
Old Objective Santa Inés is a magnificently brought back Catholic Objective developed in 1804 and among the top Solvang destinations. Through its 210-year long history, the mission suffered natural catastrophes, monetary hardships, political chaos, social upheaval, a rebellion, decay and neglect before undergoing numerous bouts of remediation and repair and turning into one of the real gems of California Missions.
The objective was originally developed to incorporate the Chumash People of the Santa Ynez valley into the way of life of Spain. Today, Old Mission Santa Inés is the guardian of a rare collection of art – paintings, vestments, statuary, artifacts, and manuscripts. The objective has an active parish, and you can come for a mass in English or Spanish or you can sign up with a docent-led tour of the mission treasures.
2# Elverhoj Museum of History and Art
The Elverhøj Museum of History and Art is committed to collecting, preserving and exhibiting Solvang’s abundant history and Danish culture of arts and crafts, and is one of the very best things to do in Solvang, California.
Housed in the previous home of among Solvang’s a lot of creative families, the historic hand-crafted structure was built by Viggo Brandt-Erichsen. The Elverhøj Museum is a community-based museum that presents the colorful heritage of Denmark, the Danish-American pioneer spirit and the Danish dedication to the arts. The structure is a work of art in itself with components of Scandinavian architecture, ornamental wrought ironwork and hand-painted panels and wood carvings.
The museum hosts a variety of exhibitions throughout the year, as well as education-based classes, arts and crafts workshops and Danish-influenced occasions for children of all ages.
3# Solvang Festival Theater
The Solvang Celebration Theater is a community-based theater devoted to promoting and supporting quality live performing arts and home entertainment. Built in 1974, the theater’s sneak preview was ‘When Upon a Bed mattress’ and has been providing the neighborhood with impressive theater shows, concerts and performances since. The theater has also been used for a variety of fundraising concerts, including jazz and comedy festivals, featuring famous artists like Crosby and Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Jim Messina and Tommy Castro.
If you are searching for distinct things to do in Solvang with kids, family-friendly events at the theater consist of ‘Household Night at the Theater’ and the popular ‘Sunday Jazz in the Garden’ series. The gorgeous theater has a range of modern-day centers, consisting of an outdoor 700-seat amphitheater, backstage dressing spaces, restrooms, and staging location and can be rented for personal events.
4# Wildling Art Museum
The Wildling Art Museum was founded in 1997 by Artist and conservation supporter Patti Jacquemain with the goal of inspiring the neighborhood and visitors to value, save and enjoy wildlife and nature through art.
Using art as a tool to inform and influence people to better comprehend and take care of nature’s dwindling natural and wilderness locations, the Museum has actually hosted more than 40 extremely effective art exhibitions, education programs, trips and tours and continues to do so today.
The Wildling Museum’s collection is little and diverse and includes works by nature professional photographers such as Jeff Jones, Ines Roberts, Richard Salas and Roger Craton, as well as oil paintings by well known painter John Fery. Other artists included in the museum consist of Lockwood de Forest, Russell Chatham, Everett Ruess and Ray Strong.
5# Rusack Vineyards
Nestled among the oak-dotted rolling hills of Ballard Canyon, Rusack Vineyards is a shop winery and vineyard that produces first-rate wines.
Owned by Geoff and Alison Rusack and managed by wine maker Steven Gerbac, Rusack Vineyards, whose label is a Catalina tile representing ‘the beauty of exactly what develops from mixing craft, earth, art and family’ boasts a lovely setting where to take pleasure in picnics and wine tastings. A contemporary tasting room features a substantial redwood deck built around 4 gorgeous ancient oaks where visitors can taste some of the estate’s finest vintages versus a backdrop of sensational vineyard views.
Relax on the oak-shaded deck while drinking Rusack’s award-winning handmade wines and enjoy a homemade picnic which can be bought on website.
