Solvang has five museums you can walk between, plus Mission Santa Inés: start with Elverhøj for the Danish story and the Solvang Viking Museum, open daily for $10. Four miles east in Santa Ynez, the Carriage House shows stagecoaches (Wednesday to Saturday) and the Chumash Museum opened in 2025.
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
- 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
- SatNov 7Alma Rosa Fall Harvest Dinner · Visit Alma Rosa Winery
Winery event; check access on the listing · Not published · by Alma Rosa Winery
- SatNov 7Beaver Dam Analogs workshop at Jalama Canyon Ranch · Visit White Buffalo Land Trust, with SLO Beaver Brigade and Nature's Engineers
Aimed at landowners, restoration practitioners and students. The events list calls it two-day; the event page says one full day. · $175 (limited scholarships) · by White Buffalo Land Trust, with SLO Beaver Brigade and Nature's Engineers
Go for
- Watching the game: Solvang Viking Museum
- Families: Hans Christian Andersen Museum
Map
Map loads here. Each listing also has a Directions link.
Scroll the list and the map follows.
Which museums are open which day?
Opening days vary more than anything else here, so plan around them. Drive times are routed from Solvang Park, with no traffic.
| Museum | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Adults | From Solvang |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hans Christian Andersen Museum | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Not listed | In the village |
| Solvang Viking Museum | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $10 | In the village |
| Mission Santa Inés | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $9 | In the village |
| Elverhøj Museum | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $5 | In the village |
| California Nature Art Museum | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $7 | In the village |
| Vintage Motorcycle Museum | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | $10 cash | In the village |
| SYV Historical Museum & Carriage House | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | $10 | 8 min |
| Chumash Museum & Cultural Center | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $15 | 9 min |
| Lompoc Museum | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Not posted | 33 min |
| La Purísima Mission | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $6 per car | 30 min |
Mendenhall's in Buellton (7 min) opens only for booked tours, so it isn't in the grid.
Which museums are in Solvang?
Five museums and the 1804 mission, all within walking distance of each other in the village.
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Solvang history & Danish art · Solvang
Elverhøj Museum of History & Art
How did a Danish town end up in California? This is where Solvang answers it, with the town's history, the Danish-American immigrant story and a fine art gallery. Under-12s, active military and veterans get in free.
- Open
- Open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; closed Tuesday, Wednesday. Thu–Mon 11am–5pm
- Fee
- $5 adults; $4 seniors 65+; under 12 free
More details
- What's new
- Through Jan 10, 2027: "Through the Eyes of Wiinblad," works by Danish designer Bjørn Wiinblad
- Thursday to Monday, 11am–5pm
- Free for under-12s, active military, veterans and Museums for All visitors
1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-686-1211
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Viking ships, weapons & rune stones · Solvang
Solvang Viking Museum
Yes, there is one. It calls itself California's only Viking museum, and it holds two reproduction Viking ships built at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, plus archaeological Viking weapons, rune stones and a full-scale statue of Holger Danske. Open every day on Copenhagen Drive.
- Open
- Open every day. Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat 10am–5:30pm; Sun 10am–5pm
- Fee
- $10; $8 military & seniors; $5 ages 8–12
Go for The game
More details
- Two ship reproductions, Snorri and Godfred
- Dresses from the TV series Vikings: Valhalla
- Groups of 5 or more: 20% off
1660 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-693-5000
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Fairy-tale author museum, Solvang · Solvang
Hans Christian Andersen Museum
Upstairs at The Book Loft on Mission Drive, a small museum about the Danish writer of the fairy tales. It covers his life and work, the singer Jenny Lind and the Hollywood philanthropist Jean Hersholt, and the bookshop below sells his stories. The one museum in town that is open every day.
- Open
- Open every day. Daily 10am–5pm
- Fee
- Not listed on its page
Go with The kids
More details
- Open daily 10am–5pm
- Upstairs at The Book Loft
- Admission price not listed
1680 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-688-6010
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DocFreeman24, CC BY-SA 4.0 Vintage & racing motorcycles · Solvang
Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum
More than 100 bikes from Virgil Elings' private collection, from a 1910 FN to the present, with a lean toward racing machines. Some rotate out each month, so a repeat visit can look different. It's in the former Brooks Brothers store at Solvang Village Square, maple floor and all. Weekends only, and bring cash.
- Open
- Open Saturday, Sunday; closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Sat–Sun 10am–4pm
- Fee
- $10 cash; kids 10 and under free with a guardian
More details
- Saturday and Sunday, 10am–4pm
- $10 per person, cash only
- Bikes rotate monthly
320 Alisal Road, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-686-9522
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Nature art (formerly the Wildling Museum) · Solvang
California Nature Art Museum
Many guides still call it the Wildling Museum. It has been renamed and shows art about nature, at the west end of Mission Drive. Park in the lot behind the museum or the free public lot half a block away. Kids 12 and under get in free.
