At Folded Hills, kids can feed the goats, pigs and a mini Highland cow at the walk-in Farmstead, no fee listed (Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm). At Vega Vineyard & Farm, buy lettuce to feed the animals, then hit the playground. Sunstone and Buttonwood have lawns. Only adults 21 and over taste.
Bringing the dog as well? Our dog-friendly wineries guide lists 18 that welcome them.
The short version
- Little animal loversFolded Hills Farmstead, weekends
- Kids who need to climbVega
- Kids who need to runSunstone or Buttonwood lawns
- Heads-up for parentsOnly adults 21 and over taste
This week
- Nov6–8Buellton Fall Festival · Visit Buellton
Avenue of the Flags; Fri 4-10pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm; carnival rides, live music on two stages; Ales on the Avenue beer and wine tasting Sat (tickets) · Free · by City of Buellton
- FriNov 6NatureTrack Film Festival · Visit NatureTrack Foundation
8th annual; reception 6pm, program 6:45pm at the SYV Grange Hall · $25 · by NatureTrack Foundation
- SatNov 7Alma Rosa Fall Harvest Dinner · Visit Alma Rosa Winery
Winery event; check access on the listing · Not published · by Alma Rosa Winery
- SatNov 7SYV Historical Museum Vaquero Benefit Dinner & Auction · Visit Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
42nd annual · Tickets (early bird from Aug 1) · by Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
Map
Map loads here. Each listing also has a Directions link.
Scroll the list and the map follows.
Which wineries have animals kids can feed?
Both say on their own sites that visitors can feed the animals. Folded Hills' Farmstead is walk-in on Saturday and Sunday with no fee listed, and its camel and zebra are on the paid private ranch tours only. Vega posts no separate hours for the feeding area; its kids' zone, Pop's Place, opens Saturday and Sunday.
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Winery on a working ranch, with a farm-animal Farmstead · Gaviota
Folded Hills (Homestead & Farmstead)
Folded Hills has two separate ways to meet its animals. The Farmstead (walk-in hangout, no fee listed): across the road from the Homestead tasting room, open Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm. Walk in, scratch ears and feed the animals: Kunekune pigs, goats, miniature donkeys, llamas, sheep, a mini Highland cow named Hubba Bubba and Peaches, a rescue mini Jersey cow. No admission price or booking is listed, and the Farmstead page publishes no visitor rules beyond that. It also has U-pick fields, a farm shop with produce and baked goods, and room for a picnic. Private Ranch Tours & Tastings (paid, booked ahead): George the camel, Zazu the zebra and the Clydesdales live on the private ranch and are only met on one of these. The VIP Off-Road Ranch Tour is $150 per person, 2 hours, 1 to 5 guests, 21 and over, daily at 11am or 2pm, prepaid on Tock, with a 5-wine tasting at the lake dock. The Behind-the-Scenes Private Hike is $125 per person, 3 hours, up to 10 guests, no age limit, daily at 10am, booked by email. On weekdays, Corks & Critters ($50 per adult, $15 per child) pairs a guided tasting with a U-pick and animal feeding for kids.
Go if the kids want to feed farm animals.
- Open
- Open every day. Tasting room daily 11am–4pm; Farmstead Sat & Sun 11am–5pm
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome; reservations encouraged
Go for A picnic · A drop-in visit
More details
What's new Oct 2026: named 2026 USA Winery of the Year by USA Wine Ratings. Golden Hour ends Oct 23 with a vinyl Friday, so the last live-music Golden Hour of 2026 has passed.
- Well-behaved dogs welcome outside the tasting room, on a leash (none on private experiences)
2323 Old Coast Highway, Gaviota, CA 93117 · 805-694-8086
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Editor's pickWinery, farm restaurant & animal feeding zoo · Edge of Buellton
Vega Vineyard & FarmReserve
94 pts Vinous on the 2023 Dal Prato
A historic 1853 ranch on Santa Rosa Road, with the valley's most complete set-up for a family day. Kids get Pop's Place, a dedicated area with a playground, cabanas and a food truck, and the Animal Feeding Zoo, where they can hand-feed chickens, goats, pigs, emus and sheep. Visiting the animals is free, and you can buy lettuce to feed them ($5 a bundle). The animals sleep after sundown, so go in daylight. Adults get a full-service farm restaurant and Steve Clifton's wines. One rule: in the restaurant and tasting room, kids stay at the table.
