Top Things to do in Santa Ynez Valley
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10 Hidden Gems Things to do in Santa Ynez Valley That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Santa Ynez Valley, United States including Stagecoach Wine Tours Santa Ynez, Solvang Festival Theater, PENCE, Sunstone Winery, Elverhoj Museum, Clairmont Farms, Rusack Vineyards, Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Dascomb Cellars Tasting Room, Ostrich Land.
Restaurants in Santa Ynez Valley
1. Stagecoach Wine Tours Santa Ynez
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 417 reviews
Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours offers fun and exciting wine tasting tours in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. We are leaders in our industry and passionate about what we do. We create memorable experiences! Santa Barbara County has received world-wide recognition for it's excellent growing conditions, beautiful scenery, and spectacular wines. The Santa Ynez Valley is the perfect setting for a fun educational wine tour getaway. Let us pick you up in the Santa Barbara area, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, or Buellton and whisk you into a fun filled day.
2. Solvang Festival Theater
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 136 reviews
3. PENCE
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
We are a small, artisinal winery specializing in Chardonnay, Rose, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Gamay. We farm organically & produce wines and will be making bread from our own Italian rye. Our winemaker and breadmaker is Sashi Moorman, and we are planting olive trees, stone fruit trees and more. We have chickens and livestock that feed the ranch workers who live on the property.
Reviewed By Wine_Kitten1 - Los Angeles, United States
An ATV ride through the vineyard shows off the landscape. Then, enjoy a private tasting with the excellent Pence staff. Burgundian wine lovers (Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay) this is your spot. Not overly oaked, some fruit without any loss of structure in the pinots. The Unum and Fugio (Estate grown Pinot Noir) show off the winemaker's talent for creating two drastically different expressions of Pinot from such a small parcel of land. Cozy, yet classy ranch vibe. I brought my parents who are new to wine (midwestern folks, visiting) and they loved it as well.
4. Sunstone Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 233 reviews
Sunstone Winery is an organic vineyard retreat, located just 35-minutes north of Santa Barbara, in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. Enjoy Sunstone wines in our Provençal French courtyards, stone barrel-aging caves or picnic grounds, and enjoy our flight of 6 wines for $20 per person. We are open from 11am - 5pm daily, with last seating at 4:00pm. Reservations are highly recommended on weekends.
Reviewed By SueK167 - Laguna Woods, United States
Beautiful grounds. Several property tasting locations with comfortable seating and lively ambiance. Outstanding friendly staff. Oh, and very generous pours of their great wine. Always appreciate cab francs and grenache.
5. Elverhoj Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 126 reviews
Housed in the former home of a Solvang family, this musuem is devoted solely to Danish culture and the Danish-American experience.
Reviewed By DWoerner - Georgetown, United States
This charming small museum is located in what was the home of a local artist. The artist built the house 1949-53 and lived there for several decades until his death. The house was built in Danish style and has many interesting details, such as the hand painted cabinets in the former kitchen. The museum features the history of Solvang, which was founded in 1911. A real highlight is a very large scale model of the Solvang village as it was shortly after founding, circa 1914. Another highlight is video reminisces of local people telling stories about Solvang. The backyard and exterior is also very pretty. The museum asks for a donation of $5 for the visit.
6. Clairmont Farms
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 56 reviews
Clairmont Farms is a family owned and operated, working lavender farm. Come and see 12,000 Grosso lavender plants, the lavender distillery which operates daily and enjoy learning how lavender farming is done and how the products are made. Bring a picnic and eat by the field. The gift shop has all sorts of lavender products from soaps, shampoos, essential oils to even dog shampoo. Open 10-6 daylight savings time and 10-5 standard time.
Reviewed By leight148 - Medina, United States
My sister and I were visiting vineyards in the area and a lady suggested we go to this lavender farm. We are so glad we did. We had a wonderful visit with the owners and bought some of their lavender products. Great visit and I highly suggest a visit, you’ll be glad you did.
7. Rusack Vineyards
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 175 reviews
We are a boutique winery and vineyard, nestled among the oak-studded rolling hills of Ballard Canyon. Our mission is to create world-class, handcrafted wines that reflect our commitment to excellence and our love for this region. That commitment begins in our Estate Vineyard, which we re-planted in 2003 in order to capture the true character of Ballard Canyon, and which we meticulously farm in small lots. It extends to the winemaking process, during which we go to every possible length to achieve the delicate balance of "elegance & power" (Robert Parker, August 2010) for which our wines have become known around the world. Finally, it extends to our label, a Catalina tile, a family legacy symbol of our belief in the beauty of what arises from blending craft, earth, art and family.
Reviewed By mlwatton - Pittsburgh, United States
Had a wonderful experience here! We had a wine tasting and enjoyed a bottle on the patio which had spectacular views.They also had a friendly kitty in the tasting room which was great. Wines were delicious and definitely top quality, I would highly recommend!
8. Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 101 reviews
OPEN SAT/SUN 10-4 AND WEEKDAYS from 11:00 - 3:00 by calling ahead and making an appointment. If there's no answer on the main line during normal business hours, chances are I am already in the Museum and you should call the cell phone number as directed on the message machine. The L.A. Times voted the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum as one of the 5 Best Places to Visit in California for $10 or less. A private collection of more than 95 of the most extraordinary historical vintage and classic Factory Racers and road motorcycles from all over the world. There are several one-of-a-kind motorcycles that you may never have seen and some that you may never see again anywhere else.
Reviewed By Musclebearnz
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum. I had read about this extensive collection of American, Japanese and European motorcycles in the quaint Danish town of Solvang 130 miles north of LA, so I made the trip from LA especially to visit this collection. As a proud Kiwi, my main reason to visit was to see the amazing Britten, designed by my fellow countryman John Britten. This Britten was something special. It was the last one of ten that were ever made and also this one had never been raced. It was an honour to see this motorcycle and was quite an emotional experience. Along with the Britten there was a wide selection of vintage models and for me it was good to see a big collection of classic Japanese bikes. There is even what is believed to be the last Norton ever produced, a brand new Norton Rotary. Words can’t explain, how extensive and special this collection of motorcycles is. You could easily spend hours looking at the bikes and what makes it special is the brief story associated with each bike that details some history and interesting facts about each model. One of the Museums best assets is Jill, who is so welcoming and kind. Jill has an interesting story and offers some history about every bike in the museum. I am a bike nut, but even if you weren’t you would find this museum so interesting. There is a $10 entrance fee which is nothing compared to the amount of enjoyment it brings and the privilege it was to visit. I will be coming back and will make sure I tell my friends that a visit here is compulsory if you are ever in the area. Best regards from New Zealand !
9. Dascomb Cellars Tasting Room
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By plastx2 - Boston, United States
Nice sitting area. Friendly service. White and red wines all very good. We bought a bottle of their red blend.
10. Ostrich Land
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 430 reviews
OstrichLand
Reviewed By krawner - Chicago, United States
So fun and entertaining. Definitely worth a stop on the way to Santa Barbara or Solvang. $5 for adults, $2 for kids, $1 for feed. Free parking. Over 100 ostriches and emus. Ostriches are vigorous eaters so hold on tight to the dustpan. Emus are gentler. Long line on weekends so make a reservation. Limited capacity due to social distancing. Plenty of photo opportunities. Self-guided. Port-a-potties. Hand sanitizer dispensers at site. Small gift stand. Wander around in about 30 minutes. (Line was also another 30-45 minutes long)
