Groundskeepers in Hans Christian Andersen Park in Solvang, California, noticed that poison ivy had overtaken part of the park’s playground. Solvang  is a city in Santa Barbara County settled by Danish immigrants.  The town's architecture is reminiscent of a Danish village.Experts were called in for a solution.  Some of the solutions included chemical herbicides, and removal by uprooting.   These means of eradicating this pesky plant created additional problems. A local goat herder informed the city that goats find poison ivy a delicacy (contains plenty of protein). Their digestive system can process these plants with out any harmful effects. This Eco friendly solution was adopted.  The city hired several goats for the job.  They are busy at work enjoying their gourmet fare.  And everyon... 05/04/2016

On September 30th, we drove to Solvang, California, which is a 45 minute drive from our home.  This is one of the communities in the Santa Ynez Valley, where the Central Coast wineries produce our great wines.  Solvang is Danish for "sunny fields".   This town was founded by a group of Danes who wanted to establish a Danish Colony with mild winters.  The architecture in Solvang is traditional Danish style including a windmill, which inspired windmills  Part1. Among the notable things to see in Solvang, is the copy of the "Little Mermaid" statue which is in Copenhagen, as well as the copy of the Round Tower.  And of course there is a lovely windmill as seen in the first photo.   Today this windmill is home to the Solvang brewery company and restaurant. "Where Danish Tradition, Craft Bee... 10/04/2013

2011 Solvang CA Real Estate Market Update Solvang CA 2010 2011 Homes Sold 73 72 Average List Price $771,744 $637,567 Average Sales Price $715,550 $593,789 Days on Market 175 172 $ per Square Foot $298 $258 Foreclosures 18 13 Short Sales 0 6 If you are considering selling your Solvang CA home and you would like a comparative market analysis, feel free to contact my office at (805) 938-9950 and set up an appointment.  I specialize in short sales and distress sales.  If you are interested in buying a home in Solvang CA, I will be happy to assist you and provide a list of available homes in Solvang CA and the surrounding area. Tni LeBlanc is an independent Real Estate Broker, Attorney, Short Sale Agent, Certified HAFA Specialist (CHS), and Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) and Sho... 06/29/2012

One thing I love to do, is to go new places with my son Ryan.  He is so eager to explore the world, just like all 4 year olds do!  Through all the exploring and tinkering and running and jumping and wanting toys comes the times I need him to stand a bit still to take a picture I can put in the photo album to remember forever. So when we walked past this sign, I had to snap a picture.  See that red thing in his hand?  Yup, that is a back scratcher!!!  Out of everything, he wanted a back scratcher... -Chris Alston Do you follow me on www.twitter.com/chris_alston Are you a fan on www.facebook.com/realestatetrainer Are we friends on www.facebook.com/chrisalston 10/15/2011

Solvang is located North of Santa Barbara a few miles inland from Highway 101. This Danish Village is a place you could spend all day, or many days exploring. Sometimes you have to remember that you are still in California!  And did I say FREE parking everywhere? It seems that wherever you look, you just want to take your camera out and take a picture!  Looks like my loner camera is doing pretty good! There is even a replica statue of the Little Mermaid...  But this story didn't end like the Disney version...  In Hans's story, she turned into sea foam.   You know you want to go... -Chris Alston Do you follow me on www.twitter.com/chris_alston Are you a fan on www.facebook.com/realestatetrainer Are we friends on www.facebook.com/chrisalston   10/15/2011

Traveling to Southern California on Highway 101 towards Santa Barbara takes you to a cut off to a city called Solvang.  A Danish hamlet located a few miles off 101 before Santa Barbara, and what a treat do you have in store! Don't plan on spending a few hours, consider a few days! At the end of town is the old Mission Santa Ines that was founded on 1804. It has endured through a long and varied history to still serve the community today. The Mission is open to the public, and has a museum and gift shop. You even have the ability to walk through the old graveyards. If you plan on going, don't forget to bring your camera and a good pair of shoes to look at everything! -Chris Are you following me on www.twitter.com/chris_alston Are you a fan on www.facebook.com/realestatetrainer Are we fri... 10/14/2011

I am spending the weekend in Sunny Solvang, CA.  It is a Danish community in Southern California about 30 or so minutes north of Santa Barbara.  After a long day taking in the sights, eating the food and exploring with my son we headed back to our room, exhausted! I looked out the window and saw an amazing sky!  Now my camera is not the best as most of you know I broke my old camera... I hope to post more pictures of the trip in the next day or so! -Chris Alston Are you following me on www.twitter.com/chris_alston Are you a fan on www.facebook.com/realestatetrainer Are we friends on www.facebook.com/chrisalston 10/14/2011

