Things to do in Santa Ynez

Santa Ynez quick facts

Where

East of Solvang off Highway 246. Solvang is 3.9 miles (7 min), Los Olivos 4.6 miles (8 min), Buellton 7.4 miles (14 min), Santa Barbara 30 miles (44 min) over Highway 154, downtown Los Angeles 125 miles (about 2 hr 35 min without traffic)

Founded

1882, on the church's College Ranch. Settlers who bought a town lot for $15 got a second one free

The name

It was meant to be Sagunto, after Bishop Francis Mora's birthplace in Spain, which is why the main street is Sagunto Street. Settlers spelled Inés "Ynez"

A city?

No. The valley's incorporated cities are Solvang and Buellton

"Santa Ynez" addresses out of town

Sunstone is 2.4 miles south on Refugio Road and the balloon launch meets at Los Olivos Grocery, 3.6 miles (7 min) up Highway 154. Lake Cachuma has a Santa Barbara address but is 7.3 miles (12 min) east

Museum days

Historical Museum Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 4pm, adults $10, closed Nov 6 and 7 for its Vaquero Benefit. Chumash Museum Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, adults $15

Carriages and Chumash history

Two museums sit a short walk apart, and they're open on different days, so Thursday to Saturday is the window for both.

• Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Parks-Janeway Carriage House, 3596 Sagunto Street: the museum says its carriage house holds the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles west of the Mississippi. Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 4pm; adults $10, kids 12 and under free. It closes Friday, Nov 6 and Saturday, Nov 7 for the 42nd Vaquero Benefit.
• Santa Ynez Chumash Museum & Cultural Center, 3500 Numancia Street: opened May 15, 2025, telling the story of the Chumash people of this valley. Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm; adults $15. Details in Solvang-area museums.

Walking Sagunto Street, picture the College Hotel. Built in 1889, it hosted W.C. Fields and Charlie Chaplin before burning in 1935 on the site of today's Santa Ynez Feed and Mill. In the boom years, some insist, the township had 11 saloons. It stalled when the Southern Pacific railroad never arrived, which is why it still looks the part.

Dinner on Sagunto Street

• S.Y. Kitchen, on Faraday Street: Italian, lunch daily 11:30am to 2pm, dinner from 5pm Monday to Thursday and from 4:30pm Friday to Sunday. Book on OpenTable and order the house pasta.
• The Victor, at The Genevieve hotel: cooks in a Josper charcoal oven. Dinner Wednesday to Sunday, 5 to 9pm, and brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 2pm. No dress code ("boots, buckles, and big hats welcome"), and reservations are highly recommended.
• Brothers Restaurant at the Red Barn, 3539 Sagunto Street: prime steaks in a room Lloyd and Clara Borkman ran as The Red Barn for 50 years. Dinner nightly.
• Trattoria Grappolo, 3687 Sagunto Street: a gathering place since 1997, with private rooms that serve family style for groups.
• Dos Carlitos, 3544 Sagunto Street: chips from homemade blue and yellow corn tortillas, 11am to 8pm daily, walk-in only.

More in Santa Ynez restaurants.

After dark in Santa Ynez

Santa Ynez has the valley's latest bar. The Maverick Saloon, 3687 Sagunto Street, is a honky-tonk with cash pinned to the ceiling, open until 2am Friday and Saturday and midnight the rest of the week, with live bands on weekend nights and karaoke on Tuesday. Book a ride both ways; Solvang is 7 minutes off.

The Chumash Casino, under a mile away on Highway 246, runs concerts and is 21 and over; for food nearby see where to eat near the casino. More late options are in valley nightlife.

Wineries five minutes out

• Gainey Vineyard, 3950 E Highway 246: 1.6 miles, 4 minutes. Outdoor terraces over the vines, and a lawn for a picnic with a bottle.
• Sunstone Winery, 125 N Refugio Road: 2.4 miles, 5 minutes. Provençal-style courtyards and stone barrel-aging caves, open daily 11am to 5pm.
• The Brander Vineyard, 2401 N Refugio Road: Sauvignon Blanc since 1975; order the all-white flight.

Compare them all in Santa Ynez wineries, or drive on to Happy Canyon, the valley's warmest corner.

