Buellton - city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States

Buellton is in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Located where US Route 101 crosses the otherwise inaccessible Santa Ynez Valley, most travellers to the wineries of the valley pass through Buellton. Solvang and Santa Ynez are nearby, also on Highway 246, and Los Olivos is another nearby city in the valley.

Get in

Get around

See

The wineries and vineyards are world class, so call the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association in Santa Ynez for a touring map (805) 688-0881. See #Wineries for individual businesses.

There are ubiquitous horse ranches who sell their foals to Middle East sheiks but you would have to call them to visit whereas the wineries love for you to come in and taste the juice.

• Jonata Park's waterfall. Exquisite.

Do

• Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana, 24 Zaca St, 34.6124°, -120.1951°, +1 805-689-2402, mark@mendenhallmuseum.com. Call ahead to schedule a tour. This museum displays gasoline pumps, globes, and porcelain gas, oil, & road signs. It also has racing history, including cars, memorabilia and license plates. The Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held at the museum at the end of April. Tours are booked on a first-come, first-served basis $15 donation per person 2015-11-04
• OstrichLand USA, 610 E Highway 246, 34.6062°, -120.1788°, +1 805 686-9696. 9AM-dusk. A farm featuring ostriches and emus, where visitors are given a tray of food and then left on their own to follow a self-guided path. There is also a gift shop that (obviously) features ostrich and emu related merchandise. Reservations are required for groups of 15 or more. $4 age 13 and over, $1 age 12 and under, $1 per pan for bird food 2015-11-04

Buy

Eat

Ostrich burgers are featured on many local menus; the meat, while red, is very lean and a great favorite among the health-conscious.

• American Flatbread Restaurant, 225 Bell St, Los Alamos, +1 805 344-4400. If it is Friday or Saturday night, skip Buellton and drive to Los Alamos, (there is only one main street in Los Alamos) because that is where you can find some of the finest organic pizza, with salads worthy of culinary awards (think Pizzaria Bianco in Phoenix). Dozens of impossible to find local wines, and enough winemakers eating there to guide you through your next malolatic fermentation.
• A-ru, 225 Mcmurray Rd, +1 805 686-9001. Owned by a Japanese woman who oversees the cooked and uncooked. Said by some to be the best sushi in the county. Always ask about the special appetizers and fish.
• Ellens, 272 Avenue of the Flags, +1 805 688-5312. Where the vineyard managers and consultants meet over breakfast and lunch. You cannot get a better thin pancake or better thick bacon served all day, and at dinner you will be surprised at the quality of the excellent prime rib served on formica topped tables with white coffee mugs at the ready; check out the specials at lunch that include Ortega Cheeseburger, and toasted tuna sandwich and perfect cupcakes.
• Firestone Walker "Tap Room", 620 McMurray Rd, +1 805-686-1557. The big bar has on tap what critics call the finest Pale Lager made in the United States, and in the rear you find salmon and pizza and specials, all good food to eat along with sampling pale and dark beers made in house.
• Hitching Post Restaurant, 406 E. Highway 246, +1 805-688-0676. Of Sideways fame, talk to the bartender about what wine to order, as the bartender probably knows more about vineyards and wine than anyone in the movie. Have great grilled artichokes and the lobster and flat iron steak with fries. with Pinot noir of course.
• The Hitching Post II, 420 E Highway 246, +1 805 688-0676, info@hitchingpost2.com. This and The Hitching Post were originally co-owned by two brothers, who have since split ownership. Huge portions of unique and delicious BBQ as well as a fabulous selection of local wines.
• Pea Soup Andersen's, 376 Avenue of the Flags, +1 805 688-5581, info@peasoupandersens.net. It is hard not to know about the existence of Pea Soup Andersen's if you drive Highway 101. Signs advertising it start as far as 100 miles away. While pea soup is their specialty, there is much more on the short-order menu. For the travelers, Andersen's is a nice alternative to the ubiquitous Denny's diners that line the highways, although a little disappointing if you are familiar with real German pea soup. 2015-12-19
• Pattibakes, 240 East Highway 246 #109, +1 805-686-9582. For lunch, this tiny shop off the highway makes great sandwiches and have incredible peanut butter cookies and cakes and brownies- lots of bakery items "made in the shop", but its not Paris, its your favorite childhood kitchen cupcakes.

Drink

• Hitching Post bar.
• Firestone Walker Tap Room bar.

Wineries

• Alma Rosa Winery, +1 805-688-9090. Organic and intimate.
• Bridlewood Winery, +1 805-688-9000. Resembles a grand Spanish mission (only cleaner and with green lawns and rows of trees).
• Gainey Winery, +1 805-688-0558. Beautiful.
• Lafond Winery & Vineyards, 6855 Santa Rosa Rd, +1 805-688-7921. 10AM-5PM daily. This is the high-end sister winery to Santa Barbara Winery. Lafond has among the prettier views among Santa Barbara wineries. They are on the west side of the valley, which is significantly cooler than the east side, and thus maybe not a good first stop on a cool day.
• Melville, 5185 East Hwy 246, +1 805-735-7030. Between Buellton and Lompoc. Looks like an Itallian Villa at
• Mosby Winery, 9496 Santa Rosa Rd, +1 805-688-2415. Perhaps not among the best of the Santa Barbara wineries.
• Roblar Winery, +1 805-686-2603. Brand new and astounding with its cooking school and patios.
• Sanford Winery & Vineyards, 7250 Santa Rosa Rd, +1 805-688-3300. Open every day 11AM-4PM. One of the Santa Barbara wineries featured in Sideways. They have a small but delightful tasting room, and excellent wines.

Sleep

• Best Western Pea Soup Andersen's Inn, 51 E Highway 246, +1 805 688-3216.
• Days Inn, 114 E Hwy 246, +1 805-688-8448. Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, spa tub, arcade/game room and a bar/lounge. Room amenities include satellite television, air conditioning, coffee/tea makers, and desks. 2016-04-09
• Motel 6 Buellton - Solvang Area, 333 McMurray Rd, +1 805 688-7797.
• Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 555 McMurray Rd, +1 805 688-1000.

Go next

Buellton, Solvang and Santa Ynez are all located along Highway 246 and flow into each other.

• Solvang - Located four miles east of Buellton, nearly one million visitors travel to this small town each year to see its Danish architecture and experience its (mostly) authentic Danish culture. Visitors can enjoy Danish food, a replica of the Little Mermaid sculpture, windmills, and the horse-drawn Hønen for sightseeing. The Danish Days festival lasts through the weekend during September and has been held almost every year since 1936.
• Lompoc - Eighteen miles west of Buellton, Lompoc is nicknamed the "City of Arts and Flowers", with more than half the world's flower seeds grown in the fields around the town. The city celebrates its association with flowers every June during the Lompoc Valley Flower festival. The area is also home to Vandenberg Air Force Base, America's west coast spaceport, where rocket launches can sometimes be seen.
• Goleta - 36 miles southeast of Buellton, Goleta is adjacent to Santa Barbara and offers similar beaches and resorts to its neighbor. It is also home to a grove of trees that is an overwintering area for monarch butterflies, with the insects gathering in huge numbers each year from mid-November until mid-February.
• Los Olivos - Located nine miles southwest of Buellton, this town has more than its share of wineries and tasting rooms, with around a dozen such businesses despite its tiny population of just over 1,000. The town also draws visitors wishing to pay their respects at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, which is located five miles north of town but not open to visitors.