Solvang and Ostrichland USA in Selkie - Kk Antoinette Favorite Brands

Summer sisters road-trip

Solvang, CA & Ostrichland USA visit

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This summer I was lucky enough to go on a girls trip with my sister in-law and our friend Mollie. All three of us had been so busy with work that we ended up planning it out super last minute. We had originally thought of Napa, Vegas, or San Diego, but everything was booked up (everyone was getting vaccinated and places were reopening again).

Somehow we were able to find a room at Carmel Valley Ranch, an amazing wellness property that had so many activities, it’s going to take me multiple posts to cover everything. Some highlights were: falconry, nocturnal hikes, beekeeping, and archery. My sister and I drove up from LA; which is about a 6 hour drive without stops.

Of course I found a way to include a few stops ☺️! On our way North we stopped at the Danish style village, Solvang! And on the way down we stopped at the Madonna Inn!

Ostriches near Solvang

If you’ve ever driven into Solvang from the 101 you’ve driven past a place called Ostrichland USA. Personally, I’ve driven by this place multiple times and never stopped to “feed this bad boy”… but I could tell my sister was up for mini road trip adventure and I had always wanted to go. So we did!

It was only $5 for a big container of feed (you could easily share it between two people). The first ostriches we saw were not particularly thrilled to see us, or our food, but that’s because they were already full. If you get a chance to go, don’t waste your feed on the first “deck”. When you first enter it seems like its the only feeding area, but there’s a whole back section that was relatively empty when we went! All of the ostriches and emus in the back were ECSTATIC to see us and our food.

Solvang, CA

After feeding a bunch of giant birds it was time to feed ourselves. I had my sister park near our lunch destination but then took her on a walking tour through Solvang that finished back at the Solvang Brewing Company’s pub.

For those that haven’t been, Solvang is a danish style village in central California that is above all else: Adorable. While it’s not French themed, I definitely get “Belle walking through the village” vibes every time I visit. It’s recently reopened to tourists but the pandemic definitely left its mark. Several shops were closed down and locals kept reinforcing how thankful they were to have LA tourists visiting (I guess most of their tourists are from LA). Some shops that ARE still open included Fairy and Frog (we got crystals~), Family Coat of Arms, and the Christmas shoppe.

There were also a BAJILLION new tasting rooms since I had last visited! Wine, beer, whiskey, olive oil tastings… everything! I got the feeling they were opening in competition with Paso Robles tasting rooms.

Unfortunately I completely forgot where the clog store was… or it has closed since the pandemic. 😭 I hope not! Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to it recently! BUT we were able to find the little mermaid statue…. thanks to my sister looking it up on google maps. 😂 It had been awhile since I’d walked around Solvang I guess.