6# Hans Christian Andersen Museum
The Hans Christian Andersen Museum is committed to the understanding and pleasure of the famous author Hans Christian Andersen and his world-renowned works. Located on the upper level of the Book Loft Building, the Museum features an array of displays that record Andersen’s life and work.
Exhibits check out the unrequited love he had for “the Swedish Nightingale” referred to as Jenny Lind, display models of his youth home and characters from his books like “The Princess and the Pea” and show very first and early editions of his stories.
Visitors to the museum can enjoy a variety of activities, consisting of assisted trips, mini-lectures and Hans Anderson celebrations and celebrations.
7# Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum
Found in the former Solvang Designer Outlet Center, the Solvang Vintage Motorbike Museum is the home of a private collection of rare and vintage motorbikes and European race bikes.
Owned by Virgil Elings, the motorbikes in the museum are from his private collection, which took twenty years to assemble and includes a variety of unusual and classic designs.
The museum features turning displays on a monthly basis to maintain consistent change and is home to a selection of British, Japanese, European and American racing bikes from the 1900’s until present day, with names like Ducati, BMW, Accomplishment, Gilera, and Velocette.
8# Hans Christian Anderson Park
Hans Christian Andersen was a terrific Danish author of fairy tales much of us matured with. So, it is natural that you enter the park with his name through a fairytale castle gate. The park is an enchanting world of fun for kids of any ages under the shade of big live oak trees. If you are questioning what to do in Solvang with kids, this is an excellent location to go to.
There is a skate park for winter fun and just behind it a small playground for the little ones. A few more playgrounds are scattered around, among which includes three levels that allow kids to climb all the way up then slide into the soft yard.
There is a climbing up wall for more daring kids and a music-making maker that produces old-fashioned chimes similar to in fairytales. Parents can rest at one of numerous picnic tables spread around the area. Ensure to stock up on terrific Danish pastries before concerning the park; Solvang has several terrific alternatives.
9# Lincourt Vineyards
Hidden in the hills in between the towns of Buellton and Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, Lincourt Vineyards, is a family-owned and ran wine estate that produces, markets and disperses highly-acclaimed handmade wines.
Owned by the Foley Family, the winery ignores the Alamo Pintado Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley and is surrounded by rolling lawns and vineyards, gorgeous gardens and picnic premises, making it the ideal base for a day of wine tasting and relaxing. Among the old farmhouses from the estate’s dairy farm days has actually been converted into a rustic and lovely tasting room where visitors can sample the liquid delights of the winery.
Lincourt uses sustainable approaches for farming, winemaking, and organisation practices and produces some of the nation’s finest wines.
10# Solvang Trolley & Carriage
Take a step back in time and experience Solvang on a historical horse-drawn trolley ride through the streets of the town. Owned and managed by the Orona household, the Solvang Trolley & Carriage uses visitors rides in a distinct Danish conveyance referred to as a ‘Honen’ or trolley, which is pulled by two teams of healthy Belgian horses named Rita, Claire, Stella, and Coco.
Dressed up in traditional Danish outfit, the Orona family takes guests past a few of Solvang’s most popular landmarks, sharing their substantial knowledge and enthusiasm about the history of Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley. The horse-drawn trolley rides the exact same path daily, depending on traffic, can seat approximately 20 riders and boasts wonderful wrap-around view of the sights.
11# Sevtap Winery Tasting Room
Sevtap Winery’s slogan is “Consume Excellent Wine” and visitors are dealt with to doing simply that when they enter the tasting space. Established by owner and wine maker, Ertugrul “Art” Sevtap, Sevtap has grown from eight-barrel operation to a 2,500 cases-a-run business within five years and has a faithful customer following.
Although Sevtap does not distribute their wines, the winery’s finest wines are showcased in the dynamic tasting space, which regularly also includes live music and art programs, film nights, and parties. Taste a few of Sevtap’s fine wines in this fun-loving, delighted environment.
