 | Santa Ynez town |
| Santa Barbara, California Print Leave a comment |
Description
Santa Ynez is a cute town with wild west buildings and
restaurants in beautiful Victorian houses. The main strip is Sagunto Street and there are several nice sections to it. On the east end of the street, Grappolo Trattoria is in a strip of old west buildings that are just gorgeous! Maverick Saloon looks like a happening, rough-around-the-edges spot. Or stop and have a coffee on the front porch of Longhorn Coffee Shop.
Just west of there, an absolutely blissful place to sit and
enjoy a meal is the huge balcony at Vineyard House Restaurant. Enjoy a gourmet sandwich. You will be surrounded by trees and views of Sagunto Street way below- it's just lovely. The house itself is rich with Victorian detail and color. Kids love
to explore the adjacent grounds which are lush and magical- flowers,
towering grain mill, trellises overtaken with vines, weeping trees over deep green lawn. There are comfy backyard chairs and tables where you can sit amongst the greenery and relax while your kids run around- you don't have to be eating at the restaurant to do this. On Wednesday evenings in summer (end of June to end of September), live Jazz music fills the air at Vineyard House from 6:30-8:30pm.
Further west down Sagunto Street (unfortunately there's not much shade), there are more stores and restaurants. A historical museum with a colorful flower garden out front offers exhibits about the Santa Ynez Valley, an inner courtyard, and an additional building exhibiting carriages and stagecoaches. On the far west end of Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez Park is a hilly park with trees, bbqs, and a playground.
Some other wonderful places to go in the area are Quicksilver Ranch with its miniature horses, Clairmont Lavendar Farm in the summer when the lavendar is in bloom, and Sunny Fields Playground, a medieval-themed wonderland.
For a fun night out in Santa Ynez, see a concert at Chumash Casino.
Photo Gallery
Click on photo to see large versionOld town Santa Ynez on Sagunto Street. |
Longhorn Coffee Shop has a wild west storefront. |
Maverick Saloon. |
Grappolo Trattoria. |
Picnic table and arbor outside Vineyard House Restaurant. |
Vineyard House Restaurant in a lovely Victorian house. |
Latticework, balcony, umbrellas and trees at Vineyard House- beautiful! |
Old wagon full of flowers at Vineyard House. |
Cute garden at the lawn area adjacent to Vineyard House. |
Tall mill at the grassy area beside Vineyard House. Kids like to watch it. |
A nice place to relax, near Vineyard House. |
Hanging out at Longhorn Coffee Shop. |
Far west end of Sagunto Street. |
Directions
Exit Highway 101 at Highway 246 and head east toward Santa Ynez. You will pass through the colorful Danish town of Solvang. Turn north (left) on Edison Street and then right on Sagunto Street and park along the road.
Longhorn Coffee Shop, 3687 Sagunto Street, (805) 688-5912.
Grappolo Trattoria, 3687 Sagunto St, (805) 688-6899.
Maverick Saloon, 3687 Sagunto St, (805) 686-4785.
Vineyard House Restaurant, 3631 Sagunto St, (805) 688-2886.
This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.
Visitor Ratings
Overall Visitor Rating: 
TD 08/27/2010 21:51 | My mom and I went to a Tower of Power concert at the casino a few years back, and I agree, nice place! | |
lois 08/27/2010 17:00 | I started vacationing in Santa Ynez at the casino as a kid with my family. It was about close enough to make it an easy drive yet far enough that you feel like you're a million miles away. One day I'll take my own kids. | |
Seth 07/07/2010 12:22 | Miss SY :( |