Scarecrows to Add Whimsy to Wine Country

Find the photo-fun figures around the Santa Ynez Valley, all October long.

IS WINE COUNTRY WHIMSICAL? There's plenty of whimsical sights to found inside winery tasting rooms, and at vineyard galleries, and at funky local businesses throughout the calendar. Call it the creative spirit that so naturally infuses the area, or something in the beautiful, crisp air, or the celebratory spirit of wine country, a place that is never slow to raise a toast to most any toastable thing. Santa Ynez Valley is one of the places that embraces that innovative and slightly offbeat vibe, all year long, but come October the offbeat-a-tude grows by a few leaps and several bounds. For that's when the annual...

SCARECROW FESTIVAL... returns to the Solvang region, and several local villages, from Oct. 1 through 31, 2019. Those towns include Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, and a few other hamlets in the SYV neck o' the woods. And if you visit all of the spots that will sport a scarecrow out front? You'll likely spy over 100 in all. The hay-stuffed, hat-rocking, baggy-shirted figures will pay tribute to pop culture favorites, famous movies, original characters, animals, occupations, and more. It's year seven for this sweet event, which also has a contest afoot, too. Which means that the business owners creating these autumn-inspired wonders will put some heart, soul, and a little magic into the scarecrow-building process.

THERE'S MORE HAPPENING... around the SYV in the fall, like Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley from Oct. 17-20, so consider timing your scarecrow-focused road trip with other charming goings-on. The scarecrows, though? They're free to see, and may pop up around any corner. Further upping this already whimsical area's devotion to playfulness, inventiveness, and an affinity for marking the seasons in snapshot-cool ways.

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