One of my favorite extracurricular activities is to participate in anything involving wine. Wine documentaries. Wine festivals. Wine tastings. Wine… shopping? So if you’re curious about how I spent my time as a travel nurse in Santa Barbara, California, I can tell you exactly what I did. On my days off I would frequently skip town and drive north for wine tasting in Los Olivos.
Los Olivos is located in the Santa Ynez Valley where they live by the motto, “Where every weekend is wine-fest”! Not only does Los Olivos house incredibly beautiful vineyards, but it’s home to 30+ incredible tasting rooms! If you plan on heading to Los Olivos for a day of tastings there are a few things to note. First, as always the weekends will bring crowds. If you want to experience Los Olivos sans crowds, opt to head in during the week. Second, most tasting rooms close at 1700. If you want a full day, you’ll need to get going early.
Wine Tasting in Los Olivos – Where Should You Go?
Artiste Winery and Tasting Studio
Artiste is the only tasting room that was downtown and did not have a vineyard associated with it. With an artistic vibe, it’s worth checking out. Plus there are murals available if you’d like to paint.
Hours of operation: Thursday-Sunday 1100-1730
Roblar Winery
Perfect for a rainy day, cozy up in the intimate cottage-like feel like Roblar has created. Even complete with a fireplace!
Hours of operation: Sunday-Saturday 1100-1700
Rusack Vineyards
Further tucked away, Rusack is a place where you can feel as though you’ve truly “gotten away”. Off the main streets in Los Olivos head here for an intimate experience with incredible views.
Hours of operation: Sunday-Saturday 1100-1700
Sunstone Winery
Like most of the other vineyards in Los Olivos, I enjoyed Sunstone because of the great indoor/outdoor atmosphere that they’ve created. Head outside to enjoy the many picnic tables set up.
Hours of operation: Sunday-Saturday 1100-1700
Vincent Vineyards and Winery
Head to Vincent for a different feel from the rest of the Los Olivos wineries. It sits on acres of land, but you still feel very secluded and as though you’re in an intimate setting. Instead of overlooking the valley, you’re tucked up and cozy with the grapes.
Hours of operation: Sunday-Saturday 1200-1700
California Essentials – What You Need & Need to Know About Visiting California
- To easiest way to book hotels in California is through Booking.com or Expedia
- My favorite platform for rental properties is VRBO
- For car rentals, I recommend Discover Cars
- To book a private driver to be waiting for you at the airport, use Welcome Pickups (available in select cities)
- To book a flight to California, I recommend Expedia or Skyscanner to compare options
- For tours and activities in California, I recommend using Viator, Take Walks, or Devour Tours (available in select cities)
- Don’t forget a California guide book to help plan your travels
- I recommend traveling with a reusable water bottle to cut down on plastic waste
While there’s so much more to discover while wine tasting in Los Olivos, I hope that this gives you a good starting place!
Are you interested in more wine regions throughout California? Read:
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Kylee is a NICU nurse passionate about making travel affordable and accessible to nurses. Inspiring nurses to travel both near and far, Kylee began Passports and Preemies in 2017 while volunteering in Skopje, North Macedonia as a way to reach nurses and advocate for the prevention of nurse burnout by traveling. Kylee has been a NICU nurse for 9 years and a travel nurse for 7 years. Since starting her career in travel nursing, she’s worked in six different states, 10 different hospitals, volunteered as a nurse in North Macedonia, worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia, and has traveled to 45+ countries. Her favorite travel nurse assignment was in Seattle and her favorite destination is Georgia (the country). Kylee is the original creator of the “8 Day Vacay” – a vacation geared towards nurses who aim to take advantage of the potentially 8 days off between work weeks with no need to use PTO.
