I Love the Santa Ynez Valley Nightlife –
Nightlife in Santa Barbara Wine Country
Whether we’re your vacation or wedding destination, or where you call “home”, Nightlife in Santa Barbara Wine Country offers numerous options. Here you can preserve your wine country agenda – and your glass – filled to the brim. Plus, craft beer distilleries and live musical entertainment keep the evenings lively. Also, consider Space VR for virtual reality and Ultimate Escape Rooms for challenging family and couples fun. Enjoy Nightlife in Santa Barbara Wine Country.
Daytime Fun & Nightlife after the Sun Sets
~ Dawn to dark in the Santa Ynez Valley mean long, sunny days – often spent in vineyards and wineries. Daylight also finds visitors exploring hiking trails or in the saddle on horseback in the San Rafael and Sierra Madre Mountains of Santa Barbara County. Let the mountains and hills of the area inspire your outdoor activity eagerness. Or you might prefer lounging at pools or spas, or shopping, and museum-hopping. Of course, you will enjoy eating your way through the myriad of dining experiences you can find Santa Barbara wine country. From International cuisine – Danish, Mexican, Italian, Greek, plus, California cuisine, Danish Bakeries, the Santa Ynez Valley fulfills your cravings and your sweet tooth.
Ballard | Buellton | Los Alamos | Los Olivos | Santa Ynez | Solvang
Santa Ynez, the Late-Night Capital of the “SYV”
The Victorian-Western town of Santa Ynez, maybe surprisingly, offers the most extended late-night hours in the Santa Ynez Valley. The storied and historic Maverick Saloon hosts lively, musical acts and equally as energetic guests with operating hours until 2am, every night. Front porch seating, a gussied-up late night menu and regular events like Honky-Tonk Thursday, Karaoke Night and 2-Step Dance Lessons, keep this wine country roadhouse, well, “country”. At the sleek, modern opposite end of the Santa Ynez nightlife spectrum, sits the Chumash Casino Resort. The 24/7 casino and bars, the Lounge at the AAA Four Diamond Award-winning Willows restaurant (open until 10pm), and The Café (open until 12am, Friday/Saturday until 2am) provides late night entertainment and dining. Looking for a caffeine fix at every hour? Head to Grains & Grounds near the casino floor, open 24/7 serving Starbucks® coffee, salads, gelato, and an array of house-made sweets and gourmet desserts.
Buellton, Second to None
Nightlife in Santa Barbara Wine Country
When an award-winning movie brings fame to your delicious slice of wine country, you run with it. May we present the Sideways Lounge at Buellton’s Sideways Inn, open daily until 12am. The newly-renovated, sparkling-chic Lounge features signature cocktails with nods to its Santa Ynez Valley neighbors. Taste the “Los Olivos Lavender Lemondrop”, “Solvang Sazerac” – bottled and draft beers, and wine, including requisite listings of local Pinot Noir. An adjacent firepit and al fresco seating only add to your wine country story.
More Sideways nostalgia, with a helping of “Santa Maria Style BBQ”, may be found at The Hitching Post II Restaurant (open daily until 9:30pm).
Beer Industry
Buellton’s beer industry centers also offer evening entertainment. The Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Buellton Taproom & Barrelworks facility is open seven days until 9pm, as is Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.’s Buellton Taproom. Bonus? Both breweries include on-site restaurants with outdoor areas. The Santa Ynez Valley Marriott’s 555 Lounge & Bar, as grand as the hotel’s lodging accommodations, welcomes late-night revelers with well-appointed outdoor lounging options.
Solvang. #livelikeaviking #andpartylikeonetoo
Solvang’s sidewalks do NOT roll up at “5”. Case(s) in point: Solvang Brewing Company’s famous windmill welcomes late-night eaters and drinkers seven days, until what the brewery, bar and restaurant simply refers to as “Late” hours. Outdoor seating with prime people-watching fronts the venue.
The Good Life, “a craft beer & wine cellar”, regularly features live music and special events, also with sidewalk-adjacent outdoor seating (open Sunday-Wednesday until 9pm; Friday/Saturday until 11pm).
The hip, Nordic design aesthetic of The Landsby hotel’s Lobby Lounge sets the scene for cleverly-crafted cocktails and elevated bar nibbles. High Roller Tiki Lounge, an atmospheric and singular wine country tiki bar serves up “wine-tails” with a healthy dose of tiki culture and décor. Both venues rock with live music most Friday and Saturday nights.
Live music fans flock to Lost Chord Guitars where the music plays late into the evening. Here abides one of the Santa Ynez Valley’s leading live entertainment venues hosting singers/songwriters and bands from all over.
PCPA (Pacific Conservatory Theatre)
During Santa Ynez Valley’s summer months, theatergoers delight in the open-air Solvang Festival Theater’s “PCPA” (Pacific Conservatory Theatre) residency and the varied performances that it brings.
Solvang Danish Days
During Solvang’s annual Danish heritage and food & wine festival, Solvang Danish Days (September 15-17), the event’s Viking Beer & Wine Garden stays open until 10pm, Friday and Saturday evenings.
Linger in Los Olivos
Nella Kitchen & Bar at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn offers bar service daily from 11:30am – 10pm, while the restaurant serves up quality foods simply prepared using locally sourced ingredients from 11:30am – 8:30pm. The Los Olivos outpost of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. is open daily until 9pm, with plentiful outdoor seating, a live music schedule, occasional food trucks and foodie pop-ups.
Los Alamos, Santa Ynez Valley’s Last Late-Night Frontier
Nightlife in Santa Barbara Wine Country
Ready those cameras: Los Alamos night spots are an Instagrammers dream. Near the western end of the town’s main “strip”, Bell Street, stands the history-laden 1880 Union Saloon. The once-stagecoach station building operates today as a wedding venue with a Western antiquity-filled space.
PICO at the Los Alamos General Store’s award-winning restaurant wine list is rivaled only by their equally-curated cocktail menu. Here you may try drinks like the “Bing Bong” (Bourbon, lemon, Bing cherry juice), “Highland Honey” (Scotch, honey vinegar, lemon, absynthe), and the simplistic “Fast y Nasty” (Mezcal, pickled jalapeño, lemon juice). PICO’s “backyard” has garden-laced seating areas and a rustic fire pit, while the restaurant/ bar/ wine shop mash-up holds a 2,000-bottle retail selection for wines “to go”.
Skyview Los Alamos and Norman
Weary road trippers, you have arrived: vistas and vibes rule at iconic mid-century motel, Skyview Los Alamos, which underwent a jaw-dropping remodel. With a fitting on-site eatery and bar, Norman – and proprietary vineyard – dinner and drinks are served daily to both hotel guests and “non”, with a bar that opens up to outdoor seating on two sides, a perfectly-restored pool area, and an expertly-mixed “drink list that highlights some of the best winemakers and local ingredients” in these parts.
When you’ve had your fill of Santa Ynez Valley nightlife, we have over 30 hotel options for a restoring night’s sleep. You’ll need your energy for the next day’s – and night’s – wine country adventure.
About Visit Santa Ynez Valley: Visit Santa Ynez Valley provides listings of the best places to eat in Solvang, best Santa Ynez wineries, and lists things to do in Santa Ynez Valley. “Like” the Facebook page for ideas on planning Santa Ynez vacations.