Go if the kids need food, a playground and goats.
- Open
- Lunch daily from 11am; weekend brunch from 10am (closing times differ across its own pages, so check Tock)
- Booking
- Book a table or tasting on Tock
- Getting there
- Just south of Highway 101 on Santa Rosa Rd, about 2 min by car from Avenue of Flags
Go with A group · The kids
More details
What's new May 2026: its 2024 Vermentino won gold at the International Vermentino Wine Competition in Sardinia. Thanksgiving feast Nov 26, 2026 ($95, kids 3–12 $55).
Press Billy Norris gave its 2023 Dal Prato 94 points. Vinous, Aug 29 2025
- Feed the animals: visits free, lettuce $5 a bundle or 3 for $12; no visits after sundown
- Tractor rides at weekends
- Kids welcome; restaurant rules apply, so kids stay seated in the tasting room and restaurant
- Dogs welcome after you sign its dog policy; max 2 dogs for groups of 8 or more
- Vega Experience Menu (chef's tasting menu) or family-style menu for 8+ at $38 a head
- Tasting flight $25; premium flight $50
9496 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton, CA 93427 · 805-688-2415
Which other wineries welcome kids?
No animals, but each of these says on its own site that kids are welcome. All three allow leashed dogs too.
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Bazzy11, CC BY-SA 4.0 Editor's pickProvence-style estate with caves and a picnic lawn · Refugio Road
Sunstone WineryBook
93 pts Wine Enthusiast on the 2022 Teddy's
Lavender and rosemary courtyards, stone barrel caves, and a big lawn with picnic tables under olive and oak trees. Children are allowed with an adult, leashed dogs can use the outdoor spaces, and you can bring a picnic. Food trucks park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday when they are available, and charcuterie and snacks are sold every day.
Go if you want a picnic lawn and barrel caves.
- Open
- Daily 11am–5pm; last seating 4pm
- Booking
- Optional; recommended at weekends
- Getting there
- On Refugio Rd, about 5 min by car from Sagunto St in Santa Ynez
Go with The dog · The kids
More details
What's new Oct 2026: a full-service, chef-driven kitchen is in final preparation at the estate, aiming to open shortly after New Year.
Connections Sunstone's courtyard has hosted some famous I-dos: Mark-Paul Gosselaar (2012), Pitch Perfect's Anna Camp and Skylar Astin (2016), JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers (May 2022) and Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams (Aug 2022). Source
Press Wine Enthusiast gave its 2022 Teddy's 93 points. Wine Enthusiast
- Tasting flight $30
- Children allowed, supervised by an adult; leashed dogs outdoors
- Bring a picnic; food trucks Fri–Sun when available; charcuterie daily
- Alcohol-free Solis drinks and soft drinks
- Holiday Market Dec 12–13
125 N Refugio Road, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · 805-688-9463
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Courtesy of Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard, photo by Heather Daenitz, Press kit Farm winery with garden tastings and trail rides · Edge of Solvang
Buttonwood Farm & VineyardBook
A 107-acre farm on Alamo Pintado Road, founded in 1968 as a horse operation. The vineyard came later, alongside olives, pomegranates, peonies and the peaches it is known for. Tastings are 90 minutes, served at your table in the garden or on the patio. It calls itself family and dog friendly. From Friday to Sunday you can also take a guided horseback ride through the vines.
Go if you want a garden tasting and a horseback ride on the same day.
- Open
- Open every day. Outdoor tastings daily 11am–4pm
- Booking
- Walk-ins space permitting; book ahead at weekends
- Getting there
- On Alamo Pintado Rd north of the village, about 2 min by car from Copenhagen Dr
Go for Patio time · A drop-in visit
More details
What's new Jun 2026: launched weekend horseback trail rides through the vineyard, finishing with a glass in the tasting room.
