My husband doesn’t just embrace Christmas, he does double-backflips into Christmas…in November. And while I temper his inner “Clark Griswold,” his enthusiasm enhances our family’s experience of the holiday.
So, this year I embarked on the quest of finding the Christmasy-est place within driving distance from our house, for a quick vacation post-school and pre-Christmas Eve. I found it!!!!
Solvang, located in the Central Coast of California, is ranked among top 10 best Christmas towns consistently. Insider.com named it “one of the 7 US cities that will make you feel like you jetted off to Europe for the holidays without pricey airfare” in Nov 2022. Long winded way of saying: Christmas is here and it’s called Solvang Julefest (Yule-fest)!!!
There are twinkle lights everywhere, outdoor music performances, Santa and Mrs Claus appearances, Christmas-only stores, decorations and bakeries full of Christmas-themed treats. This is also a Central Coast wine region…keep reading for some family-friendly wineries in the area.
Hotels
I booked Hotel Corque in Sept 2022 for Dec 21-23, 2022. Our two queen bed, pool view room was about $230 per night and very comfortable for our family of four. Hotel Corque is located in town, has adequate parking, a great pool, jacuzzi and fire pits and is very family friendly. I love the walkability of its location…Solvang is only a 2.2 square mile town. www.hotelcorque.com
Other hotels in Solvang I’d recommend for families based on experience:
Alisal Ranch: cabin-style rooms to accommodate families of all sizes, LOTS of activities including horseback riding and boating, excellent food options on campus, about 2 miles from downtown Solvang and a great golf course. It isn’t uncommon for this place to become an annual vacation for multiple family-friend groups! I have several friends who grew up coming to Alisal with the same families every year and have wonderful memories to share about it. BUT, it is exponentially more expensive than the other hotel options in the area AND must be booked well in advance of your planned vacation. Typically families will book the next year’s rooms as they wrap up their current stay at the hotel. www.alisalranch.com
The Landsby: This boutique hotel, in downtown Solvang, was renovated in 2015 and the aesthetic is very clean and contemporary. Room price points are similar to Hotel Corque, but have much more personality and style. Families of 3-4 would be comfortable in a standard room and larger families could book a suite with an add-on queen room. www.thelandsby.com
There are several hotels that embrace the Danish architecture and they look charming from the outside, but I would be very vigilant in doing my research online prior to booking…most haven’t been renovated in a loooong time.
Restaurants
Our kids thoroughly enjoyed Mad and Vin at The Hotel Landsby our first evening in Solvang and we enjoyed the giant private room they gave us!!! Another family of 4 from our elementary school joined us on this vacation, so we were a group of 8 total…4 kids, 9 to 6 years old. The kids could run around the room and no other diners were disturbed! Win. The waiter was entertaining, patient and his service was impeccable. This is by far one of the BEST restaurants in Solvang!!! The parents enjoyed great food and excellent wine and the kids got to be kids! www.thelandsby.com
For breakfast…we love Brekkies (my #1); Solvang Restaurant (must try: aebleskivers); Paula’s Pancakes (long lines, very popular); and too many Danish bakeries to list!!! My FAVORITE place to get a cortado – and other espresso drinks – The Good Seed. All of these places are located in downtown Solvang. All are walkable from the Hotel Corque or The Landsby. All do not take reservations and will have long waits if you arrive post-10AM!!!!
We typically just snack in Solvang for lunch…or end up getting cheese and charcuterie plates at wineries during lunchtime tastings. I don’t have an opinion here.
For dinner…Peasants Feast (comfort food in indoor/outdoor setting…the outside is magical); Alisal Ranch (BBQ); and Coast Range (steakhouse). These are our favorites in Solvang, but don’t miss Los Olivos too!!! It’s only 15-20 minutes away by car. Bring the kids for a day-trip/dinner.
