Nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley, this tiny town of around 4500 inhabitants looks very much like a replica of a village from the Scandinavian countries. The town was built by Danish settlers and most of the locals are their direct descendants or Mexican immigrants.
A common question by visitors to Solvang is “what is there to do here?” The answer to that is: relax, shop, and eat. The main touristy area of Solvang is in the center of the village, along Mission Drive, Copenhagen Drive and Alisal Rd. Unless you are also visiting the other towns of Santa Ynez Valley a day trip or even half a day will be plenty to get the Solvang experience.
The streets are lined with gift shops, art boutiques, wine tasting shops and candy stores. There are five bakeries in Solvang, lots of restaurants serving all types of cuisine, Danish, Mexican, American, German, Japanese, you name it, there is a wide variety of choices, just don’t expect anything to stay open late. Shops close by 5PM and even most of the restaurants by 7PM or 9PM the latest.
If you are in Solvang you will want to try the Aebelskivers, a Danish specialty, pancake balls served with raspberry jam and powdered sugar. The freshest ones are at the Solvang Restaurant on Copenhagen Drive, you can see through the window how they are made.
Depending on the season you are visiting you will get a very different experience of the town, in summer it’s bustling with tourists, in winter, it resembles a ghost town.
There are two major festivals in town, The Taste of Solvang in March and Danish Days in the fall. The town is extremely busy for these events. The first one is a sampling of the town’s restaurants; each participating vendor offers its signature dish as part of the event. To take part in the Taste of Solvang contact the Visitor Center for tickets.
Danish Days celebrates the town’s heritage, there is a parade with floats and dancers in traditional Danish outfits, and various shows and concerts in Hans Christian Anderson Park (the big lawn along Mission Drive.)
In the summer time there is also an open air theater,”Theaterfest”. Plays usually run from May through September. Take some warm clothes, even after hot summer days temperatures usually drop significantly in the late evenings around here.
In front of the only shoe store in Solvang there is a red clog which has become quite famous, almost a symbol of Solvang.
Some people include Solvang in their tour of the California Spanish Missions. The Santa Ynez Mission is located on Mission Drive, or right behind the parking lot off of Alisal Rd.
It is a very adorable place to spend a weekend day or to stop for the night if driving along the 101 on a long coastal trip. If you plan on making a trip to Solvang I would recommend including a tour of the the entire Santa Ynez Valley or at least of Los Olivos, which is only a few miles north of Solvang, equally or even more adorable than Solvang, although very different.
The food lokks good :)