- Open
- Open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; closed Tuesday, Wednesday. Mon, Thu & Fri 11am–4pm; Sat–Sun 10am–5pm
- Fee
- $7; $5 seniors 65+ & teens; 12 and under free
More details
- Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
- Free for members, active military and first responders
- Museums for All: free with a CalFresh/EBT card
1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-688-1082
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Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0 1804 mission, museum & gardens · Solvang
Old Mission Santa Inés
Founded in 1804, the 19th of California's 21 missions, at the east end of Mission Drive. The self-guided tour takes in the church, the museum and the gardens. Veterans and active military get in free.
- Open
- Self-guided tours daily 9am–4:30pm
- Fee
- $9 adults; $7 seniors; $5 ages 6–12; under 6 free
More details
- Allow
- About an hour
- Self-guided tours 9am–4:30pm
- Docent tours: book two weeks ahead (a month for 15+)
1760 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463 · 805-688-4815
Which museums are in Santa Ynez?
Two museums 0.3 miles apart in the town of Santa Ynez, 8 to 9 minutes east of Solvang Park.
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Stagecoaches, carriages & valley history · Santa Ynez
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Parks-Janeway Carriage House
The stagecoach museum. The museum says its Parks-Janeway Carriage House holds the largest horse-drawn vehicle collection west of the Mississippi, and the galleries add regional saddlery, period clothing and horse gear. Two more rooms run exhibitions that change every few months. It's on Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez's main street.
- Open
- Open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday; closed Monday, Tuesday, Sunday. Wed–Sat noon–4pm
- Fee
- $10 adults; 12 and under free
- Booking
- Guided tours by reservation form
More details
- What's new
- Now showing: "Dogs: Our Pawtners in Settling California's Central Coast" and "Shavings & Sawdust", early woodworking tools (opened Sept 24)
- Wednesday to Saturday, noon–4pm
- Kids 12 and under free
- May close for special events and on major holidays
3596 Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · 805-688-7889
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Courtesy of the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum & Cultural Center, Press kit Chumash history, opened 2025 · Santa Ynez
Santa Ynez Chumash Museum & Cultural Center
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians tells its own story here. It opened on May 15, 2025, in buildings by Johnpaul Jones, the architect of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Buy tickets online ahead, which the museum recommends to guarantee entry. Parking is free on site.
- Open
- Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Thu–Sun 10am–5pm
- Fee
- $15; $12 teens, seniors & military; $10 ages 3–12
More details
- Allow
- 60–90 minutes for the exhibitions; 2+ hours for the whole property
- Thursday to Sunday, 10am–5pm; out by 6pm
- Toddlers 0–2 free
- Same-day re-entry with a hand stamp
- A condor, AC8, the last wild female caught in 1986, is on display
3500 Numancia Street, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · 805-686-7500
What about Buellton and Lompoc?
A private collection by appointment in Buellton, and Lompoc's museum and mission on the west side of the valley.
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Private collection, tours by appointment · Buellton
Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana
Call ahead: this is a family's private collection in Buellton, shown on scheduled tours. Jack Mendenhall started it more than fifty years ago, and it holds gas pumps, globes, porcelain oil and road signs, race cars and license plates. It's also home to the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame.
- Open
- Private tours by appointment
- Fee
- $15 donation per person
- Booking
- Tours by appointment: 805-689-2402
More details
- $15 donation per person
- Car and motorcycle club gatherings hosted
24 Zaca Street, Buellton, CA 93427 · 805-689-2402
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Lompoc's town museum · Lompoc
Lompoc Museum
Downtown Lompoc on South H Street, run by Lompoc Museum Associates, which also lists the Artesia Schoolhouse Museum and Stone Pine Hall. Its site posts hours but no admission price, so call if that matters. Pair it with La Purísima, 7 minutes away.
- Open
- Open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; closed Monday, Tuesday. Wed–Fri noon–4pm; Sat–Sun 1–4pm
- Fee
- Not posted
More details
- Closed Monday and Tuesday
- Takes part in Blue Star and Museums for All
200 South H Street, Lompoc, CA 93436 · 805-736-3888
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Jsweida, CC BY-SA 3.0 Restored mission, Lompoc · Outside Lompoc
La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
State Parks calls it California's most completely restored mission. Time it for a guided tour: 1pm Wednesday to Sunday, plus 11am on Saturdays. Trails stay open from 6am to sunset, and our full guide has the details.