12# Solvang Antiques
Found in the heart of the shopping village on Copenhagen Drive, Solvang Antiques is the Santa Ynez Valley’s largest and most prominent antique store and features a range of hand-curated antique and vintage ornamental and specialized items.
Owned by Dwight and Arlene Steffensen, the world-renowned shop has something for serious collectors and casual internet browsers alike from porcelain, cut glass and silver to estate precious jewelry, fine art, and sculpture. Solvang Antiques offers a computerized stock control system with dealerships around the globe sourcing the best pieces, experienced and service-oriented staff and a worldwide delivery service.
The store is likewise home to the Solvang Antiques Art Gallery, which boasts over a thousand square feet of fine antique art and revolving exhibits of contemporary artworks from the Judith Hale Gallery. Solvang Antiques is open seven days a week.
13# Shoestring Winery
Resting at the gateway to the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, Small Winery is a family-owned and operated winery that specializes in Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese varietals.
Owned by Bill and Roswitha Craig, Shoestring’s portfolio of wines is hand-farmed and handmade, ranging from light and refreshing Pinot Grigio and standard French-style Rosé to acclaimed Sangiovese and oak-barreled Merlot.
Shoestring Winery is open to the public for tastings and wines can be bought on site or online. The Winery likewise caters for unique occasions, with a catered western-style barbecue overlooking the vineyards and groves of olive trees.
14# Blackjack Cattle ranch Vineyards and Winery
Located on Alamo Pintado Road in the Santa Ynez Valley, Blackjack Cattle ranch Vineyards and Winery is an award-winning wine estate that produces varietals of Syrah, Red wine, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay.
Owned by Roger Wisted, the Ranch is called after he won a game of Blackjack which enabled him to pursue his lifelong dream of planting a vineyard and developing a winery. The winery produced its very first vintage in 1997 and the Tasting Space opened 2 years later on, permitting visitors to taste and experience the outstanding wines produced by the farm.
Designed with a California-rustic feel, the tasting room features a temperature-controlled wine rack which houses wines from California and France that date back 60 years and a bar that was developed from a salvaged bowling street lane from the old Solvang Bowling Alley.
15# Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard
Set in the middle of the charm of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley, Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard is a magnificent 39-acre vineyard that is the home of over 33,000 vines.
Established by Betty Williams as a working farm based upon excellent farming practices for people, animals, and the earth, Buttonwood Farm started planting vines in 1983 and now produces a variety of whites and reds, from the little unique release of Grenache Blanc to the dispersed bottles of Cabernet Franc.
The farm is surrounded by homegrown bounty from the earth, consisting of summer vegetables, olives, peaches, pomegranates and herbs, and visitors can delight in tasting the great wines to be produced from this little slice of paradise with a traditional wine tasting in the tasting room or in the gardens with a picnic.
16# Carivintas Winery
Carivintas Winery is a household and pet-friendly winery and tasting space that welcomes wine enthusiasts and their kids and animals. One of the winery’s main objectives is to return to the neighborhood and they do this by giving a portion of their profits to non-profit groups such as Finest Buddies Animal Society, Go back to Flexibility, and other animal shelters.
Caravintas wine labels are all designed with wildlife and nature scenes and they gladly accommodate both animals and kids in their family-friendly tasting space, which includes a special children’s backyard with puzzles and video games, canine beds, water, and deals with for the furry friends and an unwinded, easygoing atmosphere.
Caravintas produces a range of whites, reds, and sweet wines, all which can be tasted and enjoyed in the tasting space.
17# Solvang Taxi and Wine Trips
Explore the lovely Santa Ynez Valley without the stress of needing to drive yourself with a Solvang Taxi and Wine Tour. In your area owned and run, Solvang Taxi and Wine Tours offers first class taxi services, tailored private wine tours, special wedding transport and delivery service throughout the area.
Boasting specialist knowledge on local wineries, restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions in the higher Santa Ynez Valley, this ‘transport concierge’ company will take you to your location safely and firmly.