Lake, balloon, back road

• Lake Cachuma: 7.3 miles, 12 minutes east on Highway 154. No swimming, but boat rentals and camping. The county's naturalist lake cruises are out of service until further notice.
• Sky's the Limit Ballooning meets at Los Olivos Grocery, 2621 Highway 154, for sunrise flights over the valley.
• Cold Spring Tavern: 17.7 miles, about 27 minutes over San Marcos Pass, for a tri-tip sandwich in an 1868 stagecoach stop.
• Horseback rides: this is horse country, and several ranches take visitors.

Sedgwick Reserve: walk a closed UC ranch with a docent

A UC research ranch that opens its gate a few Saturdays a year. UC Santa Barbara's Sedgwick Reserve covers 5,896 acres of oak savanna, grassland and creek in the Santa Ynez Valley, two whole watersheds kept for research and normally closed to the public. On second Saturdays, December through May, docents lead hikes from easy to strenuous at a naturalist's pace, covering wildflowers, birds, geology and ranch history. Prefer to sit still? Spend the morning sketching or photographing around the field station and its hundred-year-old barn.

• The hikes: the easy Mesa Trail is roughly a mile with 400 feet of climb; the Blue Schist Trail, the reserve's most popular, runs about 2.5 miles with 630 feet. The moderate hike caps at 20 people, check-in is 8:30am for a 9am start, and the fee is $8 a person (under 13 free).
• Booking: registration opens by email two to three weeks before each hike day and fills fast, so join the mailing list on the reserve's public programs page now.
• Know before you go: sturdy shoes, plenty of water, no dogs on the trails, and no hike in or after rain.
• Can't wait for December? The Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society's "In Search of Fall Color" walk on Saturday, Nov 21, is led by two Sedgwick docents: 3 to 4 miles chasing golden sycamores, maples and cottonwoods along the valley's streams, 20 people max, $30 for nonmembers. Nonmember sign-up opens Nov 1 at syvnhs@syvnature.org or 805-693-5683.

Staying in the township

Two hotels let you walk to dinner. The Genevieve, 3627 Sagunto Street, is the full-service option with The Victor on site; a daily guest amenity fee of $40 to $42 plus tax covers breakfast, the wine hour, parking and the spa. Polo House, 1121 Edison Street, has 14 keys built around the valley's polo culture, with breakfast and an evening aperitif included. Compare both in Santa Ynez hotels.

Nearby: eat, taste, stay

• Santa Ynez restaurants: Every table on Sagunto Street
• Santa Ynez hotels: Walk to dinner, skip the drive
• Santa Ynez wineries: Five minutes from the township
• Museums: Carriages, Chumash history, Danish art
• Things to do in Buellton: 14 minutes west
• Santa Ynez Valley weather: What each month feels like

Quick answers

What is there to do in Santa Ynez?

Tour the carriage house at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum, visit the Chumash Museum, eat on Sagunto Street, two-step at the Maverick Saloon and taste at Gainey or Sunstone, both within 5 minutes. Lake Cachuma is 12 minutes east.

Is Santa Ynez a city?

No. Santa Ynez is an unincorporated township; the valley's two incorporated cities are Solvang and Buellton. The name also covers the whole Santa Ynez Valley, which includes Los Olivos, Ballard and Los Alamos.

Does Santa Ynez have a downtown?

Yes, a small one: the old western township along Sagunto Street, with the Historical Museum, The Genevieve hotel, restaurants and the Maverick Saloon within a few blocks. The Chumash Museum is on Numancia Street nearby.

When was Santa Ynez founded?

In 1882, when the Catholic Church sold College Ranch land to settlers. The post office opened in 1883 and the College Hotel followed in 1889.

What is there to do in Santa Ynez at night?

The Maverick Saloon on Sagunto Street has live bands on weekend nights and stays open until 2am Friday and Saturday. The Chumash Casino, under a mile away, has concerts and is 21 and over.

Is Santa Ynez worth visiting?

Yes, for a slower night than Solvang. The township is small, so pair it with wineries 5 minutes away, Lake Cachuma, or a drive over Highway 154 to Cold Spring Tavern.