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With or without Go by yourselves to Santa Ynez Valley; take the kids to Santa Barbara Here are 2 great getaway options along the Central Coast – one to Santa Ynez Valley when you want to get away by yourselves, and one to Santa Barbara, if you take the kids: The Santa Ynez experience If you want to experience wine, you come to Santa Ynez Valley, 30 miles from Santa Barbara. And if you want to take a heavenly kind of drive, you travel Foxen Canyon Road through the heart of the valley, where the landscapes match perfectly with the vineyard of your choice. Santa Ynez and the surrounding towns, such as Los Olivos, are one big, beautiful road trip. You want to hug the land and taste the wine. Within a fabulous 6 stops over a 2-day visit my wife and I made early this year, the gem was down Refugio Road outside Solvang, at Sunstone Vineyards and Winery (sunstonewinery.com). We did the visit right, choosing a sprawling, comfortable, unpretentious location for a leisurely picnic lunch. We stayed for nearly 2 hours, taking in the wine-tasting, including the “wine library” – essentially a really cool wine cellar, dust on the older bottles. The wine is extraordinary, particularly the Syrah and Merlot. Choose your vineyards carefully, and enjoy. The Santa Barbara experience Santa Barbara has the mission, it has State Street, and it has its beach and pier as markers for families. If you venture just a bit, take in nearby Summerland for breakfast and a quick tour of the antique shops. But Santa Barbara doesn’t need much of a supporting cast. Walk as far up State Street from the pier as your legs will take you. You’ll find lunch, dinner, unique shopping and the arts on virtually every block. Other family ideas: > Every Sunday, a mile-long arts and crafts fair is held along Cabrillo Boulevard, starting at the pier. Local artwork and photographs, interesting jewelry and other handmade products make this a must-see. After your stroll, rent a bike trolley at a shop where State Street meets the beach trail, and just go. For refreshment, walk onto the pier and buy the kids an ice cream. > Captain Jack’s Tours (the Natural Hot Spring Hike and Soak Tour) offers hiking with a payoff at the end (captainjackstour.com). > Film tours (SantabarbaraCA.com) are worthwhile here, with a particular emphasis on “Sideways.” A free Santa Barbara County Film Tour guide will get you started. > The “Funk Zone” is just east of State Street, between State and Garden, and Yanonali and Mason, by the waterfront. It used to be a manufacturing and industrial mess, but now is an eclectic mix of artists, surfboard shapers, art studios and other locally owned shops. > Other ideas: Take in a moment at the sand by the Santa Barbara Pier to observe the Iraq Memorial to the American dead; tour the Botanic Gardens or even the mission, which may rival our own in San Juan Capistrano. It’s worth a visit. |
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