Posts filed under ‘Visiting The Valley’
Live The West in Santa Maria Valley
Listen up, pard’ner. Santa Maria isn’t just a unique destination for enjoying remarkable local barbecue and wine. It’s one of “The Greatest Places to Live the West,” according to the latest issue of American Cowboy magazine.
To meet its criteria, the magazine sought out places with Old West charm, open rangeland and outdoor activities. A total of just 20 places made the final list.
The resulting article’s section on Santa Maria touts the homegrown culinary tradition of Santa Maria Style Barbecue (of course!), as well as Santa Maria’s mild climate, wineries, Elks Rodeo and status as an All-America City.
Launched in 1994 as a Western lifestyle magazine, American Cowboy is a bi-monthly publication distributed to more than 95,000 subscribers nationwide. Owners Active Interest Media say that “American Cowboy is the cultural chronicler of the American West, covering every aspect of the lifestyle including personalities and legends, history and heritage, travel and events, art and entertainment, sports, food, and fashion.”
So come on out, live the west, and don’t leave town without a taste of authentic Santa Maria barbecue!
Detour to The Dunes
In the little coastal town of Guadalupe along scenic Highway 1, you will find the Far Western Tavern, a local Santa Maria BBQ landmark that was recently named one of the West’s top ten barbecue restaurants by Sunset Magazine.
And just up the street from the Far Western Tavern, you will find the Dunes Center, a non-profit educational center dedicated to the nearby Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex.
The dunes are one of California’s best-kept natural secrets, but word is starting to get out. For example, the Los Angeles Times recently published a feature on the dunes experience, as well as the dunes’ starring role in Cecil B. DeMille’s silet epic The Ten Commandments.
Also, KSBY Television’s Jeanette Trompeter just featured the dunes in her “No Place Like Home” series, which focuses on the Central Coast’s signature experiences and destinations. Click here to view KSBY’s dunes segment and corresponding news story.
In the words of Trompeter, “The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes encompass one of the largest intact coastal dune eco-systems in the United States…The Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes are an oasis of outdoor serenity right in our own backyard…If you don’t know where to start your exploration, the Dunes Center in Guadalupe is a good option.”
So the next time you need to walk off a big Santa Maria Style Barbecue meal, you know where to go!
Wake Up to Santa Maria BBQ at Rodeway Inn
The recently renovated Rodeway Inn in Santa Maria will celebrate the sizzling flavors of Santa Maria Style Barbecue throughout 2010 with its new “BBQ Bundle” lodging package.
The package includes one night’s lodging for one or two people as well as an entree at the Far Western Tavern, a landmark of Santa Maria barbecue. An appetizer or ice cream sundae is also included in the package.
“We want to make it easy and affordable for our guests to enjoy this signature regional cuisine,” says Rodeway Inn Manager Kevin Patel.
BBQ Bundle package prices are as follows:
-King bed room (110.99 for one guest, $150.99 for two).
-Double room (139.99 for one guest, 169.99 for two).
-Jacuzzi suite room (180.99 for one guest, 210.99 for two).
In the packages for two guests, both guests enjoy an entree as well as an appetizer or ice cream sundae. The package is offered on every day of the week from now through December 31, 2010.
The Rodeway Inn is located at 1995 South Broadway in Santa Maria. Complimentary wireless internet and a continental breakfast is included in each stay. Visit the Rodeway Inn web site for information and package reservations.
The Far Western Tavern is located at 899 Guadalupe Street in nearby Guadalupe, and was recently named by Sunset Magazine as one of the West’s top 10 barbecue restaurants.
Start Your Holidays with Wine & BBQ
When it comes to local flavors, fine wine has joined Santa Maria Style Barbecue as a world-class speciality in the Santa Maria Valley. Indeed, two wines from the valley were named to the Wine Spectator’s most recent list of Top 100 wines in the world.
Now, with the holidays on the horizon, you can indulge in the Santa Maria Valley taste experience during the “Wine Christmas” passport weekend on December 5-6, 2009.
During this event, 11 local wineries will break out the good cheer with holiday decor, music, cookies and more. Your $30 passport ticket includes a Riedel glass and tastings at each of the participating wineries. These wineries will also be offering wine and gift specials for stress-free holiday shopping. Click here for tickets and information.
The Santa Maria Valley Wine Country has also launched a companion web site at www.winecountryholiday.com, which showcases holiday events and specials througout the region during the passport weekend.
