Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [331]
Food-wise, Solvang is best known for Danish inspired bakeries. Tubs of Danish butter cookies are popular takeaways at the Solvang Bakery ( 805-688-4939; 460 Alisal Rd), but for a more decadent treat, try their custard butter ring or the crispy Florentine lace cookie (the latter’s Danish heritage slightly unclear). Also popular is Olsen’s Bakery ( 805-688-6314; 1529 Mission Dr) with its varied assortment of Danish butter cookies, lace cookies and rich almond custard kringles – dough layers folded over butter then twisted. And as Hans Christian Andersen once wrote, never dingle with anyone’s kringle.
Drinking & Entertainment
Anywhere but here. Sorry, but true. After dinner this place is deader than a Danish boneyard. In fact, if you’re just one abelskiver from sugar-and-kitsch-induced insanity, drive east 3 miles on Hwy 246 ’til you reach Chumash Casino Resort ( 800-248-6274; www.chumashcasino.com; 3400 E Hwy 246; 24hr), Solvang’s vice-minded doppelganger, where the coffee is bad, the slots are plenty and the cigarette smoke so thick you could cut it with a Danish butter knife.
Shopping
If colorful quilts, miniclog magnets, and decorative Danish plates top your shopping list, you’ll be crossing off items like mad. Crowded Rasmussen’s ( 805-688-6636; 1697 Copenhagen Dr) displays a primo mix of Scandinavian wares – from Hummel figurines and Lindt chocolates to corny ‘Sour Kraut’ tiles, it’s all here. For handcrafted quilts, pillows and bedroom decor try the Nodding Place ( 805-693-0251; 1662 Copenhagen Dr), a homespun shop where hubbies slip out the door without telling their wives. If Solvang’s got you feeling vaguely out of sync, have your aura photographed and analyzed at the Mystic Merchant ( 805-693-1424; 1640 Copenhagen Dr).
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SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY
Oak-dotted hillsides, charming country lanes, gorgeous mountain views, tidy rows of grape vines stretching as far as the eye can see – it’s hard not to gush when describing Santa Barbara’s Wine Country, a primo spot for roadtripping. From fancy convertibles and ecofriendly touring vans to sleek road bikes and sputtering Harleys, it’s an eclectic, friendly mix of visitors sharing these bucolic roads.
The citizens here are typically friendly too, from longtime landowners and farmers displaying small-town graciousness to the vineyard owners who’ve fled big cities to follow their passion. Many of them are happy to share their local knowledge and fascinating histories as well as their love of this beautiful land. A love you should prepare to share with travelers inspired by Oscar-winning Sideways, an ode to the joys – and hazards – of wine-tasting as seen through the adventures of road-tripping middle-aged buddies Miles and Jack.
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A WINE COUNTRY PRIMER
Though large-scale winemaking has only been happening in Santa Barbara since the 1980s, its climate has always been perfect for growing grapes. Two parallel, east–west–trending mountain ranges (the Santa Ynez and the San Rafael) cradle the region and funnel coastal fog eastward off the Pacific into the valleys between. The further inland you go, the warmer it gets. At the shore, fog and low clouds can hover all day, keeping the weather downright chilly, even in July, while only a few miles inland, temperatures can soar a full 30°F hotter, sometimes approaching 100°F in mid-July. These delicately balanced microclimates support two major varieties of grape.
Near the coast in the Santa Maria Valley, pinot noir – a particularly fragile grape – and other Burgundy-style varieties thrive in the fog. Inland in the warmer Santa Ynez Valley, where there can be as much as a 50°F variance in temperatures from day to night, Rhône-style grapes do best. These include Syrah, Mourvèdre and viognier.
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