There’s no better time for a travel post than when you are on stay-at-home orders, right? I’m being facetious of course, but since my suitcase is stuck gathering dust, I figured we all may as well think (or dream) about future traveling. At the very end of September, Patrick and I decided to spend a few days and a couple of nights in Santa Barbara wine country. It’s a 45-minute drive for us, so it’s close enough to be an easy destination, but far enough that it feels like a true vacation.
It’s always a treat for us to visit Los Olivos, a small and charming town with 1,100ish residents. Los Olivos is part of the Santa Ynez Valley, which includes Solvang, Santa Ynez, Buellton, and Ballard as well. The town is under 3 miles long, but now has over 40 tasting rooms (most within several blocks). If you enjoy red wine (I’m a big fan), the region is known for their pinot noir wines. Because of Covid-19, we weren’t spending time indoors, so we cooled down (there was a heat wave) with wine and, what became our new favorite, pineapple-cider slushies. We stayed at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn years ago and loved our time there, so we decided to book it again. Fun fact, when you stay there, you get complimentary tastings at their vineyard and a few tasting rooms.
On our way to Los Olivos, we stopped at The Folded Hills Homestead (we are members). I love how they decorated the place (very cozy yet chic) and their outdoor area is beautiful as well. We had time to kill before our room was ready, so we drove to Los Alamos (I wrote about Los Alamos previously here). Unfortunately, it was a weekday, so not a lot was open, but we did stop for lunch at Plenty on Bell.
We also visited the Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard – it’s a very relaxing and spacious property complete with lovely grape vines of course. After we checked into our hotel, we walked around and discovered Tin City Cider Co. for hard ciders and hard cider slushies (so refreshing in the 100 degree heat). We ate at the classic and delicious Los Olivos Cafe & Wine Merchant, and then I went for a night swim at our hotel to cool down.
The next day, I had arranged a tour of Solminer’s certified Biodynamic vineyard and farm (we are members here too). We toured the 12-acre property and got to meet some of the farm animals as well (like the donkey pictured). We went to their nearby tasting room after and ate sandwiches from Panino. We casually walked around and visited Epiphany Cellars, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., and Tin City Cider Co. again (we were hooked on the super cold slushies). We ate dinner at the just-opened Nella Kitchen & Bar, which is part of the Fess Parker Inn.
On our last morning, we went to the pool. It was already warm enough to go at 9 a.m., so we went and jumped in. On our way back to Santa Barbara, we ate lunch and sampled Barrelworks beers at the Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Buellton.
There are so many amazing tasting rooms in Los Olivos, and with the nearby vineyards too, I can guarantee that you will not have a shortage of wine to try. It was perfect for a three day, two night trip for us, and so accessible from Santa Barbara. Once the stay-at-home order is lifted, don’t forget about this quaint town for a relaxed and delightful visit.
