Little Denmark in California
As a Southern Californian with a Danish dad and the tongue-twisting Danish name "Solvej," I've always been asked, somewhat cheekily, "Hey! Do you know the town Solvang?"
I do, of course. Yet, as an adult, I only passed through the touristy enclave of roughly 5000 people about 210km northwest of Los Angeles, in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants, Solvang now boasts Danish bakeries, a Hans Christian Andersen Museum and four windmills. Boutique inns and lodges have peaked roofs and spiffy monikers such as Svendsgaard's Lodge and the Hamlet Inn, along with bedspreads emblazoned with the red-and-white Danish flag.
Curious about this Danish-American village so similar to my name and such a long way from Northern Europe, I finally headed to Solvang recently for an overnight stay and 24-hour binge of Danish pastries, wine tasting and conversations in English and Danish with residents whose businesses add layers of history and heart to the town's Nordic shtick. Here are four things to do and see in Solvang, which I found to be a warm, fun and funky getaway that, appropriately, translates to mean "sunny field".
BAKERIES AND SWEETS
I've never had much of a sweet tooth, but even I couldn't escape the sugary appeal of Solvang's multiple family-owned Danish bakeries, including Mortensen's Danish Bakery, Olsen's Danish Village Bakery and Coffee Shop and the Solvang Bakery. At Mortensen's, owned by 83-year-old Danish-American Solvang architect Earl C Petersen and his wife, Dorothy, and run by their three sociable, vibrant daughters, I joined the morning crowd to chomp on the bakery's signature butter ring, a traditional Danish coffee cake.
"There are more bakers here than probably in the whole world," said Olsen's owner Bent Olsen, 70. A tall, burly man with a smooth Danish accent, Olsen moved to California from Denmark in 1965 and opened the bakery in 1970. "After dinner, I'm always looking forward to dessert," he blissfully added, as I sat next to him in the airy cafe, nibbling on a slice of Danish kringle, rolled in the shop and stuffed with almond paste, custard cream and raisins.
For chocolate aficionados, 54-year-old Ingeborg's Danish Chocolates is a town favourite, displaying marzipan pigs and Danish chocolate covered handmade marshmallows called "flodeboller" the size of golf balls.
WINE TASTING
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 2004 wine-soaked movie Sideways, which was partially shot in Solvang, and wineries in the area owe a certain amount of credit to the tourist boom that followed the film. Next to bakeries sit more than 20 wine-tasting rooms, from Dascomb Cellars to the casually hip Lucky Dogg Winery, which opened its sleek, red-walled tasting room in July.
"Solvang is more of a wine destination now," said Lucky Dogg co-owner Mead Whippo, 36. He expertly took me through the process of deeply smelling, glass swishing, smelling again and then tasting a range of Lucky Dogg wines, including a 2013 light viognier and 2013 spicy syrah.
Keep in mind that many shops in Solvang close in the early evening, at the latest, including tasting rooms. Separate winery tours are also available.
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN MUSEUM
As a kid, I owned two stocky volumes of fairytales by 19th century Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen that I coveted like, well, chocolate. I inhaled those stories, from The Little Mermaid to The Ugly Duckling. So visiting Solvang's Hans Christian Andersen Museum, a modest room upstairs from bookstore The Book Loft, was a treat.
The museum is packed with hundreds of volumes of Andersen's books, including first editions, as well as a model of his childhood home. Owner Katheryn Mullins, 80, opened the museum with her late husband in 1990.
"Andersen is for children from 8 to 108," she told me, before settling into reading quietly at her desk by the entrance. The museum is free to visitors.
ELVERHOJ MUSEUM
The Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, a few blocks south of Solvang's centre, dives into the town's history. With an intricately carved wooden front door, and built in 1950 to resemble a Danish 18th-century farmhouse, the building is actually the former home of late Danish painter and sculptor Viggo Brandt-Erichsen and his American artist wife Martha.
It opened as a museum in 1988 after her death. Exhibits include the re-creation of an old-style Danish kitchen, complete with green hand-painted walls and porcelain Danish Easter plaques. "One Danish tourist told me, 'With Solvang, it's like they took the best parts of Denmark and put them onto two streets'," visitor services museum staffer Kimberly Davis said. Admission is free, with a $US5 ($A5.41) suggested donation.
SOLVANG: Visitors Bureau, 1639 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, California. solvangusa.com.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
Latest News
ATIA applauds government’s fast-track passport announcement
Excellent news if you've ever experienced the sheer horror of realising you don't have a functioning passport.
DayAway names Aussie partners for luxury community based membership
Tired of dining with the riff raff? Get yourself a DayAway membership and slip into a life of luxury.
Silversea expands Nova Class with Silver Ray
Be prepared - this article has more silver than your local jewellers!
Tourism Tasmania CEO says a trip to Tassie could cure your Aurora Australis FOMO
With images like these - you're bound to regret being asleep during Australia's version of the northern lights.
Flight searches to Ho Chi Minh City skyrocket by 246% as city strengthens ties to Oz
We aren't endorsing ditching your work to look at flights to Ho Chi Minh but we're also not not endorsing it.
On Location: Rejoice! It’s Your Daily Wrap Of Africa’s Travel Indaba
Spare a moment to think about the cleaner who had to pick up all the confetti after this one kicked off.
