Windmills, Danish charm, dog-friendly streets, an ostrich adventure and a beach stop along the way make this Santa Barbara County road trip one we’ll happily do again.
Looking for a fun dog-friendly California day trip with great food, historic sites, beautiful scenery, Danish charm and even…
ostriches? 🐶🦤
Yep. Ostriches.
Welcome to Solvang, California!
Located in Santa Barbara County’s beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang makes a wonderful dog-friendly day trip—and we’ve enjoyed it enough that we’ve gone back more than once.
Sometimes just for the day!
Solvang is known as the “Danish Capital of America,” and once you start wandering around town, it’s pretty easy to understand why. You’ll find Danish-inspired architecture, windmills, bakeries, shops, restaurants and plenty of places that will make you stop and reach for your camera.
It’s also surrounded by Santa Barbara County wine country, making it easy to turn a Solvang day trip into a longer getaway.
And one of the things we’ve appreciated during our visits?
Solvang really does make it pretty easy to explore with a dog.
We’ve spotted water bowls outside businesses, enjoyed walking around town with our pup and found plenty to see without needing an elaborate itinerary.
Sometimes that’s exactly our kind of adventure. 🐾
🐾 Quick Paws Guide: Solvang With Your Dog
📍 Destination: Solvang, California
🐶 Dog-Friendly? Very! Downtown Solvang is pedestrian-friendly for walking with dogs, and you’ll find dog-friendly outdoor spaces around town. Individual business policies can vary, so always check before entering with your pup.
🚗 Parking: Free public parking is available throughout the village.
🚻 Restrooms: Public restrooms are available at the public parking lots.
🐾 Great For: Walking, sightseeing, Danish-inspired architecture, bakeries, outdoor dining and simply wandering around town with your dog.
🦤 Fun Add-On: OstrichLand USA
🌊 Our Road-Trip Stop: Summerland Beach at Lookout Park
👟 Don’t Forget: Comfortable walking shoes. You’ll probably do more wandering than you planned. 😂
❤️ Would We Go Back? We already have!
🗺️ Map & Directions: Google Maps — Solvang, California
🐾 Our Dog-Friendly Solvang Day Trip
For this particular adventure, we decided to make Solvang a day trip.
Since we weren’t staying overnight, we did a little planning before we left. That turned out to be a very good idea because we wanted to make the most of our time without turning the day into a race from one destination to another.
Our plan was simple:
Stretch the legs. Feed the ostriches. Feed ourselves. Explore Solvang. Have fun.
Pretty good plan, right? 😂
🌊 First Stop: Summerland Beach at Lookout Park
We were coming from the Los Angeles County area and heading north on US-101, so we knew our dog would need a good leg stretch and bathroom break before we reached our first big stop.
We also wanted her to have a chance to burn off a little energy before the day’s adventures really got underway.
That’s why we stopped at Summerland Beach at Lookout Park, just south of Santa Barbara.
And this little stop checked a lot of boxes for us:
🐾 Space to walk the dog
🌱 Grassy park area
🌊 Beach access
🚗 Convenient road-trip stop
💰 Free parking
🚻 Restrooms for the humans
🛁 And even a self-service dog wash if your pup gets a little too enthusiastic at the beach!
It worked so well that Summerland has since earned its own place on our dog-travel map.
Sometimes a little planning makes a BIG difference when you’re traveling with a dog.
👉 Read More: Summerland Beach at Lookout Park — A Dog-Friendly Beach Near Santa Barbara, California
🦤 Next Stop: OstrichLand USA!
Okay.
This is where our day got really interesting. 😂
Our next stop was OstrichLand USA, located between Buellton and Solvang.
And yes, you read that correctly.
OstrichLand.
The attraction is home to ostriches and emus—and dogs are currently allowed with some important rules.
We had such a fun time here, and our dog wasn’t the only pup visiting that day.
And let’s be honest…
How often do you get to say your dog went on a California road trip and met an ostrich? 😂🐶🦤
🐾 An Important Update for Dog Travelers
If you notice our dog close to the ostriches and emus in some of our photos, there’s something important you should know before planning your own visit.
The rules have changed since our trip.
When we visited, dogs were allowed closer to the birds, which is why you’ll see our pup near them in our pictures.
OstrichLand’s current rules still allow dogs, but dogs must be leashed, carried or in a dog stroller and must now be kept away from all bird-feeding areas for the safety of both the dogs and birds.
Owners are also expected to clean up after their dogs, and aggressive or excessively loud dogs may be asked to wait outside.
We love being able to share pictures from our actual adventure, but we also want you to know the rules you’ll encounter now, not just the ones that applied when we visited.
🐾 Our Advice: Always check OstrichLand’s current dog policies before your visit.
