Hotels in Solvang

Beneath California's blue skies, a peculiar slice of Denmark awaits with half-timbered buildings and spinning windmills that seem transported from across the Atlantic. Bakeries tempt with authentic aebleskiver and Danish pastries worth the inevitable queue. The Mission Santa Inés offers a reminder that this Danish fantasy has Spanish roots. Tiny museums dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen and vintage motorcycles sit improbably side by side. Wine tasting rooms pour local vintages that benefit from the valley's perfect growing conditions. For a surreal detour, feed the residents at OstrichLand USA, where these improbable birds eye visitors with prehistoric suspicion. The Danish façades may be only skin-deep, but the resulting atmosphere creates a European daydream without the jetlag.