Los Olivos: Flavorful Fall Festivity

The Santa Ynez Valley charmer'll revel in fall fun, from art booths to wine tastings.

THE IDEA OF "BRIGADOON"... is sometimes trotted out in reference to a place of mystique, the kind of beautiful village that only appears through the mists of time if you happen to be standing in the right spot on the right day. But California has a whole brigade of Brigadoon-esque burgs, and we don't need to wait for the magical mists to clear to visit them: They're always right there, at the end of this road or along this other lane, and sometimes they even host special events that further enhance what makes them special. Look to Los Olivos, in the Santa Ynez Valley, a jewel box of a wine country town that features fine food and wine tasting opportunities throughout the calendar. But sometimes, now and then, the place that has olives in its very name (a nice hint to the town's cuisine-loving nature) goes the extra mile on the make-merry front: It throws a party. That party might have to do with its flavorful namesake or it might capture the spirit of fall's fruits and fun, as the...

LOS OLIVOS DAY IN THE COUNTRY... does each year. The town-wide celebration covers a lot of fronts, from a pancake breakfast to a vintage tractor display to a parade to a bevy of arts & crafts booths, but what it does, most of all, is pay homage to a cool wine country community and all that it offers. That does for sure mean a host of sip-spotlighted opportunities, but it isn't all about the wine, as craft brews, too, are a big deal in the region (so look for a beer garden). It's a bustling, lots-to-do time to call upon the walkable town, so if you want to be there when it is in its full fall fizzy glory, with plenty of doings going on, then Saturday, Oct. 15 is your day. But if you don't make the festival on the 15th, worry not; the mists will not envelop lovely Los Olivos, meaning your next chance to visit it is pretty much whenever you choose.

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