WINE COUNTRY (WITH THE KIDS)
Craft lemonade in Los Olivos, concerts in Solvang Park and family-friendly cafes make the Santa Ynez Valley a great spot
Rent a colorful, pedal-powered surrey to explore Solvang’s streets or stay at a hotel, such as the Hamlet Inn, that lends out bright red cruisers.
Four hours in the car with a 5-year-old is … just about an hour over our limit. We’re doing a quick summer getaway down to the Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara, to relax and unwind. But we have hit our max on Highway 101. We need food, true, but mostly, we need to get out of this car.
This is how we landed in the tiny town of Los Alamos on a recent Friday night. Some hipsters call it “L.A. North,” due to the influx of creatives and film industry folks flocking to open cool and yummy places — like Pico at the Los Alamos General Store — in this former stagecoach stop.
Racks of wine run floor to ceiling at Pico. There’s soft lighting, rustic wood accents and an esoteric selection of adult beverages. But darn, what to do with that kindergartner? And then we see it, straight ahead and tucked underneath the split-level stairs: a children’s playroom. We have arrived in parent heaven.
One delicious, innovative meal later — upscale mac and cheese for the kid, wild mushroom consomme and seared scallops with squid ink pasta for us — and that blissful vacation feeling is settling in at last. No schedules, no hassles, just serendipitous fun in unexpected corners.
As luck would have it, we arrive in nearby Solvang, our weekend destination, to discover a free summer concert in Solvang Park. Folks of all ages are picnicking and dancing as the Cuesta Ridge band plays. The First & Oak food truck is slinging upscale tacos, and the woodoven roasted pizzas I see people picking up at Cecco Ristorante around the corner look equally tempting. Maybe if we dance enough we’ll be hungry for a second dinner.
It’s not quite dark yet — and our daughter is not even remotely sleepy — so we wander
into the High Roller Tiki Lounge. Granted, kindergartners and tiki bars don’t normally go together, but this hideaway, tucked in the back of the Sort This Out Cellars tasting room, is the brainchild of Michael Cobb, who worked for Disneyland for 17 years. And this tiki kitsch haven pours unexpected drinks.
The adult drinks are “winetails,” made with unoaked chardonnay or merlot instead of higher octane spirits. And the mocktails are dressed up and fancified for kids to imbibe. Our little one goes for the Tiki Bandit, and has endless fun with the little umbrella, as we sip a Solvang Siren and a ginger-kissed This Drink Will Get You Lei’d.
The next morning is bright and sunny, as we wander Solvang’s pedestrian-friendly streets, lined with shops, bakeries and traditional Danish buildings. Some might mistake this town for a theme park, but Danish immigrants first settled here in 1911 and the deep cultural ties are the real deal.
Newcomers have found a niche here too, and we’re not just talking “Sideways”inspired wineries. The Good Seed Coffee Boutique, for example, opened at the end of May. It’s a small roastery and organic bakery run by a husband-andwife team, Brad and Leyla Williams, who dish up inky espressos and frothy cappuccinos in crafty ceramic cups. Don’t miss the peach vanilla biscuits.
Discovering a crowd of kids sitting on the Solvang Library lawn, we join them for what turns out to be a lively Zoo to You presentation. It’s not every day you get to pet a lemur from Madagascar. The library
hosts storytellers, jugglers and art workshops, too.
On the hunt for lunch, we find Caroline and Robert Boller’s new Hill Haven Provisions near pictureperfect Atterdag Square. We order a giant flatbread, a short-rib sandwich and the geometrically stacked Caesar and Crostini Quad, a board of little spreads and nibbles. Outside, laughing families sail by on bright red, pedal-powered surreys, cycling their way through town.
Of course, this is prime wine country — and many wineries these days cater to families, as well as die-hard oenophiles. Kalyra, down in Santa Ynez, for example, is a great family- (and dog-) friendly spot to taste. “We always have a kid aspect to all of our events,” says general manager RaeLynn Milley. “We just like to have a lot of fun here.”
They offer a wide range of estate wines to sample, grown on their 150 acres. While our daughter hangs out with coloring books, chalk and the gentle vineyard dog, Duke, we sample a flight and choose a favorite, a 2017 grenache blanc, to take home.
Tasting rooms predominate in the nearby town of Los Olivos, where little houses, tiny huts and little storefronts dot the
lanes. One little structure sells fancy hot dogs; another houses a chocolate shop. The cheery citrusshaped Los Olivos Lemons hut serves craft lemonade with flavorful housemade syrups.
We’re headed for the family-owned Saarloos and Sons, where they’ve dubbed the huge lawn next door Saarloos Paark. After ordering our flight at the counter — to-go style in a little crate with pour-your-own tastes of each variety — we head for a lesser-known lawn out back, as suggested by our friendly pourer. Cornhole competition and lawn Jenga commences.
On our way out, we grab a mini-cupcake six-pack from the Enjoy Cupcakes counter, packed in an egg carton, a package that is both durable and utterly adorable, to sate our family’s sweet tooth back at the hotel before we head home tomorrow.
But this trip has one important detour before we hit 101 once more. Consider it an OstrichLand USA finale. It’s an odd roadside attraction, especially in a wine country setting like this, but right smack along the main road leading to the highway, this farm attracts everyone passing by, including celebrities. Proof is in the autographed collection of ostrich eggs inside the main building. We take selfies with the longnecked birds and giggle at the awkward baby emu.
Back in the car, the road stretches out and we breathe a little easier. Our weekend getaway was full of unplanned adventure, surprises and plain old family fun — exactly what we were after.