Getaway in California's Wine Country - Buellton

Looking for a unique trip destination in California? Don't look any further! Buellton is a true hidden gem of Southern California! It's located just north of Santa Barbara and 10 miles from the beautiful Pacific Ocean on Hwy 101. Surrounded by rolling hills this charming town has so much to offer for a traveler like me and you! Prepare for a busy getaway filled with fun activities.

(Sample itinerary included at the end!)

Did you that Buellton:

Placed right in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Buellton is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as well as the pioneer makers and masters of this wine.

The Craft Beer industry has also made its way here featuring two award-winning breweries, Firestone/Walker, and Figueroa Mountain Brew Co.

To the east is the quaint Danish village of Solvang and to the west is the town of Lompoc, home of Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Known for Pea Soup.

Buellton is home to the famous “Sideways” movie.

This up-and-coming city has many with annual events centered around wine, beer, food, arts, cycling, and more!

Check out www.discoverbuellton.com for upcoming events, and follow them on Social Media:

Facebook: @BuelltonCA

Twitter: @BuelltonUSA

Instagram: @BuelltonCA

Where to stay:

Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley

This Hampton Inn & Suites is not your typical Hampton Inn hotel. The 99-room property in Buellton is set on the foothills of Santa Barbara Wine Country, with gorgeous untouched rolling hills directly behind the property. The property is nestled in a peaceful location, that’s within minutes of popular local restaurants and wine tasting rooms. Guests can choose from a standard guest room or a spacious one room studio suite. All rooms come with standard Hampton Inn amenities such as microwaves, mini-refrigerators and HDTV’s.

After a day of discovering Buellton, you can relax in front of the fire pit and enjoy the stunning views, play a game of bocce ball, or work out in the fitness center. Wi-Fi and parking are included. There is also an executive board room that can accommodate up to 12 people. Hampton Inn provides a complimentary breakfast area downstairs with breakfast items and beverages like coffee, tea etc.

Fun bonus:

Bocce Ball Bocce Ball is widely popular in the Santa Ynez Valley, all hotels in Buellton have bocce ball courts, and there are various local teams and tournaments that take place in the area. When in Buellton, you have to bocce!

Find them on Social: Facebook: @HamptonbyHilton Twitter: @HamptonbyHilton Instagram: @hamptonbyhilton

Address of Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley:

600 McMurray Road, Buellton, CA, 93427

Things to do:

Feed Ostriches & Emus at Ostrichland

OstrichLand USA is a wonder-filled place for everyone. Kids and adults will never forget the experience of feeding an ostrich or emu. These big birds are a rare and unique sight in this part of the world and are sure to make you smile. Fresh ostrich eggs are available most of the year and fresh emu eggs during the winter/spring season.

Find them on Social: Facebook: @OstrichLandUSA Twitter: @ostrichland

Address of Ostrichland:

610 E Highway 246, Buellton, CA, 93427

Horseback Riding with Santa Ynez Valley Horseback Rides

Santa Ynez Valley Horseback Rides was born out of a simple idea: bring affordable, high-quality trail riding to beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. Their horses are former champions in dressage, roping, racing, sport horse, reining, and more! This activity is a perfect addition to the getaway itinerary in Buellton for couples and families. And people who work there are very passionate about giving others an equine experience they will never forget.

Find them on Social:

Facebook: @SYVHorseRides Instagram: @syvhorsebackrides

Address of Santa Ynez Valley Horseback Rides:

151 Sycamore Drive, Buellton, CA, US, 93427

BYOB Sip-n-Spin at Community Clayworks

Have fun and get messy as we walk you through the basics of throwing on the potter's wheel while drinking Santa Barbara wines. Create a unique piece of pottery, then choose one of 2 glaze options. Your fired (finished) piece can be picked up at a later date or shipped for an additional fee.

Find them on Social: Instagram: @community_clayworks Facebook: @communityclayworks2021

Address of Community Clayworks:

37 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA, 93427

Mendenhall Museum

The Mendenhall Museum is a personal collection of really cool gas station / automobile memorabilia and other antiques. The museum has one of the largest petroliana collections on the West Coast, including gasoline pumps, globes, and porcelain gas, oil, & road signs. There are also race cars, racing memorabilia, license plates, gas & oil items, and other miscellaneous antiques. The collection was started over fifty years ago by Jack Mendenhall and is carried on today by his son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Vickie.

Find them on Social:

Facebook: @mendenhallmuseum

Address of Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps:

24 Zaca St, Buellton, CA, US, 93427

Wine Tasting at Tierra y Vino

Owners and partners in life, Andres Ibarra and Caren Rideau founded their business in 2012. They have taken small steps in their development leading up to the opening of their tasting room in Buellton.

