We visited Solvang, a fun one-of-a-kind Danish town in Santa Barbara County, California, this past weekend. It was bustling with tourists, visitors and dogs!
It is impossible to walk around downtown Solvang and not get tempted to buy a pastry at one of the many Danish bakeries. The combination of the smell of the freshly baked goods, the perfection of a macaron and the sizes of the pastries definitely hit you because you feel like you're in Europe. It is incredible.
Free Parking Areas
I recommend parking in that free parking lot that is located next to Birkholm's Solvang Danish Bakery. You're right in the downtown area and there is a decent public restroom building right there.
With 2 little boys when we travel, we're mindful of nearby restrooms and also kid-friendly places. Solvang is definitely kid-friendly.
Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards
In the past, we would walk by wine tasting rooms and ponder whether we should go in or not. Our little ones are adorable but need to stay busy or they will act up. As we walked by Lucas & Lewellen Tasting Room, they had a chalkboard up right in the front that said "Kids & Pets welcome". That did not give me any hesitation to come in inside. I'm so glad they did that.
Towards the back was a kid's table with toys! While my husband and I would switch off and share samples of of their wine, my boys were busy playing with puzzles, books and blocks at the kid's table. It was a win, win situation.
The customer service was great and no one seemed bothered by my kids at all. Samples ranged by sets. We chose the cheapest set that was $15 for 4 or 5 different tastings. (Might cost more now.)
I shared with the lady who was helping us at out at the counter with the samples that if we had not seen the "kids & pets welcome" sign that they had in front, we would have probably not even considered trying to taste wine at a tasting room in Solvang. And because we saw that sign, we walked right on in right away. Address of Lucas & Lewellen Tasting Room: 1645 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463
Toccata Tasting Room
The lady at Lucas & Lewellen was grateful that I shared that info and also told me that Toccata, their sister wine tasting room, also has a kid's play area. Although they didn't have a sign that says "kids welcome" at Toccata (maybe they will someday), they did indeed have a kids' table with puzzles and books so go on there too if you are traveling with kids and want to sample some local Solvang wine.
Address of Toccata Tasting Room: 1650 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463
After visiting a couple of tasting rooms, we continued to stroll around downtown to look at all of the stores and restaurants. There is a lot of walking around in Solvang so I do recommend bringing a stroller along for those little tired legs.
Hans Christian Andersen Park
After being satisfied with our pastries, toy store visits (including the LEGO room at Copenhagen House), eating ice cream, wine tasting and seeing the famous windmill, we decided to take the kids at the nearby playground that's only half a mile away from the downtown area. The kids really enjoyed this large park.
This is Hans Christian Andersen Park located at: 633 Chalk Hill Rd, Solvang, CA 93463. It has a lot of shaded areas and benches.
Ostrichland USA
If you have time, off the main downtown Solvang area but very conveniently on the way is a really cool place to view ostriches and emus called Ostrichland! You can feed and see over a hundred of them here! Ostrichland USA Address: 610 E Hwy 246, Solvang, CA 93463
We had so much fun at Solvang.
I really can't wait to come back again and stock up on more sweet pastries.
Sideways Inn Stay (featured in Sideways Inn movie)
Since we had so much fun during our first visit to Solvang and since it's only an hour away, we returned a few months later and decided to stayed at the
Sideways Inn, which is also the same hotel that the guys in the movie
Sideways stayed at! It's surprisingly a very kid-friendly with a decent pool. They also have complimentary continental breakfast where you fill out the form the day before and put it in front of your room and they'll bring you a bag of breakfast by hanging it on your door! I loved this service!
Sideways Inn Address: 114 E Hwy 246, Buellton, CA 93427
The Hitching Post (also featured in Sideways Movie)
We also decided to relive another part of the movie and ate at The Hitching Post. In the movie, this place did not seem this packed! It was so busy in there. Then again, we came in mid-July on a Sunday so it's tourist season. Make a reservation if you can! We waited 45 minutes for a table of four.
Hitching Post 2 Address: 406 E Hwy 246, Buellton, CA 93427
Read about our stay in Solvang where we stayed at Hotel Corque in the middle of July.
See a list of kid-friendly wineries that we visited in Solvang.
See pictures from our visit at the famous Hearst Castle in San Simeon, part of San Luis Obispo County (county next to Santa Barbara County).
Posted by SanLuisObispoMom.com. Posted In : Solvang
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
