Day One
Start your girl’s trip in Old Town Orcutt. Head to Kay’s Country Kitchen for breakfast. We recommend the biscuits and gravy paired with a strawberry mimosa. It’s the perfect combination of savory and sweet. After breakfast, you can antique shop at several boutique antique stores throughout Old Town Orcutt, like Déjà vu Antiques.
Next, kick off an afternoon full of wine tasting with the girls. Be sure to grab a glass of small-batch wines at the cnagy tasting room in Old Town Orcutt. While you’re there, you can pick up tickets to ride the Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley.
Then, hop aboard the trolley, which runs every weekend from May to October from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The trolley is the easiest way to tour some of the region’s best wineries. The trolley makes stops in Old Town Orcutt, Presqu’ile Winery, Cottonwood Canyon Winery, and Costa de Oro Winery. You can get a free tasting at participating wineries — including Cottonwood Canyon — when you show your hotel key card. The trolley is hop-on and hop-off, so you can spend as much time at each winery as you’d like, hopping back on the trolley when you’re done to ensure safe travels while you’re tasting.
The first vineyard stop is one of Santa Maria Valley’s most beautiful and renowned wineries, Presqu’ile. At Presqu’ile, you can enjoy delicious wines and sweeping scenic views with even a peek at the ocean on a clear day.
Next, enjoy boutique crafted wines at Cottonwood Canyon Winery and Vineyard. Cottonwood Canyon’s 78-acre estate specializes in hand-crafted Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay. Santa Maria Valley’s cool growing environment coupled with Cottonwood’s hands-off approach to winemaking produces age-worthy wines.
Your last Trolley stop will be at Costa de Oro, a vineyard that uses old-world winemaking styles and new-world grape-growing methods to make their complex and harmonious Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.
You can snack on charcuterie at each winery throughout the day, but we also recommend the Vintage Room for more wine and snacks before dinner. The Vintage Room serves wines from around the valley and beyond, as well as a selection of appetizers. For dinner, check out one of our classic Santa Maria Style barbecue joints like Far Western Tavern, also located in Old Town Orcutt. Santa Maria Style barbecue consists of meat, usually tri-tip or top block sirloin, grilled over native red oak coals and served with pinquito beans, buttery garlic bread, a fresh green salad and chunky salsa.