Getaway to Santa Ynez Valley
How to Spend a Day or a Weekend at Santa Ynez Valley
The Santa Ynez Valley may have gained attention as the setting for the film Sideways, but it was a great place to visit long before that. Separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Santa Ynez Mountains, it’s a wide, scenic valley with a distinctively rural feel – a perfect place for a Sunday drive or a relaxing weekend. We’re defining it to include the towns of Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Buellton
and the area along CA Hwy 154 between the San Marco Pass and US Hwy 101. Use these maps to get a better idea of where it is.
You can plan your Santa Ynez Valley day trip or weekend getawayusing the resources below.
Why Should You Go? Will You Like the Santa Ynez Valley?
Santa Ynez Valley is popular with wine lovers, shoppers (who particularly like the town of Solvang) and anyone looking for a place to get away from it all. With lots of wide open spaces and great growing conditions, it’s a good wine-producing region and a great place for outdoor activities of all kinds. It’s also close to Los Angeles, making it a great place to escape the city for a while or have a romantic escape.
Best Time to Go to the Santa Ynez Valley
We’ve seen the Santa Ynez Valley in several seasons and it always looks great. Like any part of California, it’s more likely to be rainy in winter. Visit during the growing season to check out the fresh produce stands. During the Solvang Century Bike Ride in March, roads are busy and so are the local hotels.
If you’ve only got a day, take a leisurely drive along CA Hwy 154 from Santa Barbara to Los Olivos, through Solvang to US Hwy 101.
6 More Great Things to Do in Santa Ynez Valley
Los Olivos: This cute little town is one of our favorites, with art galleries, boutiques and a couple of great places to eat strung along a two-block-long main street. You’ll also find almost a dozen tasting rooms here, making it easy to sample without driving around.
Solvang: Solvang’s Danish heritage is apparent everywhere and while it’s touristed up to the max, we still like the interesting shops which make its downtown a great place for a stroll. You can also sample traditional Danish foods at any of several restaurants and bakeries. If you’re a particular fan of storyteller Hans Christian Anderson (The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea), you’ll find a museum dedicated to him upstairs in The Book Loft Building at 1680 Mission Drive.
Cute Critters: With lots of great ranch land, it seems like someone is raising almost anything around here. You can visit Flying V Llama Ranch (appointment required, 805-735-3577), check out the miniature horses (only 36 inches tall!) at Quicksilver Miniature Horse Ranch or stop by Ostrich Land to get a better look at the big birds which you can also see from the highway.
Local Produce: Seasonal farm stands offer fresh produce in season and some offer opportunities to “pick your own.” You’ll find most of them as you drive around, but one that merits a stop, especially when their lavender crop is in bloom is Clairmont Farms near Los Olivos, where you can buy their organically-grown essential oils and lavender-scented personal care products.
Wine Tasting: Unlike the more daunting wine-growing areas up north, the Santa Ynez Valley is much more manageable, with only a little over a dozen wineries. Red wines do best in the east-west corridor, including Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot, Rhône and Italian grape varietals. If you’re a Sideways fan, use the local visitor’s bureau’s map to find many of the film’s settings and tasting rooms.
Get Active: The Santa Ynez Valley is such a great place for bike riding that Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and his team train here. If you’d rather go horseback riding than pedal, try Rancho Oso, one of the few public riding stables in the region. Cachuma Lake is a good place for boating, fishing and nature cruises and it has one of the area’s nicest campgrounds.
Annual Events You Should Know About
March: Solvang Century Bike Ride
September: Danish Days Weekend, Solvang
November through February: Eagle-Watching Cruises, Lake Cachuma
December: Carriage and trolley rides, Solvang (free one day in the month)
Best Bites
Famous chef Bradley Ogden’s Root 246 restaurant serves his signature farm-to-table cuisine – it’s located in Solvang’s Hotel Corque. If you’re taking the drive on CA Hwy 154, Cold Springs Tavern is a don’t-miss spot, an old stagecoach stop in the San Marcos Pass, about 15 minutes from Santa Barbara that has been voted one of the best places for a romantic getaway in California.
Where to Stay
Solvang has the most hotel rooms in the area or try Fess Parker’s Wine County Inn in Los Olivos for a more laid-back experience. Other towns with lodging available are Santa Ynez or Buellton.