Find them on Social:

Instagram: @tierrayvino

Address tierra y vino:

140 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA, US, 93427

Tasting at DorWood Distillery

DorWood Distillery (formerly known as Brother Spirits) takes advantage of their wine country location and uses locally grown Chardonnay wine grapes to create a vodka with a creamy, velvet taste. Dorwood is a true grain to bottle hands on distillery making small batches of spirits hand crafted the old-world way. Head on over to Dorwood and enjoy a handcrafted, smooth, sophisticated spirit.

Find them on Social: Facebook: @DorWoodDistillery Instagram: @Dorwood_Distillery

Address of DorWood Distillery:

201 Industrial Way Ste D, Buellton, CA, 93427

The Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden

Explore the butterfly garden and willow maze, or add a wish to the wishing tree. This botanic garden is a popular area of winding paths, twists and turns to explore nature and find wildlife and blooms throughout. Through more than a dozen annual events, the Garden provides opportunities for the community and visitors to engage with nature and one another.

Address of Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden:

151 Sycamore Drive, Buellton, CA, US, 93427

Where to eat:

Industrial Eats

Industrial Eats is a quality-centered dining experience tucked away in a re-purposed warehouse on Industrial Way in Buellton, California. It’s tattooed with produce and grocery graffiti on its exterior wall and boasts a craft butcher counter filled with house made treats and extensive indulgences. Two wood fired ovens churn out thousands of seasonal dishes every year, all sourced from sustainable farms and food pioneers.

The restaurant is filled with knick knacks and books lining the walls – collected from years of odd hobbies and cultivated impulse buying – and rows of communal tables full of patrons chatting and eyeing their neighbor’s meals.

The owners, Jeff and Janet Olsson, along with their expert crew, value bringing people together through a shared feasting environment by serving respectfully honest great food.

Find them on Social:

Facebook: @Industrialeats

Instagram: @Industrialeats

Twitter: @Industrialeats

Address of Industrial Eats:

181 B Industrial Way, Buellton, CA, 93427 (805) 688-8807

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

Enjoy meals at The Kitchen @ FigMtnBrew featuring a full menu of gastropub offerings. The Kitchen is located inside Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, which was founded in 2010 by father and son team, Jim and Jaime Dietenhofer. With a passion for craft beer, they set out to pay homage to the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley with handcrafted beer and hand-drawn artwork depicting the local landscape on their labels. There are currently six taprooms along California’s Central Coast.

Find them on Social: Facebook: @figmtnbrew Twitter: @figmtnbrew Instagram: @figmtnbrew

Address of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.:

45 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA, 93427

Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Firestone is a long-time favorite on the Central Coast, with nationwide beer distribution. Everyone in Santa Barbara County is familiar with their 805 beer, named for the local area code. The Buellton brewery includes the tasty Taproom restaurant, serving up delicious food to pair with their wide variety of beers. They have also recently opened Barrelworks in the same location. The Barrelworks Tasting Room and Blending Center features beers from their wild ale program as well as one-off selections from their barrel-aging spirits program.

Single barrel and small batch brews are limited in quantity and available only while supplies last.

Find them on Social:

Facebook: @FirestoneWalker

Twitter: @FirestoneWalker

Instagram: @Firestonewalker

Address of Firestone Walker Brewing Company:

620 McMurray Rd, Buellton, CA, 93427 (805) 686-1557

Hitching Post Wines

The Hitching Post II blends traditional Santa Maria Barbecue with eclectic local ingredients and award-winning wines for an exciting cuisine that is uniquely its own. Frank Ostini is the owner, chef and winemaker at Hitching Post II. If he looks familiar, you may have seen him in the award-winning film Sideways.

Find them on Social:

Facebook: @HitchingPost2

Twitter: @HitchingPost2

Instagram: @hitchingpost2

Address Hitching Post Wines:

420 California 246, Buellton, CA, 93427

For Breakfast stop by:

For best Breakfast bagels in town stop by Enjoy Bagels

Address Enjoy Bagels:

70 E Highway 246, #112, Buellton, CA 93427

Enjoy your hot cup of Joe at Janeen's Coffee @ The Cabin

Address @Janeen's Coffee at The Cabin:

264 East Highway 246, Buellton, CA 93427

Sample Itinerary:

Day 1:

Check in at Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley

Wine Tasting at Tierra y Vino - tierra y vino

BYOB Sip-n-Spin at Community Clayworks

Dinner at Industrial Eats - Industrial Eats

Day 2:

Breakfast at Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley

Horseback Riding with Santa Ynez Valley Horseback Rides

Lunch at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

Tasting at DorWood Distillery - DorWood Distillery

Dinner at Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Day 3:

Check out at Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley - Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley

Breakfast picnic at The Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden

Tour of Mendenhall Museum - Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps

Lunch at Hitching Post Wines - Hitching Post Wines

Feed Ostriches & Emus at Ostrichland - Ostrich Land

Have fun in Buellton and keep on roaming!

Polina