- Outdoor tastings 11am–4pm daily; $30 for 90 minutes, served at your table
- Family and dog friendly
- Guided vineyard trail rides Fri–Sun; riders at least 48 inches tall
- Live music in the garden on Saturdays
- Peaches, olives, pomegranates and peonies grow on the farm
1500 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-688-3032
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Buellton estate with live music and a late close · West of Buellton
Brick Barn Wine Estate
Open until 7pm every day, which is late for valley tasting rooms, and close to Highway 101. Kids get free bubbles (the soap kind) and can buy coloring books. Leashed dogs are welcome but stay off the furniture. Bands play on Wednesday evenings and at weekends. Food is snacks and build-your-own charcuterie, and you can bring your own food but not your own drinks.
Go if you want a late tasting with music, close to Highway 101.
- Open
- Open every day. Daily 11am–7pm
- Booking
- No reservations; first come, first served
Go with The dog · The kids
More details
- Tastings from $30
- Kids welcome: free bubbles, coloring books for sale
- Dogs on a leash, not on the furniture
- Live music every Wine Down Wednesday evening and weekend afternoons
- Snacks and build-your-own charcuterie; outside food OK, outside drinks not
795 West Highway 246, Buellton, CA 93427 · 805-686-1208
The rules for kids
Kids are welcome at every winery on this page, but only adults 21 and over can taste, and Sunstone asks for photo ID. Most count children in your party size, and Sunstone counts any child past stroller age. At Vega, children stay at the table in the restaurant and tasting room, and the playground is the place to run around. Folded Hills' Corks and Critters experience has no age limit but allows no pets.
Can you bring the dog too?
At Folded Hills, leashed dogs can sit outside. Vega asks you to sign its dog policy and allows no more than two dogs for groups of eight or more. Brick Barn keeps dogs off the furniture. For more dog-friendly stops, see dog-friendly Solvang.
Plan a family wine day
Go on a weekend if you want to feed the animals. Folded Hills' Farmstead and Vega's Pop's Place both open Saturday and Sunday, and Vega's animals go to bed at sundown. Start at Folded Hills when the Farmstead opens at 11am, then head to Vega for lunch and the weekend tractor rides. For a calmer afternoon, finish at Sunstone or Buttonwood. To book lunch, see wineries with restaurants. For a whole weekend with ostriches, ponies and Nojoqui Falls, use our 2-day plan with kids.
Plan your day
- MorningBreakfast first: Breakfast in SolvangDanish pancakes to bear claws
- MiddayGo tasting: Wine tasting in SolvangNebbiolo to Rhône in an adobe
- EveningBook dinner: Solvang restaurantsBib Gourmand chicken to aebleskiver
- LateNight out: Solvang happy hoursSpritzes, Industry Night, 8pm deals
- OvernightFind a bed: Solvang hotelsNordic rooms to a 1946 ranch
Your next move
- Book itGoats, a playground and lunch, on an 1853 ranch. Book Vega
- Then readFill the rest of the day with the kids. Things to do in Solvang
- Every ThursdayWhat to eat, where to go and what to book this weekend. Get the weekend note
Good to know
Which winery has farm animals near Solvang? Vega Vineyard & Farm on Santa Rosa Road in Buellton has an Animal Feeding Zoo with goats, pigs, emus, sheep and chickens. Visiting is free and lettuce costs $5 a bundle. Folded Hills' Farmstead, off Highway 101 south of Buellton, has goats, pigs, llamas, donkeys and a miniature Highland cow, and opens Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.
Is it okay to bring kids to a winery? Yes, at wineries that say so. Check each winery's own policy first. All five here publish one. Keep kids with an adult, count them in your reservation, and expect only adults to be served wine.
Quick answers
Are kids allowed at wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley?
Many allow them. Folded Hills, Vega Vineyard & Farm, Sunstone, Buttonwood and Brick Barn all say on their own sites that children are welcome. Only adults 21 and over can taste, and some, such as Firestone's estate tour, are 21 and over only.
What is there to do with kids in Santa Ynez?
Feed the animals at Vega (lettuce $5) or at the Folded Hills Farmstead (Saturday and Sunday), ride the tractor at Vega on weekends, picnic on Sunstone's lawn and blow free bubbles at Brick Barn. Our pizza and Solvang breakfast guides cover family-friendly food.
Sources
tap to open
- Each venue's own website or official page, linked in its listing above.
- Source log with supporting quotes kept on file for every name, hour and price.
Last updated Nov 2, 2026. We list what each winery publishes, plus dated news from regional press. We haven't visited every one this season, and we never copy reviews. Confirm hours and policies before you go.
