Your Modern Weekend Away Meets the Old West in this Sleepy Californian Town
As you turn off historic U.S. Highway 101, a postcard of the Old West reveals itself. Featuring preserved buildings, the occasional tumbleweed, and the comforts of small-town U.S.A., Los Alamos has irresistible charm. While tight-knit locals convene for morning coffee clubs or to solve a calamity by herding a wayward cow back to its stable, visitors meander through the frontier treasure as if it had sprung up out of nowhere.
In recent years, yes, the town has been invigorated with a delicious feast of artisans and bountiful fare, but it’s the stark reverence for Los Alamos’s past that reminds newcomers it has been here all along.
Weekend Getaway
In 1876 two ranchers in Santa Ynez Valley donated portions of their land to create Los Alamos, an hour north of Santa Barbara. In the blink of an eye, a school district, blacksmith, post office, saloon, butcher shop, and flour mill formed the makings of a bustling community. Because of its location in California’s booming Central Coast, Los Alamos became a historic roadside pit stop for buckaroos, stagecoaches, and notorious bandits such as Salomon Pico (whose exploits are said to have inspired the character of Zorro).
Today, creative endeavors have forged innovative restaurants, tasting rooms, and artisan shops, yet vestiges of yesteryear give Los Alamos its deep-rooted character. Street names honor the town’s pioneering families; historic facades decorate storefronts; and the post office caters to daily pickups (as street delivery still does not exist).
Bell Street, the main seven-block thoroughfare, ends as abruptly as it begins. Within the short distance, however, 14 watering holes alone capture the essence of an entire region. A 15-minute walk (about 1,000 steps, if you’re counting) suffices for a quick gander, but a weekend is necessary for proper indulgence.
Stay
A once-dilapidated motel given stylish new life, Skyview overlooks the Santa Ynez Valley from a five-acre hilltop. Its 1950s-era pool, working vineyard, gardens, restaurant, and bar illuminate its surroundings, and preexisting mid-century modern architecture reflects its origins. Like others in Los Alamos, Skyview showcases creativity throughout: Outdoor fire pits, restored cactus columns, fine-art photographs, exclusive Skyview bow ties and hats from featured designers, and a rotating artist-in-residence program pay homage to the blossoming ingenuity of Santa Ynez.
For a touch of eccentricity, stay at The Victorian Mansion, where themed rooms and hidden bathrooms make for an overnight adventure. Choose among six suites, such as the Gypsy or Pirate. Or tap into the digs of Julius Caesar in the Roman Suite, where columns flank an in-room Jacuzzi.
Shop
Boutiques showcase both past and present. Los Alamos Depot Mall, once used by the Pacific Coast Railway, is now a vast den of trinkets from generations long gone. Its in-house pub loosens up shoppers and nudges along reluctant purchasers.
At Golden Oak Antiques, items are both quirky and significant, but bantering with owner and longtime resident Dennis is worth a visit on its own. Peruse artisanal goods at Sisters Gifts & Home, handmade pottery at Terramonary, or clothes, provisions, and other local curiosities at Suite B.
Drink
Amidst a wine region, Los Alamos is an oenophile’s paradise. Bedford Winery, the first of many wine innovators in town, welcomes guests to its lush courtyard to sip its library of red and white vintages. The menu at Bodega Los Alamos offers a wide range of natural and organic wines, rare beers, and ciders, all savored under oak trees. Boutique wines from Santa Barbara County are tasted at Casa Dumetz Wines, and to discover a global list of brews visit sister space Babi’s Beer Emporium.
One would be remiss not to sidle up at 1880 Union’s saloon, where taxidermy specimens watch guests swilling bourbon or craft brews and nibbling top-notch cuisine from chef Josh Prichard.
Eat
Bell’s, run by husband and wife duo Gregory and Daisy Ryan, tailors French bistro cuisine with succinct execution. Succulent sardines marinate in olive oil, escargots sizzle in butter and herbs, and steak tartare glistens with a careful swirl of egg yolk.
Pico, a food and wine sanctuary, rests in Los Alamos General Store and has been selected by Wine Enthusiast as one of America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants for two consecutive years. Pair duck confit carbonara or house-made charcuterie with the Unicorn Flight, a rotating sampling of rare wines. Pico’s outdoor “backyard” hosts not only diners but also a chicken coop, beehives, and native plants.
For casual dining, try Plenty on Bell, a locals’ gathering place for breakfast and lunch, or the beloved Full of Life Flatbread, where wood-fired dishes, salads, soups, and other fresh nourishments are enjoyed in a barnyard setting. Cisko Kid and Ranchos de Ontiveros Wines are both in a repurposed 1920s gas station dubbed “The Station.” The newest additions to the community are a haven for barbecue bites and, of course, more wine.
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