Homey yet sophisticated, Santa Ynez is the rural paradise you’ve never heard of

Before the classic 2004 film “Sideways” made the Santa Ynez Valley the Central Coast’s wine capital, these rolling hills were very much horse and cowboy country. Nowhere is that legacy more apparent than in the township of Santa Ynez, an unincorporated community that’s home to both a tiny village lined with Old West-style buildings and to the hills around Happy Canyon, which are dotted not only with world-class vineyards, but also with ranches and polo clubs.

This area was originally home to the Chumash people (whose presence is most evident today at the Chumash Casino Resort, just outside downtown), then to Spanish missionaries and Mexican ranchers who took possession of large swathes of land after the missions were secularized. (The name of the valley and the town are derived from the old Santa Inés Mission.) Santa Ynez’s modern era began in 1882, when Bishop Francis Mora began selling what were essentially buy-one-get-one-free lots in a settlement amid the ranches. The town experienced a brief boom in the 1880s, but the Southern Pacific Railroad’s decision not to build a line through the valley put the kibosh on further urbanization.

So, Santa Ynez stayed mostly sleepy, even when compared to the rest of the valley. When I was a student at UC Santa Barbara, back in the early 2000s, we would go to Solvang to see the Danish architecture, or Los Olivos to visit a winery, but Santa Ynez’s only big draw was that casino. (Area residents from that time will surely remember the jingle: “Chumash Casino — bringing out the winner in you.”) Even in the two decades since the “Sideways” boom began, the town hasn’t experienced quite the same level of glow-up as its neighbors. Yes, a few of those Old West storefronts might house high-end restaurants and boutiques, and some of the area’s most interesting vineyards grow in the hills, but if you Google “Santa Ynez,” the second line after the population (4,716) on the search engine’s “About” summary is the name of the local high school football coach.

As you walk past the shops on Sagunto Street, you’d be forgiven for thinking you hear your spurs jangling. You’d also be forgiven for thinking that this is the perfect country escape, with plenty of quiet, gorgeous golden hills all around, and just the right balance of kitsch and treat-yourself luxury.