Local Area

The California Central Coast
Vandenberg and California Central Coast residents consider their environment mild. The 150 square-mile area midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles is surrounded by the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Pacific shore, and ranches of Northern Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. The land juts further into the Pacific than any other point in California, receiving moderate rainfall, daily fog and no snow. The hills are green in winter and turn a burnished gold in summer.

At 99,400 acres, Vandenberg is the largest entity within the local areas of Lompoc, Santa Maria and Guadalupe combined. Development was stimulated in Northern Santa Barbara County when Vandenberg became the West Coast space and missile hub. Before the growth, Lompoc had 6,000 residents. Today, more than 50,000 people call the small city home and 60,000 more live within the Lompoc Valley. The largest population center is Santa Maria with nearly 100,000 people, and more than 116,000 live within the Santa Maria Valley area. Vandenberg, Lompoc and the Santa Maria valleys account for more than three-quarters of the area's 226,000 residents.

Santa Maria
Nestled in the rolling hills of northern Santa Barbara County between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Santa Maria Valley offers an abundance of exciting experiences, including wine tasting, live theater, diverse museums, historic landmarks, world-class golf courses, year-round events and more. Following are a few of the many attractions that await your visit to the Santa Maria Valley:

Local Flavors
Fine wine meets world-famous barbecue in the Santa Maria Valley, where Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and other locally grown varietals offer a perfect match for the rich culinary traditions of this coastal region in northern Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Maria Valley's culinary heritage dates back to the mid 1800s, when local rancheros would host Spanish-style barbecues each spring for their vaqueros, or cowboys. From this tradition was born Santa Maria Style Barbecue, which is founded on local ingredients and methods, and which can be today enjoyed at numerous local restaurants. It's certainly no surprise why the valley is renowned as "California's Barbecue Capital."

Santa Maria Style Barbecue offers a savory match for Santa Maria Valley wines, which can be sampled at more than a dozen local tasting rooms. Called an "insider's secret" by one leading wine critic, the Santa Maria Valley wine country offers artisan wines at more than a dozen tasting rooms set amid rolling hills and picturesque vineyards. The Santa Maria Valley boasts a rare "transverse" geography, an east-west orientation that channels cool ocean air directly into the valley. The result is one of California's longest growing seasons, which ensures the development of complex, flavorful and exquisitely balanced grapes.

Outdoor Experiences
The Santa Maria Valley's mild climate, wide-open spaces and diverse coastal ecosystem combine to offer virtually unlimited outdoor adventures, from birdwatching to beach walking, golfing to bicycling.

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is not to be missed. Here, spectacular coastal dunes loom as awe-inspiring mounts of shifting sands that are teeming with biological diversity. The Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes Complex is one of the most ecologically significant and largest intact coastal dune ecosystems on earth. Wildflower viewing, whale watching and nature photography are just a few of the activities that await visitors to this one-of-a-kind beachfront sanctuary. Visitors are encouraged to start their dunes adventure at the Dunes Center in Guadalupe, which offers historical and educational exhibits, as well as guided walks and tours.

Santa Maria Valley also boasts a new regional open space park called Los Flores Ranch. This 1,800-acre "passive recreational area" is popular with birders, equestrians, mountain bikers, hikers, photographers and wildflower enthusiasts who appreciate its natural charm. Comprised of rolling hills, rocks and an array of trees, plants and wildlife, the property lies about six miles south of Santa Maria on the east side of Highway 101 in the Solomon Hills, and less than one hour north of Santa Barbara. The park offers expansive vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Maria Valley as well as habitat for frequently seen roadrunners, bobcats, wild pigs, hawks and jack rabbits.

Cultural Attractions
The Santa Maria Valley is brimming with cultural experiences. Children love the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, which features hands-on educational exhibits based on local themes, including agriculture, aerospace and the environment. Other local museums include the Natural History Museum and the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum.

The Santa Maria Museum of Flight features a variety of planes, models, photos, memorabilia and exhibits, including a restored F4 fighter jet that served in Vietnam and a 1929 Fleet biplane. The museum also features several Hollywood movie props, including an H-1 Racer from The Aviator, a full-scale Wright glider from Winds of Kitty Hawk and an original wooden hangar from The Rocketeer.

Based in Santa Maria, the nationally acclaimed PCPA Theaterfest remains the only professional resident theater company on the Central Coast and stages the finest classic and contemporary live theater plays. PCPA Theaterfest's star-studded alumni include Kathy Bates, Robin Williams and High School Musical star Zac Efron. Other local theater institutions are the Santa Maria Civic Theater in Santa Maria and the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville in nearby Oceano, which stages classic comedies, musicals and melodramas.

Lompoc
Lompoc is located on scenic California State Highway 1 and Highway 246, 55 miles north of Santa Barbara, and 155 miles north of Los Angeles and 270 miles south of San Francisco. Vandenberg Air Force Base is 10 miles north of the city.