For visitors attending the “Wine Christmas” passport event, special lodging rates are available at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, Best Western Big America, Historic Santa Maria Inn and Radisson Hotel. Breakaway Tours, Central Coast Shuttle Services, and Classic Motoring Car Rentals will also offer special rates for passport participants. Just mention the code SMVWINES at any of the above businesses for your savings.
And don’t forget: no visit to the Santa Maria Valley is complete without a taste of Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Click here for a list of local restaurants who offer this sizzling sensation.
Bring Your Group for Santa Maria BBQ
The original Santa Maria Style Barbecue cookouts were big affairs, with the Santa Maria Club serving up to 700 patrons during their monthly “stag” barbecues. Today, local restaurants and caterers continue the tradition by accommodating parties, groups and business functions of all sizes.
Now, to help meeting and event planners create the perfect group experience in the heart of the Central Coast wine country, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau has unveiled its new “Event, Meeting & Sport Facilities.” This new booklet provides comprehensive details on group experiences and venues, including wineries, caterers, hotels, restaurants, bakeries, auditoriums, outdoor facilities, sports facilities and more.
Unique local venues for group gatherings include Cottonwood Canyon Winery, which hosts events within its underground wine cave; the Santa Maria Museum of Flight, which features numerous Hollywood movie props; the Severson Theater, home of the award-winning PCPA Theaterfest live theater company; and the Dunes Center, a quaint Craftsman structure that showcases the nearby Guadalupe-Nipomo coastal dunes experience; and, of course, several restaurants specializing in Santa Maria Style Barbecue.
The Santa Maria Valley is also becoming known for its expansive and diverse sports facilities for baseball, softball, cheerleading, golf, basketball, swimming, equestrian activities and more. The recently renovated Hagerman Sports Complex boasts four multi-purpose fields, a meeting room, snack bar, playground and RV parking area amid a beautiful tree-lined setting.
For a copy of the new booklet or for any assistance in planning a group experience in the Santa Maria Valley, please contact Group Services Coordinator Jennifer Mejia at (800) 331-3779 ext. 815 or jennifer(at)santamaria.com.
Walk Off Your ‘Cue at The Dunes
After feasting on Santa Maria Style Barbecue at the Hitching Post, Jocko’s, Far Western Tavern or another local restaurant, you might feel an urge to get outside and burn a few calories, and there’s no better place to do it than the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex.
Indeed, as detailed in this story by Lora Finnegan, a former senior editor at Sunset Magazine and the founder of CaliforniaTravelGirl, the dunes are one of California’s true natural treasures.
She writes: “I’m thrilled to learn that the 18-mile-long Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex, on the Santa Barbara / San Luis Obispo county coastline, is more accessible than ever…Open to visitors, the Dunes Center in Guadalupe, California (in the Santa Maria Valley) has just launched a new web site, new tour map, and enhanced educational exhibits to help visitors get the most out of their experience at the Dunes Complex. That’s good, because though the dunes are easily accessible from Highway 1 in the Santa Maria Valley, this place is so big, you need good intel to get the most out of it.”
Thank you, Lora, for turning the spotlight on this remarkable sanctuary!
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is one of the most ecologically significant and largest intact coastal dune ecosystems on earth. A major portion of the nearly 22,000 acres is under public management and open for recreation. More than 1,400 species of animals call the dunes home.
The three most popular dunes destinations are all easily accessible from the Dunes Center. Visitors wishing to drive straight to the oceanfront can take Main Street west into the heart of the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve. Nearby Oso Flaco Lake Road leads to a convenient parking area, from where visitors can take a 30-minute stroll along a boardwalk through the dunes and to the beach. And those feeling even more adventurous can hike across the dunes into the heart of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge.
So the next time you come to the Santa Maria Valley for a taste of Santa Maria Style Barbecue, you may want to take a little extra time to experience another one of our region’s unique treasures.
High Honors for PCPA Theaterfest
We take a break from our regularly scheduled Santa Maria Style Barbecue programming today to salute the arts in the Santa Maria Valley, and to specifically congratulate the valley’s own PCPA Theaterfest for earning 11 awards from Stage Scene L.A. for 2009.
Stage Scene L.A. editor Steven Stanley reviewed 256 eligible productions throughout Los Angeles and surrounding areas between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009.