Venture to a few of the valley’s excellent wine estates for a day of wine tasting, take pleasure in a game of golf at the Alisal Visitor Ranch Resort golf course, or invest the day fishing on Lake Cachuma. Solvang Taxi and Wine Trips likewise uses airport transfers in luxury, air-conditioned lorries.
18# Bethania Lutheran Church
Bethania Lutheran Church was finished in 1928 for the Danish-American Lutheran parish that settled in Solvang. The structure was designed to look like a normal rural Danish church with a model of a ship hanging from the ceiling in the sanctuary. The ship works as a sign of a safe house that church uses on the turbulent sea of life.
Jes Smidt from Luck, Wisconsin crafted the lovely woodwork you can see today at the altar, baptismal font style, pulpit, altar railings, and pastor’s chair. The church is rich in beautiful statuary and religious art and is considered the most authentic reproduction of Danish architecture in Solvang.
19# Rideau Vineyard
Established in 1997 by Iris Rideau, a native from New Orleans, Rideau Vineyard is an acclaimed wine estate devoted entirely to Rhône grape varietals. Found on Alamo Pintado Road, the winery is surrounded by majestic oak trees, manicured gardens and rich landscapes, all which contribute to the old world French Victorian feel of the estate. Visitors to the wine estate can delight in tastings of the wines produced on the farm, in addition to highly popular Creole-inspired suppers hosted by Iris, with each dish paired with a Rhône varietal from the estate.
Growing in eminence and acclaim over the previous fifteen years, Rideau Vineyard remains devoted to a small production and no distribution.
20# Quicksilver Cattle ranch
In the heart of Santa Ynez Valley lies Quicksilver Ranch, which is called the horse breeder’s “Kentucky of the west.” It is here that Aleck and Louise Stribling type reveal quality mini horses. The cattle ranch is snuggled in between rolling hills between Solvang and Ballard and shaded by stunning old oaks. It is a charming place to go to with the kids. The horses are tiny but effective and strong, extremely mild, and good-natured and will come to the fence to allow kids to pet them and feed them.
Some are as small as pets but can pull a cart often times their size. Quicksilver Cattle ranch continues to produce several nationwide champs every year and yearly has a small number of foals. Come in June to see gangly children with their wobbly long legs stick close to their moms. Minis make charming pets, so think of a really special birthday present for your child.
21# Dascomb Cellars Tasting Room
Wine maker Dave Dascomb will inform you that extraordinary wines are made by using recognized farming practices, having a lot of patience throughout harvest, and having a lot of passion for making wine. He is obviously doing something right, considering that Dascomb Cellars store winery is prospering. The winery’s estate vineyard East Valley Vineyard was developed in 1974 and is amongst the oldest in Santa Barbara County.
You can taste Dascomb label at their lovely, old-fashioned tasting space in downtown Solvang. The warm interior produces a cozy club atmosphere, and individuals have the tendency to stick around over their wines especially when they are paired with simply the best cheeses. Dascomb tasting space participates in Solvang’s well-known 3rd Wednesday celebration’s Wine and Beer Stroll.
22# Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards
Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards is a world class winery based in Solvang, a quaint Danish village near Santa Barbara. The winery depends on grapes from their 400-acres estate in Santa Barbara. They produce three significant labels of wine, and have two captivating, popular tasting rooms in Solvang. Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards offer their wines in twenty 5 states and fourteen countries.
Visit their tasting space in downtown Solvang to totally experience Lucas & Lewellen wines, that include full-bodied reds, rejuvenating whites, popular port, and, obviously, champagne. It is highly likely that you will be served by the owners Royce Lewellen and Louis Lucas who love to discuss their wine and captivate visitors with stories about wine making life and the secrets of making great wines.