The Lompoc Valley is part of the Central California region. Rolling Hills surround the valley on the north, south and east. The level valley is open at its western end to the Pacific coast shoreline. The Pacific Ocean is only nine miles from downtown Lompoc. The Santa Ynez River (dry most of the year) runs east to west through the valley while Burton Mesa, a chaparral forest with sandy soil, lies to the north. The hills to the south are mined for diatomaceous (fossil) earth. Lompoc has a mild climate. A northwest breeze is common (average hourly wind speed: 6.1 mph). There is moderate rainfall, daily fog and no snow.

Solvang
The Danish Capital of America, Solvang, is nestled in the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley, surrounded by gentle hills, mountains, vineyards, farms, world class wineries and nationally known horse ranches just 45 miles north of Santa Barbara via U.S. Highway 101. To the small group of Danish refugees who arrived in 1911, the 9,000 acres of former Spanish land grant near the Mission Santa Ines must have looked like heaven on earth with its warm sun, grassy knolls dotted with oak trees and sheltering mountains.

Today, the local population remains over 60 percent of Danish descent and welcomes more than 3 million visitors annually to a shoppers paradise of over 350 shops filled with Old World arts and crafts, jewelry, fine leather goods, porcelain figurines, hand-made lace, music boxes, collectibles, books, sweaters, candies, imported foods, kitchen utensils and apparel with a few factory outlets stores.

Food lovers will appreciate Solvang's famous bakeries, varied cuisine and wine tasting rooms. Yet it's the Danish dishes and smorgasbords that give this charming community its unique culinary reputation.

Fine art abounds in the galleries. California plein-air painters, impressionists, noted seascape artists, water colorists, wildlife and western artists are all well represented.

The Hans Christian Andersen Museum documents the life of the father of the modern fairy tale with books, sketches, and personal artifacts. The museum at Mission Santa Ines, the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society Museum and the Parks-Janeway Carriage House offer history and memorabilia from Chumash Indian implements to clothing and furnishings from the European settlers for hours of enjoyment.

Solvang is surrounded by a playground of things to see and do. Dozens of vineyards and wineries, such as the popular Fess Parker Winery and Firestone Winery, are just a short and scenic drive away, as are several exotic animal farms (Ostrich Land) and "par excellent" golf courses.

Rich in ethnic heritage, architecture (thatched roofs, windmills, Danish architecture everywhere) and history, home to world class dining, shopping and accommodations, the Solvang sojourn is truly an unforgettable experience for the entire family.

Buellton
Buellton sits at the cross roads of Highway 246 and 101, home of Andersen's Split Pea Soup and Ostrich Land. Buellton is the only place that has a large shopping mall for the local residents. If you continue another 18 miles west on 246 you will arrive at Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The "Five City" Area
You could call the Five Cities of the central California coast the runts of the litter. These are the little guys, routinely bypassed in the rush to see the Rock in Morro Bay, the Castle at San Simeon, or even the Madonna Inn. Stop at the Five Cities? What for? Who even knows what the Five Cities are?

The last is not an idle question, even for the people who live here. Some think the cities include Avila Beach. Others insist on Nipomo. But the bible of the Central Coast, Making the Most of San Luis Obispo County, by Sharon Lewis Dickerson, excludes both. Her collection? Arroyo Grande, Grover City (now Grover Beach), Oceano, Pismo Beach and Shell Beach. Our list includes three of Dickerson's choices, plus Avila Beach and rural reaches of suburban San Luis Obispo. Quiet and unassuming, these towns offer everything from long, lonely stretches of sand dunes to acres of rambling farm- and pastureland bisected by shaggy walls of eucalyptus. June is pleasant though often overcast, especially in the mornings; greater odds of all-day sun will come later in summer.

La Purisima Mission
Mission La Purisima was founded Dec. 8, 1787, at the site of the present town of Lompoc. In 25 years, the mission was extremely prosperous, with herds of livestock numbering in the thousands. Then came the great earthquake of 1812, which did so much widespread damage, and struck Purisima perhaps worst of all. After a week of violent aftershocks not a building was still standing. The mission was re-established at its present location four miles to the north and east. Prosperity returned.

After the Indian uprising of 1824, the mission declined, and ten years later was in the hands of the secular administrator. The neophytes disappeared, the Franciscans retired to Santa Barbara, and soon the buildings were nothing but piles of rubble. The desolation as so complete that after the site was returned to the Church it was offered for sale to the highest bidder.

La Purisima was reborn at the time of a California Conservation Corps project beginning in 1935. Building methods exactly like those of the missionaries were used. Hundreds of thousands of adobe bricks, floor and roof tiles were made by hand. After the buildings were completed young craftsmen turned to the making of furniture of the period. Then the complicated water system was recreated, beginning at springs more than a mile away, and brought to a series of storage pools. The gardens and orchards were replanted. Today La Purisima is a State Historic Park of 967 acres, and unique in that rangers and docents recreate mission life as at no other site making it the most completely restored mission in California.

