My friend and I were heading up north on a road trip and stopped in to have a quick bite in town…read more It felt like we had traveled back in time, like a Old western which was pretty awesome. We had brunch and saw that they were a lot of cute spots. We will definitely stop in this town again when driving up north from Ventura county.

I love my town -- Orcutt, California!…read more PROS: Let's see . . . people are friendly; low crime; nice neighborhoods; convenient shopping; Hwy 101 is closeby; climate is wonderful, and the fog pretty much leaves us alone; good schools; a beautiful park; some fine local medical offices; Old Town Orcutt is a neat area w/ several nice restaurants; we are in wine country and have several tasting rooms; it's on the Central Coast!! CONS: Old Town businesses need to do a better job keeping the sidewalks clean (especially along Clark Ave); residents and visitors need to help keep Orcutt beautiful; several area homeowners have let their yards/fences go to hell, and that isn't cool for a number of reasons (eyesores, property values, etc.) Orcutt is a gem! Small town atmosphere, yet in a great location off the 101, allowing easy access north/south. I feel lucky to live here -- I love my town! Cheers! RS

Take the self-guided Lompoc Heritage Walk to get a good feel of Old Town Lompoc. Ideal for the…read morehistory buff into local traditional venues. Unfortunately, some of locations are closed due to the Pandemic such as the classic Greek Revival Lompoc History Museum which was the former city library as well as the "not listed in the walk" iconic, classic Streamline Art Deco Mike's Bar that's on Ocean Avenue just east of H Street. Takes about an hour leisurely walking past many murals, al fresco paintings with no stops inside noted sites or lunching in such noted restaurants like Sissy's where a hot mushroom salad and coconut cream pie awaits. Great way to intimately get to know a small, military base town surrounded by famous wineries in Santa Barbara County. 4- stars

What can you say about a chamber of commerce? Well, this one is located right downtown where "it…read moreis all happening". Actually, there is nothing happening in Lompoc - but that's the draw. I like to go to places where nothing is happening. You know, dogs humping in the street, people asleep on benches and traffic so sparse you could lay down in the middle of the road for a tan. Lompoc has murals on the buildings that are interesting to see. Sofie and I enjoyed walking around and looking at them. Did you know Lompoc was founded by a bunch of women who wanted to start a colony of people who would be free of alcohol? It didn't work though... where there are women, there will be men and where there are men... well, you will have to investigate the murals to get the whole story. When I took a photo of the IOOF sign, the owner of the store said, "Hey! I can take that down and sell it to you if you want...". I'd really like to have that sign, but I'm not sure where I would put it on the estate. You really must have a two story buildinjg for an IOOF sign.

597 Avenue of Flags, Buellton, CA 93427…read more Friendly, Helpful, Informative! Maps if you want/need them and a bunch of coupons for free tastings, two for 1's etc. We walked up the street from Ellen's after breakfast to pick up a map of the area. Worth a stop for the savings alone.

We stopped at the Buelton CA. Chamber of Commerce recently to learn more about that part of the…read morestate. The 3 towns that are neighbors there include: Buelton, Lompoc and of course the famous Danish Village called Solvang. What a nice experience we had. The office is conveniently located just to the west side of the freeway and a little north of main street. Charming seaside style two story building that houses many other business as well. The office is stocked with a great selection of brochures and fliers. The quality of the publications is top of the line. Beautiful pictures, excellent short articles and wonderful information. We even picked up a map of California that is rarely given away free these days other than at the Auto Club. The wonderful lady on duty suggested we would enjoy the drive towards the coast and towards Lompoc and Vandenberg. We did. What a pretty drive though nature and vineyards. Don't forget to drive in the other direction past Solvang to visit the San Ynez Valley too.

I needed my blood pressure taken because I was away from home and I suffer with heart problems. I…read morestopped by the Solvang fire station in the evening of 3/16/26. A young man came out and stated they would be happy to assist me. I am older and on a walker. One young man took my pulse ,another one took my blood pressure, while the third young man monitored. I felt so comfortable . Of course they made certain that I did not need medical care or to go the hospital. Thankfully my pressure was not terribly high and everything else was ok. They offered to walk me out and assured me if I needed assistance to call them. All three men were kind and helpful I felt well taken care of and they printed the results so I would have them for my doctor.

A great fire department with great guys who are always ready to serve their citizens with pride and…read moreintegrity, and if the need comes up, provide mutual aid to neighboring cities. As our local fire department says "when I doubt call us out!"

I have attended several of the public events hosted by the Solvang Chamber of Commerce. Every…read moremonth, the Chamber will partner with a local business / chamber member to highlight the business, promote business collaboration and bring awareness to events and happenings throughout Solvang. I've found these events to be fun, informative and a great opportunity to meet business owners and fellow community members. At most events the Chamber will provide lite bites, beverages and the opportunity to buy raffle tickets to win prizes. I also frequently visit the Solvang Chamber website to learn about other events and happenings in the community (https://solvangcc.com/events/). Highly recommend checking out some of the events hosted by the Chamber if you're interested in exploring new businesses and supporting the local community!

we have been coming to Solvang for many years. unfortunately, this will probably be the last time…read more the issue isn't the quantity of humans crowding the streets, though it is challenging. it's about the choices for shopping and prices spiraling out of control for restaurants and hotels. a 12% hotel tax is ridiculous when it's layered on top of a $500 room fee. there are no hotels that have quieter ambiance so we were subject to drunk guests screaming and laughing into the late hours of the night. the shopping has become that of a souvenir shop at the beach as opposed to Danish and antiquities. i get that you have to have a few of these, but there is a tide happening where more and more are something you would find in your local mall. the wine tasting costs are out of control and it quite simply doesn't balance out to say, "if you buy three bottles of wine, you will recoup the cost." i don't believe it should be free by any means, but it is not within reason anymore. in short, Solvang's and wine country's ego has gotten the best of them. Is this hygge?

CAL Fire - Santa Maria Public Airport is an an outpost for the California Department of Forestry…read moreand Fire Protection aviation units that help fight forest fires. This base was first established in 2007 and helps protect the Central Coast of California in addition its units can be called as far away as Central Coast but also as far away as Arizona, Utah and Colorado.It recently was upgraded to handle large tanker aircraft like the DC-10. Given the year round fire danger it is one of the busiest bases for CAL Fire has. While there is no tour of the base the S2 Trackers can be seen taking off and landing as well as the ground tanker ops. Special thanks to all of the CAL Fire and community Fire Fighters that help keep us safe in these changing times

Shorter hours but it's not an issue. Librarians are super helpful. Wish the building was bigger…read more Need more magazines and more space. This community it growing fast. Bus Stop is with in walking distance.(the condition of the bus stop can use a big upgrade). Small businesses are within this parking lot. Community Health Clinic here,too.

Show some love to the local libraries. Our kids need to see some books here and at home to be…read morereaders throughout their lives. Reading on the phone and tablets is ok but nothing will replace the codex. Support Guad's library.