A memorable experience seeing a danish home and see how Solvang was built. The family that lived…read morethere had a lot of traditional exterior and interior and items which was cool to experience for a low price of $5/person. The employee was super awesome explaining the history of the home. In the outside shed, it contained the solvang in the early days of 1920s or 1940s. Look for the little danish rubber ducky throughout the rooms. I really enjoyed the historical items in the home and architecture style

Great little museum with so much history! The Elverhøj Museum & Art Gallery offers a fascinating…read morelook into Danish immigrant history. Walking through the rooms and seeing how people lived back then was incredibly interesting and well done. We also played the Hidden Gems Garden & Patio game, which made the visit even more fun we found all the gems and even got a prize! Such a nice interactive touch, especially if you're visiting with family. Admission is only $5 per person, parking is free, and the experience is totally worth it. We learned a lot and truly enjoyed our time here. Highly recommend if you love history, culture, and charming local museums. Great customer service.

If you have ever been curious, my dear Yelp Review Reader, in visiting a "California Spanish…read moreMission" then the Old Mission Santa Ines might be just "the ticket" you're looking for. It is listed as the 19th of 21 Spanish Missions in CA...founded in 1804 , completed in 1807. The mission contains a working Catholic Church, a chapel (closed on the weekends), beautiful gardens, cemetery, museum and gift shop. There is plenty of parking available. To take the self guided tour...enter the Gift Shop and pay the fee. Once paid, the Attendant will present you with a map and general directions and off you go! If you're there when there is a "service" in the Church, the museum door to the Church is locked so you'll need to enter the Church from its main entrance. The museum has lots of interesting items, but the collection of 15th century Vestments is stunning (a must see). The beautiful gardens have walking paths along which there are several small stone structures (Shrines) that are very picturesque and worth visiting. We spent at least 2.5 hours "taking it all in" and enjoyed this visit and the conversations it inspires tremendously. On this occasion...in this Yelper's opinion, the Old Mission Santa Ines surpassed expectations and delivered a powerful look in history past...truly earning this "if you have an interest, then take the time to see this" 5 Star Review.

Unfortunately, we were there too late to do a tour or visit the gift shop but that was okay too. We…read morewalked around the property to make the most of our time. The garden and grounds are pretty and well maintained. Since everything was closed, we weren't able to see inside any of the buildings. We'll plan a visit the next time we're there. I look forward to seeing and learning more about the mission and it's history.

Tom bought me this necklace 3 years ago in Solvang on the last trip we were able to take. In all my…read morecraziness lately, I somehow lost it. I was able to find the jeweler we bought it from. I contacted them and they contacted the artist in Italy. Although this is no longer active in their line, they are going to make one for me !! Gila at ZFolio jewelers has been amazing in pulling this off. I was so upset that I lost it and am very grateful to get it replaced .

Very classy and top notch jewelry store and art gallery. My mom got a pretty painting of a flower…read morefor her bathroom. My sister and mom buy unique earrings from here a lot. My friend bought a bracelet today. We got a fancy metal star Xmas ornament for our tree.

What a fun little surprise while in town over the weekend visiting Solvang!…read more The Hans Christian Andersen Museum is located on top of The Book Loft in the heart of Solvang. It is free of charge to check out and I highly suggest you take a few minutes out of your visit to check it out - it is worth it! I loved learning all about the books he wrote - from The Little Mermaid to The Princess and The Pea to The Ugly Duckling to even The Emperor's New Clothes. There are so many more that I grew up reading! I really loved seeing the replica of his childhood home, learning about his life and work as well as seeing all of the different versions and editions of each of his stories. While he passed away in 1875, the city of Solvang still celebrates all of his accomplishments and spirit. They even had a Little Mermaid fountain across the street that's a must see as well! Check it out!

This is inside the Book loft on the 2.5 floor. What a great experience to learn about an author of…read morefairy tales. He used writing Along with his imagination to escape. This museum is free or by donation. Def enjoyed reading and learning about his life as an a artist and author

Really lovely museum. Currently under construction, but had some great exhibits open. I got a…read moredocent tour which I was very happy about. The pieces of art were beautiful, and the docent was able to go into shocking detail about each one. On top of all that, the price was really reasonable for what you get here. If I lived in the area I'd absolutely become a member, huge fan!

