“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson Since we were camping nearby in Santa Barbara on El Capitan State Beach, we thought we'd take a day trip up to Solvang. It was pure charm. When I was just a little girl, around the age of two, my mom brought me here. I visited again when I was six or so, when we brought my baby sister. If you've ever been to Solvang, CA you will know that everyone who visits must take the obligatory Dutch shoe photo. I now have three of these photos. One at two. One at six. And now one at thirty one. Solvang is a town that celebrates the culture of Denmark. The architecture, food and even it's residents, hail from the small European country and it transports you from the seaside to the charming historic city. I didn't have high hopes for finding gluten-free or paleo eats, so I had packed a lunch just in case, although I was pleasantly surprised! When we arrived, full from a campfire breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, we set out to shop. We found an adorable pet shop where we picked up some treats for our fur babies and spent most of the afternoon taking photos with the various buildings and windmills and taking in the cute trinkets at the giftshops. One of our favorite shops was the toy shoppe! It had SO many toys from our childhood, including a Skip It, silly string, old Hot Wheels cars and collectible dollhouse items. We became big kids again and played in that store for quite a while. We spent almost five hours in Solvang, which makes it worth a day trip, and started to get quite hungry abou halfway through our visit. I spotted some adorable cafes when we arrived and parked and told Mr. Charming I wanted to scope them out before I ate what I brought with, and I'm SO glad we did! There were actually quite a few restaurants that offered allergen-free & gluten-free options, and we decided to dine at Fresco, because it has a gorgeous patio with courtyard view and a great salad selection. Mr. Charming sipped on an Arnold Palmer and I ordered a hot water for the organic peppermint tea I brought with. When the salads arrived they were definitely photo worthy. YUM! The lettuce mix was SO fresh, and it was topped with fresh tomato, avocado and carrots and I drizzled it with fresh olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
I had packed a gluten-free brownie in my bag that Mr. Charming and I split for dessert. It was the perfect lunch. All in all, a perfect day in one of the cutest cities on our travels thus far! Have you been to Solvang and have any memories or good eats to share? Or have any questions about an up-coming visit? Leave it in the comments!
44 Comments
7/23/2015 04:54:09 am
Wow! I've lived in California and have been all over the state but I've never been to Solvang. Thanks so much for putting Solvang on my radar!
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Mandi
8/10/2015 02:05:04 pm
You're very welcome! I hope you visit and enjoy! :)
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7/23/2015 05:15:36 am
Great post! Looks like you both had lots of fun! Thanks for sharing! I want to travel there now.
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Mandi
8/10/2015 01:58:37 pm
Thank you for your kind words!! :) And yes, its a SUPER fun place to go!
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7/23/2015 05:45:46 am
Ooh! I've heard great things about Solvang. We moved to Pasadena last year and are familiar with the SF area, but have yet to check out places like this!
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Mandi
8/10/2015 01:58:14 pm
Daisy,
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I have never heard of or been to Solvang, but this sounds like a cute place to visit! My husband and I did a roadtrip in late June along the PCH and it would have been nice to have more time to stop by here. I grew up in Georgia and we had a little town just like this called Helen :)
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Mandi
8/10/2015 02:08:03 pm
Aw I'd love to check out Helen! I'm all about finding the charming small towns when I'm visiting different states. I'd love to hear about your PCH visit, we LOVE coastal trips!
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7/23/2015 08:27:28 am
This looks so cool! Love that California has places like this.
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Mandi
8/10/2015 02:04:43 pm
I love California so much for this reason. So many different things to see and do. Always something to explore.
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Mandi
8/10/2015 02:08:25 pm
Nikki,
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7/23/2015 04:42:18 pm
Solvang is one of my favorite places! Outside of actual Denmark, that is. :)
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Mandi
8/10/2015 01:59:12 pm
Yes, its so cute!! Have you been to Denmark? I'm headed there in the Spring, whats the must sees?
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Mandi
8/10/2015 02:09:20 pm
Marla,
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Solvang has actually changed a lot over the years. Rent has gone up so a lot of the true "Danish" shops have been forced out, which is sad. One of our clients owns a restaurant in the area and said he's not sure how much longer most of the people who live and work there can hold on. :(
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Mandi
8/10/2015 12:05:13 pm
Oh Rae, this breaks my heart. The last time I was there I was just a child so I don't know of the changes, but that is so unfortunate. It's the authentic eateries and people and places that make it what it is. If they get forced out it'll lose its charm and be nothing but another regular modern city. :(
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:40:53 am
I had a lot of fun! Thanks for stopping by!
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:40:13 am
Diana, I know I lived there for 10 years and had only been when I was a little kiddo! Glad I went back!
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Mandi
8/10/2015 01:57:26 pm
Jess,
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7/24/2015 07:44:06 am
What a charming town! I love how small and village-y it looks with all the tudor style architecture and a windmill. How nice that something like that exists in America. I'm glad they had some healthy, gf eats for you too. Your lunch looked very delicious!
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:42:10 am
Thanks for stopping by! I know, I love finding bits of European charm here in the states!
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:45:30 am
Maggie,
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:57:02 am
Glad you guys are going to check it out! It's quite fun!
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:52:08 am
Oh that sounds so cute! I would love to visit there. I will have to save it to my files for our Washington trip :)
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:50:15 am
Alex,
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:54:24 am
Fellow Peony <3 hello! You're very welcome. Have you visited any charming small towns I have to check out? I'm making a new list of places to go this year.
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:48:17 am
Laura,
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8/5/2015 01:04:37 am
California has been on my list of places to go for a long time, This will definitely have to be the first stop!
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:58:33 am
Mayara,
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Mandi
8/11/2015 07:55:35 am
Thanks for stopping by! It was quite cute! :)
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Christine!
9/1/2015 02:54:17 am
I live in the Santa Ynez Valley- home to Solvang, great photos! Sorry you didn't write about more food & bakeries, many have gluten free options, in fact at Industrial Eats in Buellton, they have many dishes, including pizza for those who shy from gluten. Solvang Bakery has multiple choices of baked delicious goodies. New Frontiers Store & Deli has many options including the best deli case in town- so beautiful and full of good healthy food. Solvang is one of 5 towns in our Valley- please come again!
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Mandi
10/19/2015 04:28:08 pm
Christine,
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aboutNosh & Nurture was born of this journey I am on to better the health of myself, my family and those around me. What started as a simple compilation of recipes has grown to a all-around lifestyle journal with ways to incorporate organic products into your home, pantry and beauty cabinet. I also include stories on pregnancy, new motherhood, travel, Proverbs 31 marriage, and spiritual health, as I am a Christian who couldn't do any of this without my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. For more of my story you can click here.
All recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free with a lot of soy-free, grain-free, sugar-free options. |
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