Getaway to Napa Valley
How to Spend a Day or a Weekend in Napa Valley
Napa Valley came to the world’s attention as a serious wine-producing region after the famous 1976 blind wine-tasting event, the Judgment at Paris portrayed in the film Bottle Shock, but long before that Californians knew it as a lovely place good for growing things.
The flat valley about 30 miles long and little more than a mile wide lies between two modest mountain ranges that define its boundaries
and frame its views.
You can plan your Napa Valley day trip or weekend getaway using the resources below. If you’ve only got a day, try this day trip guide.
Scenes from Napa Valley
Enjoy some of our best shots in this Napa Valley Photo Tour
Why Should You Go? Will You Like Napa Valley?
Napa Valley is popular with anyone who likes food, and wine and people around the world have heard so much about it that they want to see it even if they’re not connoisseurs.
Best Time to Go to Napa Valley
Every season has its pros and cons. Check the weather, pros and cons – and survival tips.
For a glimpse of Napa’s natural beauty and its many wineries, take a drive north on Silverado Trail from the town of Napa to Calistoga, then go back south on CA Hwy 29.
5 More Great Things to Do in Napa Valley
Taste the Wine: You could be in Napa Valley for months and not make it to every winery there. Some are more fun than others, so we’ve put together a list of the ones we like best.
Sample the Food: Good wine isn’t Napa’s only specialty. Stop in at Oakville Grocery on CA Hwy 29 north of Yountville or Dean & DeLucca south of St. Helena to browse some of their gourmet food products. Round Pond Estate produces their own olive oil, vinegars and citrus syrups and is especially fun to visit during the olive harvest in April and December. The Culinary Institute of America trains some of the country’s best chefs, but they also offer food enthusiast programs. If you love kitchen gadgets, stop in at Steve’s Hardware in downtown St. Helena.
Take the Kids: There’s more for them to do than you might think and we’ve rounded up a handful of Napa’s best family activities for you.
Get Muddy: At the northern end of Napa Valley, Calistoga is home to some very relaxing spas offering mud baths warmed by the local hot springs. Find one that suits you best.
Isn’t It Romantic?
Hire a limo or tour company to take you on a private tour. Kick back in late afternoon at Ma(i)sonry in downtown Yountville to taste wines from their vintner’s collective and enjoy the romantic outdoor patio. Snuggle in for the night at a cozy bed and breakfast – what could be more romantic?
Annual Events You Should Know About
January through March: Napa Valley Mustard Festival
July: Napa County Fair
September: Wine Country Film Festival
Tips for Visiting Napa Valley
Get your bearings before you go. Use this map to get an idea of where everything is.
Stay sober enough to drive safely and enjoy what you try more using our wine-tasting strategies
The busiest wineries may not offer the best experience. Often, they’re overrun with busloads of visitors who all arrive at once, overwhelming the tasting room staff and leaving them exhausted.
We know it’s popular, but we don’t recommend the Napa Wine Train for most visitors. Find out why.
NASCAR races at raceway in Sonoma draw big crowds who create correspondingly big traffic jams around the intersection of CA Hwy 37 and CA Hwy 121. Check their schedule and if there’s a big race on, get to Napa via I-80 north, Red Top Road and Jameson Canyon Road west through the town of American Canyon and north on CA Hwy 121/29.
Best Bites
Napa Valley has far too many excellent eateries for us to list here, so we’ll just mention a few. Gott’s Roadside just south of St. Helena was known as Taylor’s Refresher for many years, but the name change hasn’t changed its super-yummy burgers, wine list or decadent, individually-made, specialty milkshakes.
Local chef Cindy Pawlcyn, who founded Napa’s landmark restaurant Mustard’s Grill is also at the helm at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and Wood Grill.
Oxbow Market in the town of Napa is a good palce to experience a lot of local goodies all in one place.
Where to Stay
Check our recommended hotels and campgrounds.
For help getting the best possible deal, read about how to find a good place to stay, cheap.
Where Is Napa Valley?
Napa Valley is located north of San Francisco, anchored by the town of Napa on the south and Calistoga on the north. It’s about 30 miles between the two, which are connected by both CA Hwy 20 and the Silverado Trail. The Town of Napa is about 50 miles from San Francisco and 60 miles from Sacramento. Use this guide to find out all the ways you can get to Napa Valley from San Francisco.
The nearest airports are in San Francisco (SFO) and Oakland (OAK).