Solvang Home Sales -  2011 Mid Year Real Estate Review     Solvang CA Jan - Jun 2010 Jan - Jun 2011 Homes Sold 35 33 Average Sales Price $721,821 $607,630 Days on Market 240 168 $ per Square Foot $310 $260 Foreclosures 8 7 Short Sales 0 1 If you are considering selling your Solvang CA home and you would like a comparative market analysis, feel free to contact my office at (805) 938-9950 and set up an appointment.  I specialize in short sales and distress sales.  If you are interested in buying a home in Solvang CA, I will be happy to assist you and provide a list of available homes in Solvang CA and the surrounding area.Tni LeBlanc is an independent Real Estate Broker, Attorney, Short Sale Agent, Certified HAFA Specialist (CHS), and Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) serving O... 07/20/2011

2010 Solvang Real Estate Market Update* It's the beginning of a new year, so many people are waiting anxiously to hear how many homes and condos were sold in Solvang last year, what the average sale price was, and how it compared to 2009.    Here you go: 2010                                                    2009 72 Solvang Homes 49 Solvang Homes Average Sales Price $729,238 Average Sales Price $675,956 178 Days on Market 188 Days on Market $300 per square foot $318 per square foot 18 Solvang Foreclosures                                12 Solvang Foreclosures 2 Solvang Short Sales   4 Solvang Short Sales       6 Solvang Condos, PUDS 11 Solvang Condos, PUDs Average Sales Price $275,817 Average Sales Price $362,409 91 Days on Market 135 Days on Market $196 per square foot $217 per square... 01/23/2011

If you are ever near Solvang, the darling Danish community midway between Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach, make a detour to their newest restaurant - Fresco Valley Cafe.  Only opened one month, they already have lines out the door for lunch.  We ate there Saturday and it was awesome. Really good.  Really fresh. And really well priced. Their menu is great - California Mediterranean with a full range of salads, sandwiches, soups, burgers, wraps, and pizzas. Seared Ahi Over Mixed Greens... Caprese... Roasted Eggplant... Warm goat cheese Salad... Gorgonzola Walnut Salad... Fillet Mignon... Blackened Halibut... Flourless Brownies... MMMmmmmm....... Their food is all fresh. Soups are made from scratch daily.  The pastry chef arrives at the wee hours of the morning to bake their incredible desse... 10/19/2010

A Visit to Solvang California   The last stop on our whirlwind trip up the California coast to Napa and Sonoma recently was in Solvang, in the heart of Santa Barbara Wine Country (the Santa Ynez Valley).  Solvang is a Danish replica town (having never visited Denmark, despite my Scandinavian heritage, I'll take their word for it), presumably what you would see if one were to visit Denmark, with perhaps a touristy/Californian influence. No matter, Solvang oozes Danish charm - the architecture, food (smorgaasbord restaurants, for example), pastries (oh, yes, those pastries), beer, wine tasting rooms, and the storks on seemingly every building (not real, of course). And of course the names of many of the businesses and streets.    Solvang, as I've learned, was founded in the early 1900s by... 08/24/2010

Solvang Restaurants - Root 246 by Bradley Ogden in Santa Barbara's Wine Country An inventive menu of farm to table ingredients, an extensive wine list, a celebrity chef, and a creative, upscale ambiance made for a fabulous dining experience at one of Solvang's best restaurants, Root 246 (formerly Meadows). It's always a pleasure to stumble upon a wonderful restaurant, even more so when you don't expect it. Root 246 in Solvang was exactly that in the heart of Santa Barbara's wine country.     Our original intent was to enjoy a glass of wine at a bar after our drive from San Francisco. We spied Root 246 while walking around Solvang and decided to check them out.  It went uphill from there.     We had a drink at the bar and had a great conversation with Frank Mejia, the Food and Beverage M... 08/04/2010

(Slideshow contains 11 images)Nestled comfortably in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, is the little Danish City of Solvang.  For a little taste of old fashioned Denmark in the middle of California, Solvang is an enchanted place to visit.In 2011, the little city will celebrate its Centennial.  It was Founded originally on 11,000 acres from a Mexican land grant to several Danish educators, who came to the area while escaping harsh Midwestern winters.  Solvang is Danish for "sunny field."If pastries are your delight, you will find the town bakeries very special.  Solvang hosts several great restaurants, cafes, shops and activities, in Danish style buildings, to provide a feeling of having traveled across waters to visit this enchanted place.Around the little city, you can fin... 07/13/2010