10 Things to Do with Kids in Solvang, CA
23# Sunny Field Play Ground
Oh the kids have got to see this play ground. It is such a whimsical and wonderful location for the kids. It is not your run of the mill park with slides and swings. While they have those there, there is a lot more. They have plenty of play homes with inbuilt, painted devices for pretend play. Lots of castles to tunnel through or chase your pals. The barn they have is great. There is a market front for a fun role play time.
They have those tire swings. On hot summertime days you even have misters. Very cool! There is a little shaded area with benches for the moms and dads. Although the park structure itself is not shaded and on hot the kids may get uneasy. Truthfully with all the enjoyable things around many kids will not even feel the heat.
24# Ostrich Land
Everybody must stop by the Ostrich Farm when they are in Solvang. Where else can you get to feed these ginormous birds? Yes feed them! For a fee you get a bowl of bird food and you extremely strictly hold your hand and the birds voraciously eat the food straight off your bowl. Older kids thoroughly enjoy this experience or totally get gone nuts.
Know your kid. They likewise have emus. Even if you are not feeding, it is a quite sight to view these birds up close. It is simply as terrific to see the farm while owning on the near by E 246. The connected gift shops have enormous ostrich eggs which are constantly enjoyable to take a look at for the kids.
25# Lavender Farms
Around April or May is the best time to go this farm since the lavender will be maturity. Nevertheless even the flowers are no in flower, since it an excellent place to take your nature loving little explorers. The entryway to the farms has a bunch of tree lining the mud roadway. Perfect open area for the kids to play pretend. The connected store has a terrific homemade lavender soaps, lotions and other items. They do not have restrooms.
26# Nojoqui Falls/ Park
To obtain to the falls you have to take a very brief 1/2 -3/ 4 mile hike from the park itself. The walking is very easy for grownups as well as the younger kids will enjoy the walking. It is more of a nature walk than a hike. The last couple of actions towards the fall would need some assistance for the kids because that part tends to be a little slippery or steep. Aside from that it will be remarkable walk among nature. The kids have lots of chances for nature influenced play along the way (believe sticks, rocks and hollow logs.).
It does not get better. The falls is a hit or miss. Finest time to come is throughout the spring or winter. The summer tends to get dry and the falls is practically non-existent. If you inclined to see the water, come during the cooler months. If you wish to take pleasure in the process with the gets, anytime is a great time. The park downhill has an excellent play ground and vast open space for running around.
27# See’in Spots Farm
This once again is a fun farm/ranch type setting for youngsters to delight in. They have miniature donkeys and the kids get to ride them for a small charge. Apart from the adorable donkeys, they have turkeys (so difficult to family pet of course), hens, goats and ducks. The attached parking has a cool horse statue for pretend play and photo opp.
28# Go Apple Picking in the fall
There are just a very few locations in California for apple selecting. Apple Lane Farm is one of them. It is a little on the smaller size, perfect for more youthful kids. Go later in the season to have a wide range of apples. Fun household time for California kids to delight in apple selecting like the rest of the states!
29# Consume at Paula’s Pancakes
if your family goes to Solvang, you should a minimum of when at Paula’s. Their breakfast menu is remarkable and whatever tastes fresh. But the only disadvantage is service is ok and the wait time is godawful. It is a little establishment so you ‘d be better off arriving as early as possible to secure an appropriate seat. Even with all the troubles, you have got to attempt the food at Paula’s.
30# Lake Cachuma Leisure Area
Lake Cachuma is just outside of Solvang in Santa Barbara county. The drive is not that bad and deserves it. The entertainments area has numerous water activities although swimming is restricted. Body contact with water is not possible because the lake provides drinking water to the surrounding locations. Nature programs galore inside leisures area- ranger programs, nature strolls, nature shows. The kids will be plenty amused. There is a play ground inside also.
Don’t be tricked into believing Solvang is for couples only. Solvang is a really gorgeous, stunning location, surrounded by nature. With these activities, you kids will be gladly entertained throughout your remain at Solvang. Always remember the world popular wineries for mom and dad.