Among other honors, PCPA was included in the select lists for Best Direction (Musical) for Roger DeLaurier for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Les Miserables; Best Ensemble (Musical) for the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; and Best Performance by a Lead Actor for Erik Stein and Sam Zeller for Les Miserables.
Visit our Arts & Culture page for more information on PCPA and other cultural experiences in the Santa Maria Valley. Bravo to PCPA for once again bringing big-time performances to our beautiful wine country!
Walk Off Your Santa Maria BBQ
When you come to the Santa Maria Valley, you’ll definitely want to bring your appetite. After all, the classic Santa Maria Style Barbecue menu not only includes exquisitely seasoned sirloin or tri-tip, but also pinquito beans, salsa, green salad, bread and dessert.
Of course, it’s not uncommon to feel a bit stuffed after a meal of Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Thankfully, the valley offers plenty of places where you can walk it off!
One great place to start your Santa Maria Valley stroll is at picturesque Oso Flaco Lake, where you can follow a boardwalk bridge over the water and to the adjacent beach. There, you will discover the wonders of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex, which spans 22,000 acres and 18 miles of coastline.
One of only two remaining coastal dunes complexes in California—and by far the largest—the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex unfolds with awe-inspiring mountains of shifting sands that are teeming with biological diversity.
Those interested in learning more about the dunes are encouraged to visit the Dunes Center, a beautifully restored Craftsman house that offers activities such as guided hikes and walks, and educational resources, including interactive computer kiosks, dunes-related videos, artifacts and maps.
The Dunes Center is located in the town of Guadalupe, which just happens to be the home of the Far Western Tavern restaurant, one of our local Santa Maria Style Barbecue landmarks. Visit www.dunescenter.org for more information.
Food, Wine…and Arts Thrive in The Valley
While the Santa Maria Valley is perhaps most renowned for its abundance of great barbecue and fine wine, the region is also home to a vibrant arts scene as well.
Indeed, in a recent press release, the California Travel & Tourism Commission notes that “musical theater meets wine country ambiance at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) in the Santa Maria Valley.” The California Travel & Tourism Commission also observes that “even the area’s wine caves resonate with music as the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society is offering a special ‘concert in the caves’ performance May 23 at Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard.”
Upcoming PCPA performances include Les Miserables (pictured here) from now through July 12 and the Music Man from July 17 through August 23. Visit the PCPA web site for more information. Click here and here for more information on experiencing the arts in the Santa Maria Valley.
Arts and Culture in Santa Maria Valley
In addition to fine wine and world-famous barbecue, the Santa Maria Valley is also home to an abundance of performing arts and cultural experiences.
Based in Santa Maria, the nationally acclaimed PCPA Theaterfest remains the only professional resident theater company on the Central Coast and stages the finest classic and contemporary live theater plays. PCPA Theaterfest’s star-studded alumni include Kathy Bates, Robin Williams and High School Musical star Zac Efron. PCPA Theaterfest’s plays are presented in three theaters: the 440-seat thrust stage Marian Theatre and the 180-seat Severson Theater, both in Santa Maria, and the 700-seat outdoor Solvang Festival Theater in Solvang.
Meanwhile, the Santa Maria Civic Theater, which is known as “the little theatre off Broadway,” is the longest continuously running performance group of any community theater in the area between Ventura and Monterey. Another local theater institution is the Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville in nearby Oceano, which stages top-notch productions of great classic comedies, musicals and melodramas. The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society stages a wide range of classical music concerts across the valley as well.
The Santa Maria Museum of Flight features a variety of planes, models, photos, memorabilia and exhibits, including a restored F4 fighter jet that served in Vietnam and a 1929 Fleet biplane. The museum also features several Hollywood movie props, including an H-1 Racer from The Aviator, a full-scale Wright glider from Winds of Kitty Hawk and an original wooden hangar from The Rocketeer.
Children love the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, which features hands-on educational exhibits based on local themes, including agriculture, aerospace and the environment. Other local museums include the Natural History Museum and the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum.
The Dunes Center in Guadalupe offers historical and educational exhibits, as well as guided hikes and walks in the nearby Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, which is California’s largest coastal dunes complex. Here, visitors enjoy breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean from atop towering mountains of sand.
These are just some of the many cultural experiences that await visitors to the Santa Maria Valley. For more information, visit www.SantaMaria.com.