👉 Check Current Hours, Admission & Dog Rules: OstrichLand USA
🗺️ Map & Directions: Google Maps — OstrichLand USA
🇩🇰 Finally…Solvang!
After our ostrich adventure, it was time for the main event.
Solvang!
We arrived around lunchtime, parked and set out on foot.
One thing we really appreciate about Solvang is the free public parking throughout the village. Once we park, we can explore rather than constantly getting everyone back into the car and driving from place to place.
And trust us…
Wear comfortable walking shoes.
There’s plenty to see, and one of the best parts of Solvang is simply wandering around and seeing what you discover.
🍽️ What About Lunch?
We had a wonderful lunch at a dog-friendly restaurant during this particular trip, but unfortunately, that restaurant has since closed.
Rather than spend half this article telling you how much we enjoyed food at a restaurant you can no longer visit—and then leave you hungry and disappointed 😂—we’ll be looking for another dog-friendly Solvang favorite on a future trip.
The good news is that Solvang currently has a number of restaurants and bakeries with dog-friendly outdoor spaces.
Since business policies can change, we recommend checking with the restaurant directly before arriving with your dog.
And when we find our next favorite?
You know we’ll tell you about it. 🐶🍽️
🐾 Time to Walk Around Solvang!
With full bellies and happy faces, it was time to explore.
And this is where Solvang really shines.
There’s so much to see that you could easily spend hours simply wandering the streets, looking at the architecture, checking out bakeries and shops and taking in the Danish-inspired atmosphere.
🧜♀️ Look for the Mermaid Fountain
Keep an eye out for the Little Mermaid Fountain while you’re exploring.
It’s one of those fun little Solvang sights that makes wandering around town part of the adventure.
🌬️ You Can’t Miss the Windmills
You can’t visit Solvang without noticing the windmills!
They’re one of those things that immediately make you feel like you’ve stepped somewhere completely different.
And naturally…
They’re also excellent backdrops for dog pictures. 🐶📸
🛍️ Shops, Bakeries & Water Bowls
There are plenty of places to browse as you wander through town.
One of the little things we’ve appreciated during our visits is seeing water bowls outside some businesses for visiting dogs.
Link 👉 : Solvang’s current visitor information also notes that watering stations can be found throughout the village.
Dog-friendly AND thoughtful? We’ll take it!
⛪ Old Mission Santa Inés
One of our favorite places to slow down during our visit was the area around Old Mission Santa Inés.
The historic Mission sits right near Solvang and makes a beautiful stop while you’re exploring the area.
During our visit, we stayed outside with our dog and found a quiet grassy spot where we could sit, relax and take in the scenery for a while.
After a busy day of walking and sightseeing, having somewhere peaceful to slow down was a welcome change of pace.
🐾 Good to Know: Old Mission Santa Inés remains an active parish as well as a historic site. We’ve found Mission materials stating that dogs on Mission property must be leashed, but we haven’t been able to confirm a current pet policy for the museum, church or interior tour areas.
If you’d like to explore inside, we recommend checking directly with the Mission before bringing your dog. And because this is an active place of worship, be respectful of services, visitors and any restricted areas.
🍷 What About Wine Tasting?
Solvang sits in the heart of Santa Barbara County wine country, so wine tasting can easily become part of a longer getaway.
We didn’t do any wine tasting on this particular trip, though, so we’re not going to pretend we have a favorite dog-friendly tasting room to recommend. 😂
If wine tasting is part of your plans, check each winery or tasting room’s current pet policy before visiting.
Maybe we’ll just have to do some more research on a future trip.
For the blog, of course. 🍷😂
🚗 Don’t Forget the Drive!
One of the unexpected bonuses of this adventure was the drive itself.
The scenery along US-101 heading toward Santa Barbara County is beautiful, and sometimes the road trip becomes part of the adventure.
That’s something we’ve learned from traveling with our dogs:
Sometimes getting there is just as much fun as being there.
Especially when your best friend is coming along for the ride. 🐾🚗❤️
🐶 Would We Go Back to Solvang?
Absolutely!
In fact, we already have.
Solvang has that combination we love when traveling with our dogs: interesting things to see, good food, beautiful scenery, history, fun places to explore and plenty of opportunities to simply slow down and enjoy the day.
And while we packed quite a bit into this particular day, we definitely didn’t see everything.
If you only have a day?
Go anyway!
Do a little planning beforehand, choose the places you really want to see, give your pup a good break along the way and leave yourself enough time to wander.
Because that’s one of our favorite things about Solvang…
You don’t have to hurry.
Park the car, grab the leash, explore the streets, find something delicious to eat and enjoy a little taste of Denmark right here in California.
And don’t forget to look up every now and then.
You never know when you might spot a windmill…
or an ostrich. 🦤😂
