WESTERN DIVISIONAL TOUR
The American Riviera
September 25-29, 2023
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It's The AACA Western Divisional Tour 2023!
Join us!
Rev Up the Adventure! Join our incredible 4-day tour for a journey through the Southern-most Central Coast. Enter our mezmerizing "BATMOBILE"-led "Antique Car Parade", discover Santa Ynez Valley's wine paradise, cruise scenic Santa Barbara landscapes, explore the charming towns of Buellton, Los Olivos, and Ballard and experience the genuine Danish spirit of Solvang. Limited availability. Sign up today!
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You Must Be a Current AACA Member to Participate
(if you're not an AACA member Join Now! Only $25 for 2023!)
HOST HOTEL
TOUR
Flying Flags RV Resort
Included with Registration
~ Free Parking at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott
~ Iconic George Barris BATMOBILE Experience (Day 1)
~ Opening "Santa Maria Style BBQ" at Vineyard (Day1)
~ Santa Ynez Style Buffet Breakfast (Day 2)
~ Dinner! Mendenhall Museum of Gas Pumps (Day 2)
~ Santa Barbara Style Buffet Breakfast (Day 3)
~ Santa Barbara Courthouse Tour (Day 3)
~ Santa Barbara Bosse Toy Train Museum (Day 3)
~ Ice Cream at the Santa Barbara Wharf (Day 3)
~ Santa Barbara Maritime Museum Tour (Day 3)
~ "Danish-Style" Breakfast Buffet (Day 4)
~ Ostrichland USA (Day 4)
~ Solvang Motorcycle Museum (Day 4)
~ Elverhoj Museum of History & Art (Day 4)
~ "Finale Gala" including entertainment & dancing (Day 4)
The outstanding quality of this event is due to the caring support and generosity of our Sponsors.
Our heartfelt thanks.
Stuff You Need to Know
~ Must Be Current AACA Member to Participate
(if you're not an AACA member, JOIN NOW! Only $25 membership fee for 2023!)
~ Automobiles 25 Years or Older ~
~ Host Hotel: Santa Ynez Valley Marriott ~ AACA Room Rate $179/night ~
~ Driver & Car Registration $600 ~ Passenger Registration $500 ~
~ If you choose to experience an activity or Point of Interest not included in your Tour Registration, please feel free to make your own reservations and payment arrangements. We want you to take every opportunity to make this Tour Experience unique and memorable for you!
Enjoy!
Due to the diverse and detailed scope of this Tour, activities, events, and schedules can be subject to change.
It's "Your Day"!
Choose from two fun self-guided tours, or stay close and help us Spread Some Smiles as we join with Joji Barris, the BATMOBILE, and local Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley car enthusiasts to parade our cars thru the local area with stops at two fabulous senior centers, including the Golden Inn & Village, founded and operated by Rona Barrett, the famed TV personality who will be on-hand to greet us. Our Antique Car Parade will conclude with all cars on display and lunch at the amazing Santa Ynez Carriage Museum.
Between 3:30 and 5:30 pm join us in Buellton at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott for Tour Registration and at 6:00 pm we head over to Vega Vineyard & Farm to enjoy wine, a traditional Santa Maria-Style BBQ, and music under the stars.
YES! It's the BATMOBILE! The Santa Ynez Valley Communities have been so supportive and delightful to work with that we're dedicating one of the optional "Tour Day 1" Tours to giving back.
To kick off our Tour, local community antique car owners are teaming up with us to put on a spectacular "Antique Car Parade". Our parade route touches Buellton, Solvang, and Santa Ynez, passing by schools, senior centers, and business areas, and will be led by none other than the amazing BATMOBILE designed in 1966 by the one and only George Barris. While George passed in 2015, his daughter, Joji Barris will be with us to celebrate the kick-off of our fabulous 4-Day Tour!
The Parade concludes at the Santa Ynez Carriage museum with the Antique Parade Cars and BATMOBILE on display to the public. Joji will speak on the life and times of her dad, George Barris, and his amazing BATMOBILE creation. Sign up to participate in the Car Parade & lunch with us at the Carriage Museum! This Tour is free to the public!
CLICK HERE to register your Antique Car in the Parade and order your optional Gourmet Box Lunch.
Things to do Today
**Free Admission with AACA Tour Badge
~ Join the Parade and experience the BATMOBILE! Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
~ Treasure Hunt the "Antiquing Trail"
Self-Guided Tour
~ Enjoy a Leisurely Drive to Jalama Beach
Self-Guided Tour
~ Experience the Historic Maverick Saloon
11:00 am to 12:00 am (Libations)
~ Join us for Tour Registration! (Host Hotel)
9/24 - 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
9/25 - 8:00 am - 9:00 am & 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
~ Welcome Santa Maria-Style BBQ Dinner **
Enjoy wine, dinner & live music under the stars at a
lovely and historic local vineyard!
CLICK HERE to view the Parade Map!
At 6pm we mosey over to Vega Vineyard & Farm to catch views of the incredible sunset across the vineyards of Santa Rita Hills. Sip wine, stroll the vineyard, visit the alpaca and other farm animals, savor the aroma of dinner on the grill and escape into the beautiful harmonies of Micaela McCall & David Segall. This is a Santa Maria-Style BBQ experience like no other. You won't want to miss this one.