- Open
- Historic buildings 9am–4pm; parking 9am–5pm
- Fee
- $6 per vehicle
- Getting there
- On Purisima Rd, about 7 min by car from Old Town Lompoc
More details
- Tours 1pm Wed–Sun, plus 11am Sat
- Trails 6am to sunset
2295 Purísima Road, Lompoc, CA 93436 · 805-733-3713
Is there an air museum near Solvang?
The nearest open air museum is Estrella Warbirds Museum, 4251 Dry Creek Road in Paso Robles, about 2 hours (101 mi) from Solvang. Estrella is open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, at $20 for adults, and the ticket includes Estrella's Woodland Auto Display. No closer air museum is confirmed open: Planes of Fame is building a museum at Santa Maria Airport, and Noozhawk (Sept 21, 2026) and the Santa Maria Times report an opening in early or spring 2027.
How do you make a day of it?
Drive times are between the two addresses and assume no traffic.
A Danish day in Solvang
Three museums, one walk: Elverhøj, the Solvang Viking Museum and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum sit close together, and Thursday to Monday catches all three open. Break for aebleskiver from our Solvang bakeries guide, and finish with a tasting from Solvang wine tasting. On a weekend, add the motorcycle museum on Alisal Road.
Stagecoaches and the Chumash story in Santa Ynez
The Chumash story first, then stagecoaches. The Chumash Museum and the Carriage House are 0.3 miles apart. Both are open Thursday to Saturday, so go then: the Chumash Museum opens at 10am and suggests 60 to 90 minutes for its exhibitions, and the Carriage House opens at noon. Lunch is on the same streets; see Santa Ynez restaurants.
Lompoc's museum and mission
La Purísima's guided tour starts at 1pm Wednesday to Sunday; the Lompoc Museum opens at noon on weekdays and 1pm on weekends, 7 minutes (3.8 mi) away. Valle Eatery is 4 minutes (1.6 mi) from the museum (see Lompoc restaurants), and the Lompoc Wine Ghetto is in town. Golfers can add La Purisima Golf Course.
Gas pumps and lunch in Buellton
Book a Mendenhall's tour of a private collection of gas pumps, globes and race cars, then walk over to Industrial Eats, 0.5 miles away (1 minute by car), for lunch.
What else is there to do?
See things to do in Solvang, the windmills and our horseback riding guide. September brings Danish Days.
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
Good to know
How much is the Chumash Museum in Santa Ynez? Adults 18 to 64 pay $15; teens, seniors 65 and over and active military pay $12; children 3 to 12 pay $10; toddlers are free. It is open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and the museum recommends buying tickets online ahead.
Is there an air museum near Solvang? Not one we could confirm is open nearby. Planes of Fame is building a Santa Maria museum that regional press expects to open in early 2027. Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles is open Thursday to Sunday, about 2 hours (101 mi) north.
Which Solvang museums are open on Tuesday? The Hans Christian Andersen Museum, the Solvang Viking Museum and Mission Santa Inés are open every day. Elverhøj and the California Nature Art Museum close Tuesday and Wednesday, and the motorcycle museum opens only on weekends.
What happened to the Wildling Museum? It was renamed the California Nature Art Museum. It is still at 1511-B Mission Drive in Solvang and shows art about nature. Admission is $7, with kids 12 and under free.
Quick answers
What museums are in Solvang?
Five, plus the mission: Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, the Solvang Viking Museum, the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum and the California Nature Art Museum, all walkable, and Old Mission Santa Inés at the east end of Mission Drive.
Is there a Viking museum in Solvang?
Yes. The Solvang Viking Museum is at 1660 Copenhagen Drive, open daily (10am to 5pm, Saturday to 5:30pm). Admission is $10, $8 for military and seniors and $5 for ages 8 to 12. It has two reproduction Viking ships, weapons and rune stones.
Is there a stagecoach museum in Santa Ynez?
Yes. The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Parks-Janeway Carriage House, 3596 Sagunto Street, shows stagecoaches, carriages and wagons. It is open Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 4pm; adults pay $10 and kids 12 and under get in free.
Sources
tap to open
- Each museum's own website or official page, linked in its listing above (California State Parks for La Purísima).
- Air museums: Estrella Warbirds Museum's own site; Planes of Fame Santa Maria's site; Noozhawk, Sept 21, 2026, and the Santa Maria Times on the 2027 opening.
- Drive times routed with OSRM. Source log with supporting quotes kept on file for every hour and price.
Last updated Oct 18, 2026. We never copy reviews. The photo above is of the Elverhøj Museum, by Solvang Heritage Associates (CC BY 4.0). Confirm hours before you go.