Lack of budget spend will hit international visitor recovery, says Australian Tourism Industry Council
We've done the monotonous trawl through budget reports so you don't have to. You can thank us later!
On Location: Expedia CEO assures AI will not replace human roles, announces AI text assistant
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless its announced at a big conference, then it'll probably be reported.
VietJet walks away from Bonza investment, administrators look to maximise chance of survival
VietJet's making big plays in Australia but is drawing the line at buying a defunct airline.
Top four airports return to profit after post-Covid period comes to an end
If you feel like we just haven't spent enough of our lives talking about Covid, then boy is this the article for you!
COMO launches new family-sized farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany
COMO Hotels and Resorts has launched its new farmhouse apartments in the heart of Tuscany, just in time for Australians to escape our wet winter. And it’s also an ideal time for Aussies of Italian ancestry to explore their home country as 2024 has been declared the year of Roots and Heritage Tourism by the […]
Green light, green fuel for Townsville Airport as passenger numbers set to double to 3.7m
All things sounding positive for Townsville, apart from the fact its football team is playing like 10 year olds.
New Caledonia in lockdown and airport closed after violent riots rock Noumea
New Caledonia officials have announced a 6pm-6am curfew, a liquor ban and have closed the country’s main airport after overnight riots in which vehicles were torched and roads blocked in the wake of proposed constitutional reforms. Australian Government website Smartraveller has issued an alert informing visitors to exercise a high degree of caution in metropolitan […]
‘Appalling’: Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO describes gaming rules at sea after P&O death
Gambling reform policy makers are shocked at the news surrounding the passing of a guest onboard last week.
Sydney gets excited for Vivid at the city’s favourite entertainment venues
Get lit! Well maybe not the kiddies, but there is a heap of bright and colourful events on at Vivid Sydney 2024.
Novotel Cabramatta launch reveals the start of new hotel and F&B partnership
Brothers will offer hotels bang for their buck in Sydney's booming southwest.
Roots & Heritage Tourism in 2024 with Italian Tourist Board’s Emanuele Attanasio: Travel Weekly TV
Don't blame us if you're yearning for a carb-filled pasta lunch after watching this week's episode!
Aeronology accepted into Virtuoso network as travel-tech company continues to thrive
Aeronology's the new kid on the block making big waves and lucky for you, we're here to get you up to speed.
Qantas suspends flights to Shanghai due to low demand
Low demand prompts Qantas to drop its Sydney-Shanghai flights like a hot dumpling.
From Castle Hill to Paris, local wellness cosmetics brand makes good in world’s best hotels
The harsh glare of our monitors on the news desk have been relieved somewhat by this local brand done good...
Ponant’s $2500 flight credit reward for polar expeditions booked by ANZ travellers
Tap into your inner explorer an save a couple of $K on flights? The trade-off will be frozen fingers.
Portugal, Spain or Morocco? Here’s how to spend a European summer in 2024
Hit a festival in Spain, enjoy a Portuguese tart or take in the raw beauty of North Africa. This feature has it all!
Vietjet’s summer lucky draw event, plus business flights slashed in half
It's not even winter yet and Vietjet's already talking about summer. We certainly aren't judging them!
ERDI offers a path for hospitality leaders of the future, says hotel group CEO
Teaching the next gen in hospo how to serve drinks, take a restaurant order and hold a conversation - yep we're in!
Marketing costs double for tourism operators as Australia’s global footprint shrinks
Cost of living crisis? Forgeddaboutit! If you run a tourism business, your costs have doubled since Covid.
APT adds fourth ship to Travelmarvel fleet in Europe to meet demand
APT punches above its weight in European river cruising - let's see what its got when it comes to naming conventions.
Getting married? W Melbourne has three new packages perfect for the special day
The 'W' themed lights and settings are optional, we hope!
SKYE Suites gets behind Australian Fashion Week, partners with Shark Beauty
We were hoping to get a start at a fashion week event, but apparently our dress sense wasn't up to scratch...
Roadshow Vietnam focus on Ho Chi Minh City heads to Sydney and Melbourne
It's all happening tomorrow in Parramatta and we're sure you'll be able to find a good bahn mi somewhere.
NCL announces two new Aussie BDMs as cruising goes from strength to strength
Cruising may be getting stronger, but we want to know which new BDM is the strongest. We should arrange an arm wrestle.
Inspiring Vacations announces Josh Grocke to new partnerships role
We're sure the best partnerships come about over a long lunch, something Josh will certainly be looking forward to.
Dondra Ritzenthaler announced as Azamara’s new CEO
Dondra's got big news to celebrate, meanwhile we're celebrating a break in the rain today in Sydney.
TTC’s hosting a masterclass series for Aussie agents unlocking the secrets of its five brands
Become an agent of many hats with TTC's new masterclass series!
Dorsett Melbourne appoints new director of sales Maggie Wong
This top female team at the Dorsett Melbourne aims to take the hotel to new heights - even the lucky eighth floor.
Western Sydney Tourism unveils fresh board ahead of ’26 airport opening
'Connect-Stay-Experience', that's the Western Sydney's tourism taskforce's motto. We sort of prefer 'West Is Best'!
From Olympians to mindset coaches, Helloworld’s OMC conference wraps in style
Say hello to a good time and make sure you're at 2025's edition!