Los Olivos is an ADORABLE town filled with wine tasting rooms, boutique shops, olive oil tasting rooms…and is much more conducive to a romantic couple’s weekend. Stay at The Fess Parker Hotel with your spouse and enjoy! www.fessparker.com
For our last night in the area, we ate dinner at Nella Kitchen and Bar, at a large outside table that accommodated our party of 8 comfortably. Several friends with kids had recommended Nella, so we may have just had an “off” night, but the pizzas were overcooked, my Bolognese lacked flavor and I felt like the staff was rushing us out. And, it was pretty expensive for the quality. I was really disappointed…felt like we should have just gone to the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, a past favorite for our family. www.nellakitchen.com
Family-Friendly Wineries
Might sound like an oxymoron, but there ARE family-friendly wineries in the area and our kids have just as much fun running around the grounds as we do exploring local vineyards. From our experience, here a few worth visiting…
Foley Estates Vineyard and Wine: Bill Foley owns a lot of wineries, so make sure you are mapping to the one I am recommending here!!! It should be at 6121 East, CA 246 in Lompoc. Foley Estates wines, especially their Pinots and Chardonnays, are well-ranked and reasonably priced. Oh, and the vineyard has PLENTY of safe space for kids to run and play. It’s also dog-friendly at the outdoor tasting tables. Note: Not open on Tuesday and Wednesday. Make a reservation. www.foleywines.com
Lincourt Vineyards: also a Foley-owned winery. The price points are slightly higher, but the wines are worth it. AND, lots of space for kids to play. Make a reservation. www.lincourtwines.com
Babcock Winery & Vineyards: There’s a very cool vibe at this winery…from the store featuring antiques and eclectic new products to the 70’s and 80’s music playing in the tasting room…it’s unique! Check it out. The kids will love it too. Great small bites offerings. Just down CA 246 (the main wine tasting room highway!!!) from Foley Estates. No reservation needed typically. www.babcockwinery.com
Saarloos and Sons: This novel cupcake/wine pairing room is located in Los Olivos. While the wines offered have creative labels and names, most people come to this winery for the ambiance and the tasty mini-cupcakes served in mini egg cartons. You can’t get more adorable. And yes, they pair their wine with the cupcakes, but you can order the cupcakes alone. I recommend pre-ordering from their website. Try to get one of the firepits in the front of the tasting room if visiting in non-summer months. Or, their backyard is also a nice place for the kids to explore and the adults to wine-taste. www.saarloosandsons.com
One more must-visit winery in Los Olivos is Carhartt. Family-owned, Chase Carhartt can typically be found either in the tasting room or traveling the globe researching and bringing back great wine-making ideas. Their outdoor space is perfect for large groups, including kids. And their wines are excellent…creative labels and names too. Make a reservation. www.carharttfamilywines.com
Other Activities for Families
Have you ever heard of a Moke??? I hadn’t until this most recent trip to Solvang! The family who vacationed with us introduced us to these rentable colorful 4-seater electric cars. Reserve a day or so ahead of time during weekends as they are very popular. We took 2 and drove around Solvang, including the Mission Santa Ynez at the start of downtown, for a couple hours. The kids had a blast picking their favorite color, then blaring music and riding around in these open top vehicles. Apparently, they were invented in the UK years ago…but this is the first place I’ve seen them in the USA. I can’t find a working website, but it’s easy to find: EVXP Rentals at 1510 Mission Dr in Solvang.
Wheel Fun Rentals: Bicycles built for 2 and 4 and more. Plus, traditional bike rentals including helmets. This is a great way to explore Solvang and the surrounding area. Just be aware: the terrain can be pretty hilly outside of the downtown area. www.wheelfunrental.com
Hans Christian Andersen Park: Walkable from downtown Solvang if your kids are over 5 years old. This is a giant park with an excellent playground for kids 10 and under. The entrance is marked by what looks like the opening to a Danish castle. You can find pictures by Googling “parks in Solvang.” Location: 633 Chalk Hill Road, Solvang.
Ostrichland USA: We went here in 2020 with the girls and nobody enjoyed it. There is nothing cute about an ostrich. You can feed them…and they will aggressively attack the bowl of food through the fence and scare the daylights out of most kids, including mine. You can take pictures… Maybe they’ll add bunnies or lambs to the mix at some point, but until then, I won’t be back. There was a mini horse farm nearby, but apparently that closed during Covid. Sad! www.ostrichlandusa.com
Solvang Trolley: At Christmas, Santa and Mrs Claus can be found riding this downtown horse-pulled trolley quite often and it’s a fun surprise for kids!!! There is a fee for adults/children to ride it and it only stops in certain places…don’t try to chase it and catch it in between stops like our kids did. The driver will turn down even the most persistent, out-of-breath littles! www.solvangtrolley.com
Summers can be VERY hot in this region, so I recommend taking the kids between October-February…but the Christmas season is when it is at it’s most magical.
We Don’t Sit Still 