Want to experience Danish culture without having to travel all the way to Denmark?

Jasmine Ayers
Jun 13, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Jun 15, 2022

If you said YES then this post is great for you, because I'm going to tell you about a little place hidden in Southern California's Santa Ynez Valley called, Solvang.

I want to give a tiny bit of history before I go on to what I've experienced while in the charming village of Solvang. According to the Santa Ynez Valley Destination Guide, Solvang was founded in 1911 by three Danish-Americans. They were looking for an area that would be rich in land and large enough to continue on with their culture. Luckily they found it within the Santa Ynez Valley with 9,000 acres of land to build what is now, Solvang. These founders, along with the settlers that came in after them, continued the traditions of Denmark that included it's language, folk dancing, music, and food. Because of all this, Solvang is now considered the Danish Capital of America; this is easily noticeable right when you enter the village. This is due to the replicated Danish architecture throughout the village as well as the replica of the Little Mermaid Statue whose original counterpart sits along Copenhagen's harborside.

I've been to Solvang twice while residing here in California. The first time was a random trip that was planned in the middle of a weekend day in the Fall. My friend and I didn't arrive until around 3:00 p.m. which gave us just enough time to do a little venturing around the village that was decorated for Halloween Festivities. The second time was about this time last year, May 2021. This visit was also random as my friend and I had actually planned on going to see/feed the ostriches in "Ostrichland USA"! I knew that Solvang was near Ostrichland but didn't realize that it was only a five minute drive away!

The ostriches and emus at this location are beautiful and very energetic. Especially if you have food with you! Make sure that when you do feed the birds to hold on to the bowls with two hands because they will aggressively eat. The workers will inform you of this as well. For some it can be intimidating but I promise that it's a great experience and you won't end up as bird feed.

While walking around the ostrich farm, you'll be able to take pictures in front of "instagramable" wall art, take pictures and videos of the ostriches, and when you're done you can go to a little gift shop that's right next to the entrance. Time spent at Ostrichland isn't too consuming. Depending on how many bowls you purchase to feed the birds with it could be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. This is a great place for anyone! Not everyone gets to see real ostriches up close and personal like this experience gives you. If you have any other questions or need more info. you can visit their website at https://www.ostrichlandusa.com/.

If you do plan to visit Ostrichland USA please note the admission prices listed below:

General Admission: $7 Military: $5 12 & Under: $3 Ostrich feed: $1 per bowl

It's open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM throughout the week and is located at the following address:

610 E Hwy 246 Solvang, CA 93463

When you arrive in Solvang, you'll find parking spaces to the right of you that are free. Some of the places that we visited while on our two trips included the Mortensen's Danish Bakery, Cafe Dolce Coffee Boutique, The Book Loft, the Olsen's Danish Village Bakery, little antique shops along the strip, and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. Please see the map below for reference.

This town is rich in culture and has a lot to do within the village as well as areas surrounding it. Some activities that you can indulge yourself in are as follows:

Wine Tasting
Horseback Riding
Hot Air Balloon Rides
Hang Gliding
Golfing
Yoga
Solvang Grape Stomp
Ostrichland
Elverhøj Museum of History & Art
Hans Christian Andersen Museum

If you have any questions or want to look at brochures for the area, you can do so at the Solvang Visitor Center. You can also look at more information on their website: https://www.solvangusa.com/.

Something to keep in mind if you plan on making a trip to Solvang; make sure you get there early in the day as some shops and museums will close as early as 4pm-5pm. I was lucky the first time around since we got there around 3:00 pm but if we got there any later we would've only been able to get some dinner and that's it. From Orange County the drive to Solvang is about four hours north. So make it early or think about staying for the weekend!