Weekend Getaway to Solvang California
Solvang, also known as the “Danish Capital of America”, is one of the most underrated weekend getaway spots for Southern Californians. One of my favorite things about living in the Orange County and Los Angeles area is that there are many options when it comes to weekend getaway trips – Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, San Diego, Solvang etc. Each of them being so unique in their scenery and activities. Solvang is especially unique for its Danish style architecture, bakeries, and wineries. There are over 120 wineries in the Solvang area! With Solvang just a couple hours drive away from LA, and with a variety of things to do in the city and surrounding area, Solvang makes for the perfect weekend trip for all ages. Here is a recap of how my husband and I spent our weekend getaway.
On Friday night, Jeff and I drove up to Solvang after work and arrived around midnight. We stayed at a boutique hotel, Sideways Inn in Buellton, which is just a 10 minute drive from Solvang. This hotel is a great and affordable option with rooms around $200/night (June 2023) and continental breakfast included. We didn’t use any of their amenities, but they had a pool & jacuzzi, fire pits, gym, and their bar – Sideways Lounge. The main reason we stayed at this hotel was because it was one of the pickup spots for the wine tour.
Saturday morning, we were picked up by the Grapeline Tours van around 11AM. Jeff and I have done the Grapeline tour in Temecula 2 times, so it only made sense to do the one in Solvang. Drinking with new friends, private tastings, and learning about the history of each location is what makes wine tours relaxing and enjoyable. The tour took us to 3 different wineries plus olive oil tasting around the Santa Ynez Valley. As of June 2023, it is $159 per person Sun-Fri, $169 on Sat & holidays.
–Gainey Vineyard – The first stop of the day! As a group, we decided which flight we’d like for the tasting. They had either a mix of red & whites, or just reds for 6 tastings. The group went with the mix of white & red, which I was very thankful for since I prefer white wine. We enjoyed our wine in the Gainey tasting room for about 1 hour & a half. Jeff and I didn’t purchase any wine, but we purchased a charcuterie board to enjoy with our wine. We were just too hungry to wait for lunch at the next stop.
–Rancho Olivos – Our guide told us it was time to coat our stomachs (lol), so we stopped for a quick tasting of different olive oils & balsamic vinegars. We were each given a little bag of french bread pieces so we could try each flavor of olive oil & balsamic vinegar. The flavors were incredible! The two I ended up going home with were the rosemary garlic olive oil and cranberry pear balsamic vinegar. My third favorite, and one that I wish I took home was the meyer lemon olive oil. Seriously just SO good, I still think about it.
–Blackjack Ranch Vineyards & Winery – After the olive oil tasting, we headed to Blackjack Ranch for 4 (or 5?) more wine tastings and lunch. For all Grapeline tours, you choose your lunch ahead of time and the price of lunch is included in the tour. I had the chicken & pesto sandwich, plus chips and a cookie.
–Firestone Vineyard – This was the last and final stop and my favorite of the three wineries visited. I’m not sure if it was the wine, or the fact that it was the last stop, but I felt the ambiance here was much more laid back. Plus, they had a nice outdoor seating area where we enjoyed our wine.
On Sunday, we started our day with brunch at Brekkies. The line was out the door, but it moved fairly quickly. They have indoor and outdoor seating area and once you order at the front, you can find a place to sit. Their most popular dishes are the monte cristo, chicken & waffles, & eggs benedict. Jeff ordered the monte cristo and I ordered the Danish pancakes with a side of bacon. Overall, the food was good, portion sizes were large, and service was friendly and quick.
After breakfast, we spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the different boutiques and bakeries. I feel like we still didn’t even cover it all! There were so many other food places I wanted to try, but we knew we had to head back home when we checked the traffic. It ended up taking us about 3 1/2 hours to get back to Orange County! Guess we’ll just have to visit again soon.