GETTING HERE:…read more Navigate here to the address listed on Yelp. If you're knowledgeable about DTSB, I am sure you'll have a better suggestion on where/how to park. But, I found street parking at first 90-minutes free, so I took advantage of that opportunity. Yay! #Winning. REVIEW: When I was a kid, I wanted to be an art history major. There has always been something that caught my eyes and ears when I hear the words, "Art". Now, I don't know anything about art, nor do I know which was is up. I just know that I live near an incredible venue and hadn't yet attended or reviewed! So many things I am updating in 2026. Here is the 1st one: I walked across the main drag and up the front stairs to the museum. There were a few docents (I assume) sitting at the front desk area that took my payment for entering. Thankfully, I didn't have (unrealistic) expectations on what to expect as this was my first art museum experience. It appeared there was a bit of development/construction going on as some of the areas were closed or marked off. After I paid the entrance fee, they handed me a map and I was on my way. It would have been nice to have had some interchange with any of them, as I told them I was a first-timer. Oh well. Such is life in 2026. I took a lot of pictures, and truth be told, as I said before, I don't know which was is up or what I was looking at most of the time. I just know that visually speaking, the entire visit was beautiful! Being able to look around at my own pace was very nice. Although, TBH, it would have bene nice to have bene able to ask someone a question or two, but alas, that didn't break my trip or overall experience. I was hoping they had a gift shop where I could have bought some bookmarks or some art pictures. There wasn't one, unfortunately. I cannot wait to go back! Highly, highly recommend a visit!

Took the kids here today and it was 100% worth the 1.5 hour drive from LA. MOXI is super hands-on…read moreand perfect for kids to just explore and play without getting bored. Every exhibit actually keeps them engaged not just looking, but doing. The interactive tables (like the spinning drum and dice games) were a hit. My kids didn't want to leave and kept going back to the same stations. It's also really clean, organized, and easy to navigate even with little ones. Pricing was reasonable for what you get abbout $25 for adults, $20 for kids, and under 2 is free, which is nice. Staff was friendly and everything felt well-maintained. You can tell they designed this place with kids in mind but adults still have fun too. Definitely a solid family day trip spot from LA. Would come back again

I literally planned a trip to Santa Barbara just because my toddler wanted to go back to the Moxi…read more We have a kids museum in our city but she kept saying no the one with the parachutes. I figured out it was the Moxi. I guess it make quite the impression on her last year. The museum had some new exhibits this time around. They added a fun ball launcher that I also enjoyed as well. The water exhibit could use some love. Some of the hydraulic levers was either not working or you had to really work at it. My toddler was not strong enough to use them. One thing I like is that we were able to leave and come back after lunch. We got to make the most if our trip. I'm sure we'll ge back next year.

I had the pleasure of visiting both the Hermitage Museum and the botanical sculpture gardens…read more It's unbelievable that all of this is on one man's property in the hills of Santa Barbara. The museum is filled with fun pieces of art, some of it interactive. The giant sculptures on the property are remarkable, with the sheer quantity of them amazing. I loved the themed areas like the zoo. The vegetation is also a wonder, especially seeing rare specimens, some of them hundreds of years old. I can't wait to go back and spend more time appreciating all the detail that went into the place!

One of the most interesting and numerous place to visit. Vigorous walking up and down the hillside.read more

What a fun little add on to a trip with kiddos to Santa Barbara. Enough places for learning but…read morealso for the kiddos to get some play in the day as well. I have a 4.5 yo and 22 month old and they both had lots of fun. Random but I do wish the gift shop was a bit more stroller friendly.

History Machine A…read moremuseum that traces its origins back to 1916 when a group of people got together to try and preserve some of the history of the area. They've been in their current location since 1923, and the location itself, to me anyway, is part of the draw. Not only is it a museum, but it's also a nature preserve, rescue aviary, and dinosaur theme park. :) The Good: * Fairly inexpensive to visit at $20/adult and $15/child * If you buy a membership ($115-450) to the museum, it also includes a membership to their sister aquarium (also in Santa Barbara), the Sea Center. * Wonderful little area in the back with some short trails, a creek, and dinosaurs for kids to explore. * If you love geology, then you'll love their geology exhibit; they have so many amazing rocks and gems on display. * Aviary with injured and rehabbing raptors * Nature art gallery was beautiful * Friendly staff * Tours available * Lots of info on animals and insects of the area The Meh: * Some of the exhibit rooms are a bit cramped, so they can get full fast even without many visitors. The Ugly: * They have a butterfly garden, but it's closed during the winter months, which just happened to coincide with our visit. :( Conclusion: Terrific museum for both young and old.