My mission is to meet all these amazing, mystical trolls. My first was Lulu! She didn't disappoint…read more I didn't want to leave. I bought a couple books about the Trolls. I wanted to make sure the money went to the museum and not to Amazon. This is a beautiful museum, and the customer service was amazing. If you get a chance to stop by when you are in Solvang, it won't disappoint. 8/2/26

Art Attack Founded…read morein 1997 by local artist, Patti Jacquemain, to promote local art that features nature, and more specifically, art that celebrates California's diverse wildlife and ecosystems. Formerly known as The Wildling Museum of Art, it was rebranded in '24 to make its mission clearer to the public. The Good: * Located in the heart of Downtown Solvang, which is one of our favorite places. * It's a non-profit institution. * Private parking lot in the back, which is important because parking in Downtown Solvang can be a nightmare at times. * Friendly staff * Relatively inexpensive at $7/GA; $5 seniors and teens (13-17); and free for kids 12 and under. * Gift shop * To be honest, our main reason for visiting was to continue our quest to visit as many of Thomas Dambo's Troll sculptures, and this quaint little museum houses one of the giants right inside--Lulu! She's definitely worth the price of admission alone. :) * The rest of the art was great to look at, as well. They do sell some of the pieces that are being displayed, so keep an eye out for price tags if you happen to see one you really, really like. The Meh: * Not the biggest museum, as you can pretty much see the whole thing in less than thirty minutes. The Ugly: * If you can't score parking in the small lot, you'll have to fight for it on the street which can be a hit-or-miss scenario. There is a free lot about a quarter-mile away, if you don't mind walking. Conclusion: Come for the troll, but stay for the art.

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!

Summer in Santa Barbara is beautiful...and absolutely overrun with tourists. I mean, they had every…read morerestaurant PACKED, every parking space TAKEN, every dessert shop FULL, and every sidewalk OVERFLOWING. Ironically, as tourists ourselves (LOL, sort of), we needed a break from THE TOURISTS! My best friend Catherine suggested we duck into the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and I'm glad she did. It's not a massive museum. Just two floors. But hear me when I say it punches above its weight. On the day we went, there was a thoughtful and curated mix of Southeast Asian and Indian artifacts, contemporary works, digital installations and enough classic pieces to keep serious art lovers happy. There were also funny art pieces that reminded everyone that art is allowed to have a sense of humor, too. I appreciated the balance. One of my favorite exhibits there let us enter our birth information and it generated our birth charts. Whether you believe in astrology or not, it was fun to interact with the art instead of just looking at it. I learned some cool stuff about myself looking at my birth chart. Hey...If you need a break from the crowds, this is the place. It's peaceful, cool inside, has clean restrooms and it's just the right size to explore without feeling overwhelmed. You won't lose your whole day here. You'll simply enjoy the bit of time you dedicate to visiting. Sometimes the best attraction in a tourist town is the one that gives you a break from other people. Consider.

The family and I spent a terrific day exploring and experiencing all the fun, interactive, STEM at…read moreMOXI. We had a 4 year old and a 7 year old in our group, but I think their dad had the most fun of all! The activities were designed to be developmentally appropriate to include all the members of our group in their range of engagement. Parents interacted with their children and staff was on hand to make suggestions, monitor, and prompt us to better delve into the "science" we were playing with. They seemed well-trained on how to lead us to deeper learning without slowing our explorations. Thanks to the staff and designers who allowed us to spend such a beautiful family day!

Fun, hands-on museum in Santa Barbara, but I think it's better suited for school-aged kids than…read moretoddlers and preschoolers. We visited MOXI with our 4-year-old and under-2-year-old. The kids had fun exploring, but I personally found it a little underwhelming for their ages, especially considering the price. There are definitely some great interactive and creative spaces, but I think older kids would get much more out of the experience. One thing that was pretty disappointing was finding out after we arrived that the entire third floor was closed for a private event. We had driven about 70 miles to get there, so it would've been nice to know ahead of time, especially since admission wasn't exactly cheap. Parking was also a little confusing, although there is some street parking and public parking around downtown Santa Barbara and the transit area. There were definitely some highlights. They have a craft/building area where staff were helping kids with projects and doing little workshops. The current theme was marble runs, but kids could also draw, color, build, and make whatever they wanted. Staff were really hands-on and supervised things like glue guns and scissors, which I appreciated. I can see this being a really fun and worthwhile area for older kids who are creative and enjoy building and STEM-type activities. For younger kids, there is a small crawl/play area on the second floor, plus a quiet "cave" or calm room where kids can take a break if they get overstimulated. I thought those were nice additions, especially for families with toddlers or sensory-sensitive kids. We went on a Monday and it wasn't very busy, which made for a pretty relaxed visit. I could see the experience being much better for our family in a few years, so I wouldn't completely rule out coming back when the kids are older. If your kids are school-aged and enjoy interactive, hands-on learning, building, and STEM activities, I'd definitely say it's worth checking out. For younger toddlers/preschoolers, though, I would temper expectations--the admission price felt a little high for what we were able to do. One thing that could make it a much better value is the ASTC Travel Passport Program. MOXI participates in the program, which can provide free general admission at participating science and technology museums around the world if you have a qualifying membership. There is a 90-mile restriction, though--the museum you're visiting generally needs to be more than 90 miles away, measured "as the crow flies," from both your residence and the museum where you have your active membership. Overall, a nice museum with some genuinely fun interactive spaces. I'd recommend it at least once, but for our family, I think we'll wait until the kids are a little older before making the trip again.

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

This has to be one of our favorite places to visit in Santa Barbara. I've personally been coming…read morehere for over 25 years, and I still love it every time. It's peaceful, relaxing, and the nature is absolutely beautiful -- minus all the poison oak during the summer, LOL! Whether you have little ones, teenagers, or just want to take a relaxing walk with your partner, this is a great place to visit. You don't need to spend the whole day here either. A couple of hours is perfect to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and unwind. Definitely one of our Santa Barbara favorites. Highly recommend!

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.

I came here for an event today so really my review is tailored more towards the events that Casa is…read moreholding but also to acknowledge the fabulous grounds and building though I admit I don't have full context for the history or background. I would definitely come back here to learn about the house and to take the guided tour. This wasn't the purpose for me coming today but the gentleman who works here noted that it's a great tour and I know friends who have enjoyed learning about the family and the history of the house, getting a deeper dive of information. I came here with some friends for their first hosted event Sound Bath. A wellness day if you will. From start to finish everything was very organized and thoughtful. The staff hosting the event and the spiritual wellness guide and sound healer was wonderful. Everyone was nice and you felt welcomed. Not pretentious and just very positive and good vibes. We had a nice group and everyone was respectful and on time for the sound bath so it went off without issue. It was a relaxing experience and the grounds were very nice to hold this outdoor event. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, we found an area with shade, very nice. Very faint sounds of cars in the distance here and there which wasn't ideal but out of their control and once things settled in you really couldn't hear much external noise. After the relaxing sound bath we were offered tea and light pastry snacks. I opted for a water and began exploring the grounds instead of partaking in the refreshments. The grounds are lush and lovely, very zen. Loved the beautiful trees and walkways with small fountains and running water. It was green and pretty all around from the recent rains. Definitely a great location for events and to learn a little SB history. I will definitely do my research and come back again soon.

Yikes, this is an expensive tour but it is a rarity to see a period house with most of the original…read moreoccupants furnishings etc. The tours are docent led and very informative. If you like these types of tours, this one is quite worth it.