Visting Los Alamos

An overnight getaway in wine country, and my best bud Lemon can join! Let’s do it. I love exploring places that are slightly off the beaten track. These small, quiet, charming, down to earth towns have so much to offer visitors. Sometimes that’s how I feel about the Santa Ynez Valley.

This area has so much to offer but people think they need to travel to Napa to get the real deal wine experience. And that just isn’t true! I am to convince you that you have to get out and explore the Santa Ynez Valley. I also love exploring places that allow me to travel with my best pup, Lemon. Los Alamos offered a dog friendly weekend adventure with wine and a western vibe. So, if you’re looking for a spot to enjoy a weekend away, have a girl’s trip, travel with your pet, or spend some quality time with your partner, you’re going to love Los Alamos as your homebase on your Santa Barbara Wine Country trip.

Los Alamos

Population: Roughly 1,890 & super dog friendly

Now I must say again…this town is very small. The touristy section only runs roughly 7 blocks or so. (Bell St. runs through it, this is the street you’ll want to hit up.) So, you can easily take it all in on one trip.

Insider Tip: Most locations are closed during mid-week and open Thursday to Monday.

1880 Union Hotel

This was my first time visiting and staying in Los Alamos. And I must say I quickly fell in love with this very small but rather charming Old West style town known for great food, wine, and antiquing! This town has some rich history seeing as it was established in 1876 as a stagecoach stop. The Union Hotel opened its doors in 1880 and is still around today, per the date and name the location is called 1880 Union. The hotel is considered haunted and houses large events and even weddings. The only catch you currently can’t book individual rooms. You have to rent out the whole place for your event. So cool though, right?! A historical landmark with nine authentic Old Western quarters all for you and your friends or family.

Alamo Motel

After checking out the town we set our sights on the dog friendly hip western minimalistic hotel Alamo Motel. The property is so awesome. It’s located right in the center of town with a Municipal Winemakers Tasting Room, a lively fire pit area, and a killer tree swing! And the best part was Lemon mas able to make a new friends!

Los Olivos

Fess Parker Winery

After a day in Los Alamos, it was time to head to a winery to kick back, relax, and taste some wine. Los Olivos is where wine lovers go. There are tons of adorable tasting rooms to check out, art galleries to visit, and great food. On this trip I picked Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard to visit.

My main reason for selecting Fess Parker was because it got great reviews for pets. Although pets aren’t allowed in the tasting room, there is a large grass area for them to explore. Which Lemon fell in love with! They also have a large outdoor patio area for humans to enjoy! There are so many other wineries in the area so make sure to spend the day checking out all the wine tasting you can!

Additional Resources

• Things to Do in Los Alamos
• Visit a California National Park with your pup!
• Another one of my favorite hotels in the Santa Ynez Valley: Sideways Inn
• Don’t forget to visit Solvang!

Ok, we’re out of here…Grabbing water so we don’t have a wine headache tomorrow. Adventure awaits!!