Santa Ynez Valley

The beautiful Santa Ynez Valley is accessible in a day. Visit each community to get the full flavor of the area. Buellton, once known as “The Motor City” when automobiles and new highways encouraged travel in the state, it is the gateway city to the Santa Ynez Valley, right off the 101, and has an up-and-coming wine and food scene. Then there’s the small, don’t blink-or-you’ll-miss-it town of Ballard, which was founded in 1880 and hosted the first stagecoach stop in the area.

Santa Ynez, the turn-of-the-century township, offers Western façade shops and award winning cuisine. In Los Olivos, there are plenty of places to relax in the wine and art-infused town. The delightful Danish town of Solvang boasts windmills, Danish bakeries, specialty shops and sunny fields. Finally, there’s the charming little town of Los Alamos — also affectionately known as Lost Almost — with unique hotels and eateries. All this, just two hours north of Los Angeles. For more information, visitsyv.com or santaynezchamber.org