Solvang

Danish-American educators from the Midwest bought land here in 1911 to found a folk school and a farming colony away from harsh winters, so the Danish basis is real. The half-timbered look came later - from the 1940s the town restyled itself deliberately, adding windmills, stork-nest gables and a copy of the Little Mermaid, and the Saturday Evening Post gave it national attention in 1947. Aebleskiver, spherical pancakes turned in a special pan, are the local food and sold from several bakeries. A Hans Christian Andersen museum sits above a bookshop. The Santa Ynez Valley around it carries a substantial wine industry, and the 2004 film Sideways brought a wave of tasting-room traffic that has not really receded.

What you actually see

• A genuine 1911 Danish colony - restyled in half-timbering from the 1940s.
• Aebleskiver - spherical pancakes, sold from several bakeries.
• A Hans Christian Andersen museum - above a bookshop.
• Valley wineries around it - and the traffic Sideways brought.

When to go

Year round; Danish Days is in September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The architecture is a mid-century restyling, not 1911 fabric. It is heavily commercial and coach traffic is constant. Parking fills at weekends. Tasting rooms need a driver.

Nearby

Los Olivos is north; Santa Barbara is over the pass south.