Solvang, CA with Kiddos!

Solvang, California here we come! We took a quick little road trip to Solvang last month for my 30th birthday.  I hadn't been since I was a kid!  If you've never been, it is a very small (and VERY adorable) Danish town filled with darling shops, yummy restaurants, and THE best Danish pastries.  If you have the option, I would recommend visiting during Christmas time.  The streets are lined with Christmas lights and all the store fronts are filled with magical Christmas displays! What we did while we were there:Santa Barbara Zoo: On our way we stopped in Santa Barbara and spent the morning/afternoon at the Santa Barbara zoo.  Santa Barbara is about 45 minutes from Solvang and it was a good way for us to break up the drive for the kiddos!  This zoo only takes a few hours to see it all, it was very peaceful AND you can pay extra to feed the giraffes!  They also have a great play area for the kids.  Adding this to the trip was great since Solvang doesn't have a TON to offer for kids.Sunny Fields Park:SUCH a fun park! We spent at least 2 hours here!  It's not walking distance from the town, but it was a very quick (maybe 4 minute) drive.  We were having way too much fun to remember to take any photos (OOPS) but let all the photos on Yelp speak for themselves!OstrichLand USA:THIS place you guys! I could not stop laughing while we were there.  It costs $5 dollars to enter and an additional $1 to get a pan of food for the giant crazy birds.  There were SO many of them and as soon as you walk out with the food you see all their long necks start popping up and it is HILARIOUS! So worth it! They are pretty aggressive though, which scared Karis a bit.  There are also Emus that you are able to feed and they were gentle so Karis stuck with them! Quicksilver Ranch:This is a small little ranch that raises and sells mini horses.  I can't speak for myself on this one since it was raining when we wanted to head over and because of that a lot of the horses were put away.  We were able to see a few roaming around the grass though and that made Karis and Bexley happy enough.  On a day with better weather there are a lot more to see and the owner enjoys coming out and chatting with visitors as well.  This is NOT a all day activity, its just a few minutes of fun for younger aged kids.  We actually did it on our way out and it was a fun little way to end the trip.Explore the Streets:Walking the streets with a hot coco or coffee in hand was my favorite part of the trip!  The streets are just adorable, the storefronts were all decorated with Danish decor and A LOT to look at and explore.  There are a few fun toyshops that the kids loved (beware they are SUPER overpriced) but we were suckers anyways.  There are fountains, windmills and a grass area in the center of the city to run around and play.  We didn't end up renting a Surrey because of the weather, but there was a rental shop we walked by and it seemed like a super fun option for a additional thing to do! Eat all the yummy treats:There are so many bakeries and restaurants to try but these were our 3 favorites! Paula's Pancake House was a cozy and delicious place to eat breakfast.  Just head to their website and drool for a second.  The next morning we checked out Olsen's Danish Village Bakery.  Just vision EVERY Danish pastry you can dream of! Last, but NOT least.  You can't leave Solvang without a Aebleskiver, we got ours at Solvang Restaurant (yes, the place is called Solvang Restaurant, very creative! haha) and they did not disappoint! Where we stayed:The Landsby, A gorgeous inn with a beautiful courtyard with cozy seating and fire pits. The location was perfect, right in the middle of town and walking distance to pretty much everything you need! The staff was kind and helpful, and you can't beat the beautiful decor! Karis and Bexley's highlight, the hot coco bar! We were worried about all 5 of us in ONE room but we survived! We got a room with 2 beds.  Bexley slept in a pack and play, Jovie slept with me in one bed and Karis slept with Eric in the other bed, and we survived! Check out our Vlog to see more of our trip!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVCEZdnRIX8