What to do in Solvang, CA with Kids #FamilyTravel

Posted on Feb 26, 2015 | 6 comments

A group of Danish-Americans left the Midwest in 1911 in search of a warmer location to settle in. They found the Santa Inés Valley and quickly decided to call this place just Northwest of Santa Barbara home. They gave it the name Solvang, Danish for “Sunny Fields”. 100 years later it has become a hub for Scandinavian culture out here on the west coast. With incredible architecture, numerous Danish bakeries and restaurants, shops and people in traditional Scandinavian dress, Solvang is a really fun destination that I didn’t want to miss out on!

Solvang, CA is a great place to bring the kids to. There is plenty for everybody to see and do, it is well worth the trip!

Here is what we did in Solvang with kids!

It took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get there so I thought it best to start out at a playpark to let the kids stretch a bit. Our first stop was to Sunny Fields Playground. This place is seriously cool! It is a huge playground and park. The playground is something out of a fairy tale. It is great for kids up to 8. Older kids can have fun biking or scooting around the park. It was fun for about an hour.

The next stop was the Greenhouse Café. Super delicious Nordic bistro. Great menu, great location, great service. We sat outside and had a very entertaining view. Not only was the view of the architecture interesting, but horse-drawn trolleys and people on bikes are constantly going by. We had fun and a great meal, we will definitely be going back!!

We took a nice walk down the main strip of Solvang after we had finished eating. Here is Pebble People, a cool cuckoo clock store, the staff here is very knowledgeable and friendly – stop in to see some authentic, handcrafted items!

There are amazing bakeries, jewelry and toy shops along with some fun, unique photo opps along the way – can you find the red shoe?! We walked around and checked stuff out for about an hour. There were public restrooms available. Also trolleys to ride and group bikes to rent!

Next up we went to feed Ostriches at OstricheLand USA! There were signs everywhere that they bite. When you get up close and see their big, beady eyes and realize that you could get pecked at any moment – it is slightly terrifying and a little exciting!! I had to be brave for my kids so I wrapped their hands in mine and, as it turned out, had a ton of fun feeding these magnificent creatures! I must admit it was pretty cool, check out this clip –

We spent about 30 minutes at OstricheLand USA. After feeding them we walked for a bit and checked out some emu’s, and we saw a fresh egg get picked out of the field – they are huge!!!

I wanted to make one last stop with the kids to the Santa Inés Mission so I could talk a little about history and nature. There are 21 California missions all established by the Franciscan Fathers, Santa Inés Mission is the 19th of them. You can read more about it here. It is beautifully located and well worth a stop in. We spent about 30 minutes here and then headed for home!

The road trip was part of the fun. Check out my great trips on how to survive a road trip with kids! The San Marcos Pass has some breathtaking views and it felt like a little adventure for our family!

It really was a fun day!

Where would you like to take a day trip to?

Malibu Mama Loves Xx

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