Community Details
Elegant Real Estate in Los Olivos
The township of Los Olivos is the kind of place that you will want to always come home to. Found right in the middle of Santa Barbara County’s Wine Country, Los Olivos is historic, tranquil, and one of the more picturesque areas of the Santa Ynez Valley in Central Coastal California.
Los Olivos Real Estate
HISTORY
Much of Los Olivos’ history centers around its days as a popular stagecoach stop during the height of the California Gold Rush in the 1860s. A good number of passengers from as far as San Francisco would come here at the last stop of the railroad then hop on another stagecoach en route to Santa Barbara and, eventually, to Los Angeles. Before going on that notoriously narrow and risky route through the mountains, these travelers would stay for the night at Los Olivos, specifically at Mattei’s Tavern. The said tavern remains standing to this day and has become part of the prestigious Auberge Resorts Collection. Its restaurant is now open, offering a strong sense of nostalgia paired with top-notch cuisine and pleasing architectural changes. Both the restaurant and the spa will be fully open by February.
While Los Olivos has been previously popular among prospectors and gold miners, this town and the rest of the Santa Ynez Valley rose to become a popular tourist destination thanks to two Hollywood films that featured the area’s beauty and its passion for wine – the 1986 spinoff from the Andy Griffith Show entitled Return to Mayberry and the 2004 movie about middle-age issues entitled Sideways.
DAZZLING NIGHT SKY
Home to approximately 1,100 residents, Los Olivos is a town where the American Dream and values percolate. Far from the distracting lights and din of the nearest urban center with the adjacent 1.8-million-acre Los Padres National Forest, Los Olivos becomes absolutely peaceful after 9:00 PM. From that time on, the clear night sky above the entire town becomes densely decked with stars. This dazzling nightly display is one of galactic beauty that gives Los Olivos a magical aura on top of its quaint, rural charm.
In the daytime, you’ll encounter stunning California cottages, Victorian homes, and two blocks of local businesses on either side of the town’s flagpole. Jokes are made that if you expect more after the first stop sign, you’ll miss it. There is only one stop sign in the center of town.
Less than 400 homes are considered to be in Los Olivos. Further out, there are vineyards, ranches, orchards, and horse trails – spacious properties that define the town’s largely agricultural industry.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Los Olivos is considered a small town but the community has its basic creature comforts that allow its residents to enjoy the feeling of a happy, laid-back village with four fabulous restaurants, several sandwich shops, and a brewery outlet.
Not to mention, Los Olivos is home to as many as 70 wine-tasting rooms, as well as several art galleries and shops. The art district here was started by an eclectic group of locals with great talent in sculpture and watercolor. The numerous wine-tasting rooms offer locally grown wines, the more popular of which come from family-owned vineyards like Fess Parker Winery, Stolpman Vineyards, and Liquid Farm.
For your booking requirements, the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Spa, as well as many other Airbnb rentals, is available on nights and weekends in Los Olivos – the heart of Wine Country.