Not only have buildings been rebuilt on old foundations, but crops and animals of the mission period are there, as are docents in costumes of those times, who spin and weave wool, tan hides, make candles, operate the blacksmith shop and guide visitors. The modern city of Lompoc, plus Vandenberg Air Force Base and the famous flower fields are nearby.

Vandenberg Village
Nearest cities: Mission Hills, Calif. (2.3 miles); Vandenberg AFB, Calif. (3.8 miles); Lompoc, Calif. (4.2 miles); Orcutt, Calif. (11.9 miles); Los Alamos, Calif. (13.3 miles); Santa Maria, Calif. (17.1 miles); Guadalupe, Calif. (19.4 miles); Buellton, Calif. (19.7 miles).

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara offers escape and relaxation, along with opportunities to contemplate the ocean, mountains and engaging vistas, and to explore a bit of history and humankind's relationship to coastal ecology. The area offers a multitude of activities for active and passive vacationers: everything from swimming, boating, hiking and sports fishing to the more exotic jet skiing, kayaking, whale-watching, windsurfing, horseback riding and more. Or you can select your beach lounge chair, watch the scenery and relax Santa Barbara-style. Santa Barbara enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate that is generally mild and sunny all 12 months of the year, with relatively stable temperatures; there is no real "off-season."

The self-guided Red Tile Walking Tour, which is bounded by Victoria, Chapala, Ortega and Santa Barbara streets, touches many of the city's landmarks. Of special interest is the County Courthouse (1100 Anacapa St.), an architectural masterpiece completed in 1929. The Spanish-Moorish structure features tropical gardens and lush lawns. In addition, historic adobes and El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park [123 E. Canon Perdido St.; (805) 966-9719] are snapshot-worthy. Hop aboard the Downtown Waterfront Trolley, which cruises the length of the Red Tile district for just 25 cents, or rent a whimsical quadricycle on State Street or Cabrillo Boulevard.

Santa Barbara's historic Stearns Wharf features the Santa Barbra Museum of Natural History Ty Warner Sea Center; [(805) 682-4711], with live displays and touch tanks, and the Arts and Craft Show (Sundays; along Cabrillo Boulevard). From Stearns Wharf you will see a multitude of sail boats and fishing boats in and about the nearby Santa Barbara Harbor.

A centerpiece at the Harbor is the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum [(805) 962-8404]. This wonderful seaside museum features ship models, historic exhibits and floating exhibits. If you're in search of a garden spot, there's a place for you. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden [1212 Mission Canyon Road; (805) 682-4726] offers trails that wind through canyon, desert and other settings. Discover a variety of delectable items and much more when you visit the Farmers Market [Tuesdays; 500 and 600 blocks of State Street; and Saturdays; between Santa Barbara and Cota streets; http://www.sbfarmersmarket.org; (805) 962-5354]. One of Santa Barbara's treasures, the Old Mission Santa Barbara [2201 Laguna St.; (805) 682-4713] was founded in 1786. Its unique stone facade, which was copied from an ancient Roman book on architecture, has made the mission a popular subject for photographers. Rooms filled with artifacts and an old cemetery are open for exploration.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art [1130 State St.; (805) 963-4364] is known for innovative exhibitions and an unforgettable permanent collection, plus education programs for kids of all ages. Marvel at Greek and Roman antiquities, as well and works from nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American, French and English artists.

San Luis Obispo
The City of San Luis Obispo serves as the commercial, governmental and cultural hub of California's Central Coast. One of California's oldest communities, it began with the founding of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra as the fifth mission in the California chain of 21 missions. The mission was named after Saint Louis, a 13th Century Bishop of Toulouse, France. (San Luis Obispo is Spanish for "St. Louis, the Bishop.") It was first incorporated in 1856 as a General Law City and became a Charter City in 1876. With a population of 44,000, the city is located eight miles from the Pacific Ocean and is midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles at the junction of Highway 101 and scenic Highway 1. San Luis Obispo is the County Seat, and a number of federal and state regional offices and facilities are located here, including Cal Poly State University, Cuesta Community College, Regional Water Quality Board and Caltrans District offices. The city's ideal weather and natural beauty provide numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation at nearby City and State parks, lakes, beaches and wilderness areas.

Santa Barbara County Parks and Beaches
Visitors find in each of our parks a distinctive spirit that may stimulate or soothe, but is sure to satisfy. Cool redwood groves, wide open lawns for recreation, the picturesque Pacific and two of California's most sought-after campgrounds. The assortment of landscapes and things to do is rather astounding. And then, of course, there is the option of kicking back and doing nothing at all.

The Santa Barbara County Park Department maintains more than 900 acres of parks and open spaces, 84 miles of trails and coastal access easements, and the grounds surrounding county buildings. Park rangers or hosts reside in every major park to provide public assistance and supervise the grounds.

More than six million people a year enjoy the amenities of Santa Barbara County Parks. read more...

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