Buellton Is One of many Most Underrated Small Cities in California

As a California resident of 20 years, and an individual who by no means says no to a street journey, I’ve crisscrossed the state many occasions looking for locations that shock me. Buellton is a kind of spots that began as a fast pit cease and rapidly grew to become one among my household’s favourite locations. 

Snuggled within the Santa Ynez Valley, between the Pacific Ocean and the mild hills of wine nation, Buellton has small-town appeal—quiet backroads the place you’ll be able to seize espresso earlier than wandering into a unusual quilt store, offbeat roadside sights, and people who really keep in mind your identify.

“I uncover new issues on a regular basis,” says Kristin Neperud Merz, a coordinator for Buellton’s neighborhood artwork initiatives. “When individuals drive by on the primary streets, they don’t know that so many hidden gems are only a flip away.”

Finest Accommodations & Resorts

Sideways Inn

As soon as referred to as the Windmill Inn—immortalized within the 2004 Academy Award-winning movie “Sideways,” when Miles and Jack crashed in room 234 between tastings—this revamped motel has been overhauled right into a boutique hideaway. Trendy rooms, fireplace pits, and a laid-back lounge with craft beers and a tasty wine record make it the perfect keep on the town.

Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn 

Established in 1969 subsequent door to the famend Pea Soup Andersen’s restaurant (however owned and operated independently), this Buellton inn has grown from a roadside cease right into a 98-room resort. The decor is shiny and welcoming, the heated pool is ideal for a lazy afternoon, and patios provide quiet spots to sip espresso or a neighborhood wine. Don’t miss out on the complimentary Danish, which arrives contemporary from a bakery in close by Solvang. 

Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground

This can be a tenting expertise with a severe glow-up, that includes classic Airstreams, safari tents, and storybook cottages blended in with full-hookup RV websites. Friends can get pleasure from a large pool, a totally stocked camp retailer, and meals vans below fairy lights. “There are such a lot of family-friendly occasions on the campground; the calendar is all the time full,” says Kathy Vreeland, government director on the Buellton Chamber of Commerce. Visitor-favorite actions embody bike mild parades, karaoke, and paint nights. 

Finest Issues To Do

Trip the longest, quickest zip line in California. 

At Highline Adventures, the longest and quickest zip strains in California ship riders hovering at greater than 50 mph. The panoramic view from the primary launch level is unbeatable, although eight acres of dazzling protea blooms unfurl beneath, practically stealing the present. (For many who’d slightly hold two toes on the bottom, guided strolls by the flower fields are equally enchanting.) Youngsters and thrill-seeking adults also can climb, bounce, and crawl by the treetop ropes and tunnels on the adjoining Skynet Playground and journey park.

Get out on horseback.

Saddling up with Santa Ynez Valley Horseback Rides means getting up shut and private with the Santa Ynez River, with as much as 4 water crossings, because the horses step sure-footed by the shallows. Wildlife is considerable, together with lively beaver dams and eagles overhead. For households, youthful children with no using expertise can take part in mild, one-hour pony encounters. (A “unicorn” is even obtainable by request.)

Go to ostriches, emus, llamas, pigs, and extra. 

When was the final time you locked eyes with a seven-foot fowl? At Ostrichland USA, greater than 150 ostriches and emus strut throughout the farm like they personal the place (as a result of they do), craning their lengthy necks over the fence to gobble up your bowl of meals. I like to recommend arriving early within the morning earlier than any tour buses roll in—you’ll have extra space and extra birds vying in your consideration. For much more hands-on enjoyable, jump over to the Zaca Creek Ranch, the place a 50-minute tour helps you to wander previous llamas and alpacas, peek right into a pigsty, cuddle goats, and get a really feel for all times on a working Central Coast ranch.

Return in time at Mendenhall’s Museum.

Mendenhall’s Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana is sort of a neon-lit time warp, with one of many West Coast’s largest collections of fuel pumps, alongside racing memorabilia, license plates, and vintage street indicators. Began greater than 50 years in the past by Jack Mendenhall, the museum is now curated by his son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Vickie. “It’s a hoot. At evening, it’s particularly superb when all of the lights come on,” Vreeland says. “When you’re fortunate, you would possibly even get invited to the second flooring to see Vickie’s retro kitchen.” 

Stroll by a botanic backyard.

