Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [336]
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SHOPPING & SPA SERVICES
Boutiques and specialty shops cluster along Grand Ave in Los Olivos – they can be covered in half day.
The roof’s not rusted at bright-red, brand-new Tin Roof Boutique ( 805-688-7844; 2982 Grand Ave), where fashionistas will find cute tees, sassy shoes and stylin’ belts. For authentic cowboy couture, wranglers and prairie babes should mosey over to Jedlicka’s ( 805-688-2626; 2883 Grand Ave) for name-brand boots – Lucchese, Justin – as well as hats and model horses. Decorate your cottage with vineyard-inspired style with furnishings from Wine Country Home ( 805-686-9100; 2900 Grand Ave). For postwine pampering, stop by DiVine ( 805-686-9000; 2971 Grand Ave), a cozy cottage of relaxation where a 50-minute Vino Therapy treatment – grapeseed-oil moisturizer and therapeutic massage – is $98.
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Brothers Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern ( 805-688-4820; 2350 Railway Ave, Los Olivos; mains $18-40; 5-9pm;) Relaxing on the terrace at fashionably rustic Mattei’s (pronounced ‘Matty’s’), you half expect a stagecoach to come thundering up in time for dinner. Which would’ve been the norm 120 years ago at this one-time stagecoach stop and tavern first opened in 1886. The menu lists American-country comfort food, such as prime rib, roasted chicken breast and rack of lamb. Make reservations and get gussied up.
Tours
There are numerous wine tours. Check area visitor centers for brochures. Prices for the tours below hover just above $100 per person. Some may require a minimum number of participants.
Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours ( 805-965-6654; www.ccjeeps.com) Offers wine tours in canopied jeeps. Trip includes four wineries and picnic lunch.
Sustainable Vine Wine Tours ( 805-698-3911; www.sustainablevine.com). Owner Bryan Hope escorts guests in his biodiesel shuttle to wineries implementing organic and sustainable agricultural practices. Don’t fear, the wines are top notch. Price includes lunch from an organic-minded deli.
Wine EdVentures ( 805-965-9463; www.welovewines.com) Serves up a fun-lovin’ side dish of local history & wine education with its shuttle-driven tasting tours.
Getting There & Away
From Santa Barbara, you can follow Hwy 101 or Hwy 154 north to the wine country (Click here). Via Hwy 101, it’s 45 miles from Santa Barbara to Buellton, located at the intersection of Hwy 246. Hwy 246 runs east–west from Buellton to Solvang and then across the bottom of the Santa Ynez Valley to Hwy 154. You can also follow Hwy 154 north from Santa Barbara. This is the more scenic route (and shorter at 35 miles), but the road is often only two lanes wide. Once past Hwy 246, Hwy 154 leads to Los Olivos.
Amtrak ( 800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) provides a daily bus service from the Santa Barbara station to Solvang.
Super Ride ( 800-977-1123; www.superide.net) offers rides from the Santa Barbara Airport to Solvang, one way, for $75. Central Coast Shuttle ( 800-470-8818; www.centralcoastshuttle.com) will carry you from LAX to Buellton for $69, one way, slightly less if you pre-pay 24 hours in advance.
On weekdays, MTD Santa Barbara ( 805-683-3702; www.sbmtd.gov) runs express buses between Santa Barbara and Buellton on the Valley Express. Tickets are $4 one way. In the Valley, the Santa Ynez Valley Transit ( 805-688-5452; www.cityofsolvang.com/syvtroutes.html) runs buses Monday through Saturday on a loop between Buellton, Solvang and Los Olivos for $1.50 one-way.
Many tour operators offer wine tasting and adventure trips to the area. See Tours (opposite) for examples, check www.sbcountywines or pick up brochures at one of the visitors centers.
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ALONG HIGHWAY 154
Highway 154 (San Marcos Pass Rd) heads north of Santa Barbara through the Los Padres National Forest. It bisects the Santa Barbara Wine Country and the Santa Ynez Valley before joining up with Hwy 101 north of Los Olivos.
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
This tiny historic