Solvang

Set in the Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang is a city built to look like a traditional Danish village. Its public spaces are a deliberate collection of half-timbered facades, thatched-style roofs, and four large windmills that anchor the town's skyline. This whole aesthetic is a mid-20th-century invention. The community was founded in 1911 by Danish-American educators seeking to preserve their heritage, but the town’s architecture was mostly typical for rural California. It was only after a feature in the *Saturday Evening Post* in 1947 drew national attention that residents began a conscious effort to remodel the town in a Danish Provincial style. Walking through the downtown area, you’ll pass a 1/3 scale replica of Copenhagen's Round Tower and a bronze statue of Hans Christian Andersen. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that maintain the Scandinavian theme, but the main culinary draws are the traditional bakeries and the many wine tasting rooms. The bakeries turn out classic Danish pastries, while the tasting rooms pour local Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the surrounding wine country. For a deeper look at the town’s history, the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art is housed in a handcrafted former home built to resemble an 18th-century Danish farmhouse. It tells the story of the settlement and the people who built it. Providing a sharp contrast to the Danish theme is the Old Mission Santa Inés, a National Historic Landmark founded in 1804 that stands just a short walk from the main village. The mission grounds the town in a much longer California history, long before the first windmills were built.