Solvang

We visited the beautiful Santa Yanez valley in Santa Barbara county for a three day weekend getaway. It was a short road trip covering Solvang, Santa Barbara, and the Lompoc flower fields. Our first stop was Solvang, my parents’ favorite. Solvang is a charming little danish hamlet with the old Danish architecture. Solvang meaning “sunny Field”, was founded by a group of Danish educators from the Midwest in 1911. Today it still has the Danish old town charm with the old coffee shops, the Danish Bakeries, the mermaid and, of course, the Hans Christian Andersons museum which will take you right to Copenhagen. Mission drive is the Main Street where you can have a stroll along the beautiful flower lined street. You can stroll the sidewalks for window shopping or eat in an original Danish cafe and watch people. For a perfect photo opportunity, there is a windmill at the end of the road that can work as a backdrop.

  • Parking is available in front of the motorcycle museum and the Hans Christian Anderson museum.
  • The City trolley is not accessible.
  • Most of the bakeries have a step or two to enter. But they have tables on the streets which is accessible.
  • Shops and restaurants closes very early so make sure to visit this place early. Mornings are very lively.

 Lompoc

After a hearty Danish breakfast, we started our drive to Lompoc. Lompoc was quite a find by my mom. Lompoc flower fields grows flowers that are part of California flower exports. Approximately 80% of US cut flower production comes from California, and over half of that comes from Santa Barbara County.As we drove on Highway 246 we could see some flowers on the highways. But those didn’t look like flower fields. We followed the map and turned right on the Ocean Ave and…  lo behold. The bright orange marigolds, the purple lupine and the other flowers look wonderful stretched out before us like a rainbow on the fields meeting the mountains in the background and the clear blue sky. The best fields were between Ocean Ave and Floradale Ave. A map of the field will come handy which you can get from www.lompoc.com. Without a map you might get lost.As you drive through the bumpy roads inside you will see many varieties of color patches which includes larkspur, stock, alyssum, delphinium, sweet peas, marigolds and others. Since these flower fields are commercially grown unlike the natural wild flowers they are very well lined up and looks beautiful from a distance.

  • This place is not suitable for wheel chair and/or mobility scooters.You can enjoy the place from the car. If you want to get down make sure you are parked on a firmer ground. You cannot step on the fields.
  • The flower season runs from late May until mid August, peaking in late June. There are a few blooming in October.
  • Drive carefully as the dust can damage the flowers.
  • As you travel between Ocean and Central Avenues, you will be on rough farm roads with potholes.
  • Also, you will cross railroad tracks which are bumpy. Come to a complete stop and cross gently or you could damage your vehicle.

Santa Barbara

The University town of Santa Barbara was our last stop. Santa Barbara is a beautiful coastal town which has a perfect mediterranean weather. It reminded me of our trip to the French Rivera. This place has the same charm with the Santa Ynez mountains on side and the Blue Pacific ocean on the other. There is always a fresh feeling in this city as all streets and sidewalks are extraordinarily clean. We started with the beautiful Stearns Wharf and the Boardwalk. We were there on a Sunday, when many local artists setup their paintings, jewelry, photography, sculpture and many more unique items. We spent a lovely afternoon there and then headed back to the boardwalk to enjoy the beautiful sight of the sand beaches and the palm trees.
We wanted to visit the Mission but due to lack of time, we decided to visit the university. UC Santa Barbara was the main attraction for me. Though it was a Sunday I could feel the campus life and watch the students lazing around in at the beautiful spring afternoon. It is beautifully nestled in the cliffs above the pacific ocean.UCSB is one of a few universities in the United States with its own beach. The campus is bordered on two sides by the Pacific Ocean, its own lagoon, and the rocky extension, Goleta Point, which is also known as “Campus Point”. We entered though the Henley gate and wow what a site it was parallel to Pacific Ocean. One thing I noticed here was most of the students were in Bikes.This university definitely has more bikes than I have seen in other UCs. We ended the day with an awesome Italian dinner in State beach.

  • Santa Barbara is one of the most accessible city in California. You can pretty much go anywhere with a mobility scooter or a wheelchair.
  • The state street has a few disabled parking parallel to the street.
  • The plaza parking garage has a few in the top floor.
  • The Stearns wharf has a dozen of handicap parking and the wharf is completely accessible.