Things to do in  Santa Ynez Valley

Just over the hills from coastal Santa Barbara lie the Santa Ynez Valley and the Danish-style town of Solvang. Founded in 1911 by a group of Danish teachers, small Solvang (Danish for "sunny field") is now a bustling cultural destination, ripe with wine-tasting rooms, bakeries turning out aebleskivers, and all sorts of quirky shops. Downtown's windmills and half-timbered buildings give it a fairy-tale look—fitting since the Hans Christian Andersen Museum is a top attraction.