Again in 2006, this spot was a roadside waste dump. Immediately, because of neighborhood volunteers, the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Backyard is a thriving sanctuary for native vegetation and wildlife, showcasing the area’s numerous landscapes whereas honoring the Indigenous individuals of the world. Discover the Chumash village, wander beneath sun-dappled oaks, and lose your self in a willow maze.

Finest Purchasing

The Creation Station Cloth & Quilt Store 

If paradise for quilters exists, that is it. Housed inside a former bowling alley, this colourful cavern of cottons and bolts has turn out to be a vacation spot for crafters in all places. You’ll discover whimsical prints, craft kits, and imaginatively repurposed gadgets that’ll make you wish to drop every part and begin making one thing fabulous. 

Motley Crew Market and Ranch 

Think about a store that seems like your favourite auntie’s kitchen. Full of pasture-raised meats, housemade sausages, contemporary eggs, native seafood, spices, and an array of do-it-yourself goodies, each nook of Motley Crew Market and Ranch displays Cassidy and Markos Alexandrou’s ardour for sustainable, considerate meals.

Finest Eating places

Industrial Eats 

What began as a catering firm is now a farm-to-table restaurant and craft butcher store in a transformed warehouse on Industrial Means in Buellton. The Industrial Eats menu contains wood-fired pizzas, connoisseur sandwiches, and ingenious mains. “The newest factor I can’t get sufficient of is the salmon carpaccio,” Merz says. “That dish alone is price a cease.”

The Hitching Submit II

Like a well-balanced wine, The Hitching Submit II marries Santa Maria-style barbecue with basic sides and its personal handcrafted wines, all served in a heat, rustic setting. Followers of “Sideways” would possibly keep in mind this because the spot the place Miles meets Maya, performed by Virginia Madsen. When you’re planning to savor a glass of pinot noir in Buellton, that is the place to do it.

Giorgio’s at Parkway 

Blink and also you would possibly miss Giorgio’s at Parkway, tucked incongruously inside a liquor retailer on the Avenue of Flags. “I name it ‘speakeasy Italian,’” Vreeland says. Behind the unassuming doorways, you’ll discover a cozy eatery serving every part from wood-fired pizza to cioppino to spaghetti carbonara. Most passersby by no means discover it, which solely provides to the fun of discovering Buellton’s best-kept foodie secret.

Vega Winery & Farm 

Established on the historic Rancho de Vega, this family-run property provides a full farm-to-table, wine nation expertise. Whereas a lot of Buellton’s wineries provide glorious tastings, solely Vega has Pop’s Place, an expansive, separate space with an off-the-cuff eatery, a family-friendly petting zoo, and tractor-pulled wagon rides. 

Finest Time to Go to

The candy spot for visiting Buellton is late spring or early fall, when days are heat and drenched in daylight, and evenings cool simply sufficient to twist up with a glass of native wine below the celebs. That is additionally when the vineyards come alive, both with the primary inexperienced shoots of spring or the golden glow of harvest. However Buellton advantages from ocean breezes by the Transverse Ranges, giving the city a near-Mediterranean local weather. For house fanatics, Buellton provides prime views of launches from Vandenberg House Power Base. Plan your go to round an evening launch to see rockets streak by the sky.

Learn how to Get There

Reaching Buellton is simple. Set proper off Freeway 101 within the coronary heart of the Santa Ynez Valley, it’s a straightforward 2.5-hour drive north from Los Angeles or a scenic five-hour journey south from San Francisco. Vacationers from farther locales typically fly into Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), which is simply 40 minutes away, and rental vehicles make that final stretch a breeze. For many who desire public transit, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner stops in close by Goleta and Santa Barbara, with connecting shuttles or ride-shares to Buellton. 

Learn how to Get Round

The optimum option to see Buellton is by automobile, supplying you with the pliability to slide between neighborhood breweries, tucked-away eating places, and the wineries that sprawl throughout the Santa Ynez Valley’s rolling hills. Nonetheless, the city’s compact grid invitations a slower tempo for these moments you don’t wish to get behind the wheel. Trip-share companies like Uber and Lyft, together with native taxis, are available, whereas Santa Barbara County wine tour shuttles and the Santa Ynez Valley Transit bus join Buellton to close by Solvang, Santa Ynez, and Los Olivos.