Solvang

Solvang is a small town in the Santa Ynez Valley that Danish Americans founded in 1911, and it leans all the way into that story, with half-timbered shops, four windmills and Danish bakeries. It can look like a theme park, but people live and work here. At about 125 miles from LA, it works best as a long day or a night away.

What's Worth Seeing

Start by walking downtown. Most of the look dates from the 1930s and later, when local builders began adding Danish Provincial fronts to older buildings, and the first of the windmills went up in the 1940s. Parking is free, so leave the car and wander.

For pastry, Birkholm's on Alisal Road is family-run and easy to spot, with its name lettered right across the roof.

If you want more than shops, the Hans Christian Andersen Museum above The Book Loft covers his life and work, with early illustrated editions. The Elverhøj Museum covers the town's Danish roots, in a house built in the style of an old Jutland farmhouse. Old Mission Santa Inés, founded in 1804, goes back well before the Danes.

How to Get There

Take US 101 north through Santa Barbara to Buellton, exit at Highway 246, and drive east about three miles into town. The drive from LA is around two and a half hours without traffic, and more on a weekend. Parking is free across town, with three public lots.

The town's getting to Solvang page has directions, along with bus and Amtrak Thruway options if you would rather not drive.

Nearby

• OstrichLand USA on Highway 246 is on the way in between Buellton and Solvang. You feed ostriches and emus from a bowl. Hold it tight and keep your fingers out of it.
• Tasting rooms and vineyards across the Santa Ynez Valley are close by, and the same page covers the nearby valley towns.
• Mission La Purisima near Lompoc is a further drive west if you want a second mission.