Seek out the spirits of Solvang on a new ghost tour

WRAITHS AMONG THE WINDMILLS: What are your utmost and ultimate Solvang pleasures? Is it all about strolling while snacking upon delicious butter cookies or rocking a pair of super-stylish clogs, the fabulous footwear long associated with the Santa Barbara County town? Do you dance at Danish Days or eat as many jam-topped æbleskivers as possible? No matter what you adore doing around the windmill-laden town, you likely haven't spent a lot of time exploring the realm of the Great Beyond. But a new ghost tour is diving into the wine country hamlet's more ethereal side, one that is very much about the longtime Solvangians who chose to remain there... forever. And we do understand the impulse: This is a vivacious village with charm to spare; staying forever might be our first choice, too.

A FRESH PHANTOM-FOCUSED ADVENTURE... has recently materialized in the oh-so-walkable destination, one that ponders those locals who have stayed on, and on, and on. Join a Solvang Ghost Tour and you'll swing by some of the older buildings in the history-rich town, all while learning "(g)ripping stories of documented hauntings and true crime." Count yourself as a Ghost Hunter? Choose that ticket for a chance to borrow ghost-hunting gear during the experience. Are you an avowed skeptic? You're welcome to join, too (but you'll skip the gear). Call it a colorful and cool way to view the famous town, a place synonymous with puffed-up pastries, the holiday-loving Julefest, and top-notch wine-tasting tours. And we do mean "cool": Be sure to pack a jacket, for an evening seeking spirits around Solvang can get brisk.