Overview
Buellton is in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Located where US Route 101 crosses the otherwise inaccessible Santa Ynez Valley, most travellers to the wineries of the valley pass through Buellton. Solvang and Santa Ynez are nearby, also on Highway 246, and Los Olivos is another nearby city in the valley.
1 sights · 2 things to do · 5 places to eat · 8 bars & cafés · 4 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Buellton
Jonata Park's waterfall
Exquisite.
Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana
This museum displays gasoline pumps, globes, and porcelain gas, oil, & road signs. It also has racing history, including cars, memorabilia and license plates. The Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony is h…
OstrichLand USA
A farm featuring ostriches and emus, where visitors can get a tray of food and then go off on their own to follow a self-guided path. There is also a gift shop that features ostrich and emu related merchandise, and you c…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jan–Dec. Summer highs reach about 75°F; winter lows dip to about 42°F. Wettest: Feb and Jan. (climate data from nearby Lompoc)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SBA Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, Santa Barbara — 24 mi away. Directions
- SMX Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field, Santa Maria — 25 mi away. Directions
- BUR Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport, Burbank — 108 mi away (major hub). Directions
Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana, OstrichLand USA
- Lunch Full Of Life Flatbread
- Afternoon Jonata Park's waterfall
- Dinner A-ru
- Evening Hitching Post bar
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Ostrich burgers are featured on many local menus; the meat, while red, is very lean and a great favorite among the health-conscious.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
See
The wineries and vineyards are world class, so call the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association in Santa Ynez for a touring map (805) 688-0881. See #Wineries for individual businesses.
There are ubiquitous horse ranches who sell their foals to Middle East sheiks but you would have to call them to visit whereas the wineries love for you to come in and taste the juice.
Do
Do Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana
This museum displays gasoline pumps, globes, and porcelain gas, oil, & road signs. It also has racing history, including cars, memorabilia and license plates. The Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held at the museum at the end of April. Tours are booked on a first-come, first-served basis
Do OstrichLand USA
A farm featuring ostriches and emus, where visitors can get a tray of food and then go off on their own to follow a self-guided path. There is also a gift shop that features ostrich and emu related merchandise, and you can even get an ostrich egg--considered a luxury--for $50. Reservations are required for groups of 15 or more.
Eat
Ostrich burgers are featured on many local menus; the meat, while red, is very lean and a great favorite among the health-conscious.
Eat Full Of Life Flatbread
If it is Friday or Saturday night, skip Buellton and drive to Los Alamos, (there is only one main street in Los Alamos) because that is where you can find some of the finest organic pizza, with salads worthy of culinary awards (think Pizzaria Bianco in Phoenix). Dozens of impossible to find local wines, and enough winemakers eating there to guide you through your next malolatic fermentation.
Eat A-ru
Owned by a Japanese woman who oversees the cooked and uncooked. Said by some to be the best sushi in the county. Always ask about the special appetizers and fish.
Eat Ellens
Where the vineyard managers and consultants meet over breakfast and lunch. You cannot get a better thin pancake or better thick bacon served all day, and at dinner you will be surprised at the quality of the excellent prime rib served on formica topped tables with white coffee mugs at the ready; check out the specials at lunch that include Ortega Cheeseburger, and toasted tuna sandwich and perfect cupcakes.
Eat Firestone Walker "Tap Room"
The big bar has on tap what critics call the finest Pale Lager made in the United States, and in the rear you find salmon and pizza and specials, all good food to eat along with sampling pale and dark beers made in house.
Eat Hitching Post 2 Restaurant
Of Sideways fame, talk to the bartender about what wine to order, as the bartender probably knows more about vineyards and wine than anyone in the movie. Have great grilled artichokes and the lobster and flat iron steak with fries. with Pinot noir of course.
Drink
Wineries
Drink Alma Rosa Winery
Organic and intimate.
Drink Lafond Winery & Vineyards
This is the high-end sister winery to Santa Barbara Winery. Lafond has among the prettier views among Santa Barbara wineries. They are on the west side of the valley, which is significantly cooler than the east side, and thus maybe not a good first stop on a cool day.
Drink Melville
Between Buellton and Lompoc. Looks like an Itallian Villa at
Drink Roblar Winery
Brand new and astounding with its cooking school and patios.
Drink Sanford Winery & Vineyards
One of the Santa Barbara wineries featured in Sideways. They have a small but delightful tasting room, and excellent wines.
Sleep
Go next
Buellton, Solvang and Santa Ynez are all located along Highway 246 and flow into each other.
- Solvang - Located four miles east of Buellton, nearly one million visitors travel to this small town each year to see its Danish architecture and experience its (mostly) authentic Danish culture. Visitors can enjoy Danish food, a replica of the Little Mermaid sculpture, windmills, and the horse-drawn Hønen for sightseeing. The Danish Days festival lasts through the weekend during September and has been held almost every year since 1936.
- Lompoc - Eighteen miles west of Buellton, Lompoc is nicknamed the "City of Arts and Flowers", with more than half the world's flower seeds grown in the fields around the town. The city celebrates its association with flowers every June during the Lompoc Valley Flower festival. The area is also home to Vandenberg Air Force Base, America's west coast spaceport, where rocket launches can sometimes be seen.
- Goleta - 36 miles southeast of Buellton, Goleta is adjacent to Santa Barbara and offers similar beaches and resorts to its neighbor. It is also home to a grove of trees that is an overwintering area for monarch butterflies, with the insects gathering in huge numbers each year from mid-November until mid-February.
- Los Olivos - Located nine miles southwest of Buellton, this town has more than its share of wineries and tasting rooms, with around a dozen such businesses despite its tiny population of just over 1,000. The town also draws visitors wishing to pay their respects at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, which is located five miles north of town but not open to visitors.
Nearby
Solvang
City / town · 26 listings · 3 mi away
Los Olivos
City / town · 11 listings · 6 mi away
Santa Ynez
City / town · 6 listings · 6 mi away
Cachuma Lake Recreation Area
Park · 14 mi away
Lompoc
City / town · 33 listings · 15 mi away
Goleta
City / town · 21 listings · 25 mi away
Santa Maria
City / town · 16 listings · 27 mi away
Santa Barbara
City / town · 128 listings · 31 mi away
My experience
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