California Weekend Trip: S O L V A N G

 If you need a little weekend escape Solvang, CA is the perfect place. I stayed in Buellton, CA at the Sideways Inn. 

Sideways Inn

If you're looking something quaint & affordable this is the place. There are several other options in Solvang but it can tend to get super packed. Another great option is an Airbnb. 

Things to do: 

1. Grapeline Wine Tours

This was super fun & well worth the money. The nice thing about this tour is that they pick you up directly from your hotel and take you back afterwards. So no worrying about expensive Ubers or drinking and driving. There are a couple different packages. For my package they took us to 3 different wineries. At each winery you got a certain number of free tastings but could also purchase more. The package I got also received lunch at one of the wineries. I got the chicken pesto sandwich it was delicious! Each winery was unique in its own way. The also weren't in the city but on the outskirts in more of the farmland which I was hoping for. The first winery had a nice outdoor setting. Not the best of the tour, but the atmosphere of each winery got better. They did serve my favorite wine of the day which was Roblar 2019 Estate Viognier (Santa Ynez Valley) . 

The second winery was probably my favorite for sure. The atmosphere was the best with a farm setting. Plus the decor and design was super aesthetically pleasing. We were allowed to walk around the grounds and sight see. They had some super adorable baby goats (I believe). So technically was also a petting zoo. 

When we hit the last winery we couldn't even handle anymore wine. They had two levels outside where you could sit. A bonus was that they also had an ostrich farm. Apparently on Sundays they have live music & bottomless mimosas so I'll definitely be back for that. We also met so many awesome people on the bus & began to socialize a lot more at the last winery. 

2. Shopping in Solvang

Solvang is just so charming. I love supporting small business so they have a bunch of little shops & cafes to support. We arrived Saturday morning & went straight on the wine tour. So didn't have much time to explore on Sunday. Usually cafes are super bust so I'd definitely recommend planning out your meals early & make reservations. We luckily got to eat brunch Sunday morning but there was about a 20 minute wait in line. We went to Brekkies Breakfast & Brunch & I had the eggs Benedict with coffee + a mimosa. 

3. OstrichLand USA

On Sunday before brunch we went to OstrichLand USA. This was an accidental find because it was so close to our hotel. But it was amazing to see these animals in person. They are HUGE. The tickets for general admission are $7 & for kids $3. Once you get in you have the option to feed them for $1 which of course I did. You have to be careful in the way you feed them so you don't strain their neck. But it was definitely well worth the money.