Nojoqui Falls

I LOVE waterfalls. Really love them. One of my favorite trips ever has been to Niagara Falls. I just love hearing the sound and seeing the water moving and I could visit hundreds of water falls and never tire of them.

Now this was no Niagara Falls but it included a small, kid friendly hike which we all love, so we were very excited to check it out.

This is right on the outside of Solvang and there is a little more info about it here: Nojoqui Falls

Our kids have short legs, like most kids so it took us longer than some of the other people we saw there, but even at our pace it was no more than about 20 minutes from our car to the falls.

We took a stroller the first time, but I wouldn't recommend it, the trail is quite bumpy but not bad walking.

Once you get to the water, theres a little stream area right in front of it, and a rock ledge with a little bench to rest on. It's very beautiful, even if there isn't a lot of water.

Afterwards, we went to the park, which you pass coming into the parking area of the falls, and had a picnic lunch. Great family day activity!

Beautiful Solvang

We read about Solvang before we moved to California and I was so excited to see it that we went the first weekend we moved here. It ends up taking us only about 25 minutes to get there, so I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of this quaint and beautiful town.

The excitement began before we even got out of our van.  As you drive in from Buellton, you immediately notice the Scandinavian architecture which was so much fun to see! Having only been in coastal California for a few days, I was still trying to adjust to the FOG and the cool weather so I was also thrilled to see blue skies and feel the warmth from sun again! 

We happened to go on a Wednesday and it was bustling with people. We soon realized it was probably because it's the weekly farmer's market.  The kids have never been to a farmer's market and thought it was the coolest thing ever!  They set up right next to the park which was a perfect place for us to let the kids get their energy out while we soaked in the beauty! 

We spent the remainder of our time strolling the sidewalks, checking out the shops and restaurants and planning for our next visit there!