For the past two years Solvang California has been on my bucket list and this year I finally got to visit because my husband and kiddos surprised me with a birthday trip.

This was the perfect birthday weekend adventure for me because I am a food and wine lover. Solvang has up to 120 wineries and Vineyards to explore with a wide selection of restaurants.

Here are 7 things to do while visiting Solvang

Take a stroll

Walk the village and enjoy beautiful old European architecture. Solvang has the most beautiful charming boutiques and shops. We stopped at Hanson’s Clock shop to check out their famous cuckoo clocks and to our surprise, we found lots of disney inspired hand crafted figurines. It was really cool and a must see when you visit. We visited other shops and did a little shopping for souvenirs.

Rent a Moke

Rent a Moke (beach buggy) from Moke Experience Solvang. My husband rented a Moke for two hours which gave us the chance to travel a little further outside of Solvang. We took the chance to drive around the village to check out everything they had and dotted all the places we wanted to check out. It is a must if you are going with your family. You can also rent bicycles, surreys, and electrical bikes.

• Location: 1510 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463

• Cost:$49 rental cost per hour
  

Visit Authentic Danish Bakeries

The kids and husband surprised me with a delicious cake from Solvang Bakery and while there we got some delicious authentic Danish pastries to bring back home. My cake was absolutely delicious and the Danish we brought back home were incredible.

Visit a winery

Solvang has up to 120 wineries with the most beautiful Vineyards to explore. There are about 20 tastings rooms in downtown Solvang alone. Most of the wineries and tasting rooms were quite busy with large crowds, since we were trying to be extra cautious with our kids we decided to skip the tasting rooms and just grab a few bottles to enjoy back at our hotel.

Dining in Solvang

Solvang has up to 35 restaurants to choose from. For our trip, my husband made reservations at Mad and Vin for dinner located inside The Landsy Hotel. Food was absolutely delicious and the service was impeccable. They also have a special kid's menu which is available upon request.

Next morning we tried Brekkies for brunch and the food was also very delicious. Things are a bit different right now because of Covid and all their safety guiedlines. Keep this in mind when you visit restaurants. Expect longer wait times or make reservations ahead of time.

Windmill spotting

One of the most popular things to do while in Solvang is take pictures with the surrounding windmills. There are about 5 total. We took a pictures with two of them while walking the town and during our Moke ride we were able to spot a few more.

Visit Ostrich Land

Before you leave, be sure to stop and visit OstrichLand. This was the highlight of our trip since we had our kids and they just loved being able to get close to the animals and feed them. For 5 dollars we got a dog-bowl size amount of food which we brought out to feed the ostriches. The experience was incredible!

• Cost: $5 to enter and $1 for food

• Location: 610 E Hwy 246, Solvang, CA 93427

Lodging

If you are planning to stay more than one night, I recommend staying at the Wine Valley Inn and Cottages. That is where we stayed and it was amazing. My husband booked us a nice cottage and I was immediately charmed by all the beautiful landscaping and architecture. Our cottage was spacious and came with a nice fireplace and a private patio with a hot tub. Our room also came with a pull out sofa bed, which was perfect for our boys. The hotel is located within walking distance of everything from tasting rooms, restaurants and shops. They also have a beautiful outdoor fireplace perfect for night caps.

Our Itenerary:

Day 1

• Arrive at Wine Valley Inn for late afternoon check-in

• Had some wine in the room and jumped in our private hot tub with the kids.

Day 2

• We had breakfast at the Wine Valley Inn

• Rented the Moke and drove around town!

• Had some ice cream from Alisal Ice Cream (446 Alisal Rd Solvang, CA 93463)

• Did a little shopping

• Got a surprised cake from Solvang bakery

• Returned Moke (walking distance from Wine Valley Inn)

• Went back to hotel to relax and get ready for dinner

• Happy Hour/Dinner at Mad and Vin inside The Landsby Hotel

• Returned to Hotel and enjoyed more wine in their beautiful lounging outdoor area.
  

Day 3

• Brunch at Brekkies

• Visited Ostrichland to feed some Ostriches

• Visited Solvang bakery again to pick up a box of pastries to take home

• Headed Back Home

Thanks for checking out my Solvang birthday trip! We had the most amazing time and can't wait to be back.

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Also, be sure to check out my IG for more fun family adventures.

Hope you have a sweet day!