While we would love to have you join the Parade, two other self-guided tour options are also available for your enjoyment:
Treasure-hunt the “Antiquing Trail”, including six hand-selected, fun and unique antique stores. Explore antiques in Santa Ynez before driving north to "Los Alamos", a charming small town with a quirky blend of "Old West" tradition and a hint of California Chic. While there, check out "Full of Life Flatbread" for a delicious organic "homemade pizza" experience!
Take a picturesque drive to Jalama Beach and enjoy the terrifically tantalizing and renowned "Jalama Burger".
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
It's the "Wine Trail"!
Enjoy a hearty "Sunrise" breakfast buffet on the terrace with, then we're off to wind our way thru Santa Ynez Valley's "Sideways Wine Trail" with stops and sips as you please. Enjoy!
Savor the romantically serene fields of horses, the hazy views of mountain-hugged horizons, and miles of vine-laden hillsides.
Lunch is on your own in the beautiful quaint town of "Los Olivos", where you can stay for a while and enjoy many of the area's best restaurants, historic western tradition, and unique and plentiful shopping.
Our tour continues thru the beautiful town of Ballard and when you're finished exploring for the day, our tour day ends back at our host hotel.
But we're not finished yet!
Later, we head over to the fabulous Mendenhall Museum of Gas Pumps & Petroliana for an exceptionally unique and memorable dinner experience like no other! Don't miss this!
Things to do Today
**Free Admission with AACA Tour Badge
~ Experience the wine trail "Sideways" Style
Check out the "Sideways" wineries & lunch spots
~ Explore Los Olivos via "Pedigo" Electric Bikes
Rent an e-bike and enjoy the beauty of the area
~ Visit "Mattie's Tavern"
A Historic Stagecoach stop. Lunch or self-tour
~ Fun at "Los Olivos Cafe & Wine Merchant"
Part of the "Sideways" experience - Lunch or wine
Authentic Los Olivos with delicious fare
~ Shop! Shop! Shop!
Enjoy plentiful & unique shopping in Los Olivos
~ Explore "Jedlicka's" in Los Olivos
The best "western" shopping experience ever!
~ Stroll J. Woeste" in Los Olivos
A fun "garden store". Enjoy!
~ Visit Los Olivos General Store
A modern-style old favorite neighborhood store
~ Enjoy Bob Wells Bread Bakery in Ballard
Stop by for a loaf or lunch
~ It's The Mendenhall Museum of Gas Pumps**
Enjoy dinner and an experience like no other!
It's Santa Barbara Day!
Sunrise Breakfast time! Then off to experience a fabled Stagecoach path with its colorful Arch Bridge and stunning mountain and coastal vistas before descending to Santa Barbara's beautiful world-renowned architecture, pristine beaches, shopping, and plentiful points of interest.
After breakfast, on our way to Santa Barbara, we visit a small private collection of interesting cars dating from the 1920’s to the 1990’s.
There is one very special car you have likely never seen and will likely not have a chance to see again! The owner will tell you about it on our visit.
Clue: It is just back from the Villa d’Este car show at Lake Como, Italy! You're definitely in for a surprise - and that's "No Bull".
Enjoy a view of Mission Santa Barbara before arrival at La Arcada, State Street, the City's stunning center. Here you'll find docent-led tours of the Santa Barbara County Court House, a designated National Historic Landmark and one of America's most photographed buildings.
Sign up in advance to climb aboard the amphibious LandShark for a personally narrated 90-minute land and sea tour adventure.
Back at State Street, you're on your own to enjoy plentiful shopping, museums, and other intriguing points of interest. Hop on an electric bike and take in even more of this amazing City!
With a bounty of options throughout the City, lunch is on your own!
Our tour continues to Stearns Wharf, the Santa Barbara Harbor, and anywhere that sounds like fun in between. Park and take "Lil Toot" water taxi from the Wharf to the Harbor or vise versa.
Once back at our Host Hotel, stoll down the street to Firestone Brewery for No-Host Happy Hour. Dinner is on your own tonight. Enjoy!
Things to do Today
**Free Admission with AACA Tour Badge
~ See the Amazing Santa Barbara Court House**
10:30 am (Docent-Led Tour)
~ Climb Aboard the LandShark
10:30 am Tour ($40/person limited seating)
~ Rent an Electric Bike - Santa Barbara B-Cycle
$7/ 30 min. Rent via cell on State Street
~ Shop La Arcada & State Streets
Enjoy plentiful shopping and points of interest
~ Marvel at Rennaiasance Fine Consignment
Shop fine and luxury women's clothing
~ Drop by the Bosse Toy Train Museum**
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
~ Take in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
11:00 am - 5:00 pm $10 Adult/$7 Seniors
~ Experience the flavors of Sama Sama Kitchen
farm to fork Southeast Asian fare
~ Savor the sweetness of Andersen's Bakery
Lunch & traditional Danish Pastries
~ Yum! Great Pacific Ice Cream Company**
Pick up a double-scoop of your favorite!
~ Get your fortune told at the Wharf
Make an appt with Madame Rosinka
~ Enjoy the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum**
10:30 am - 4:30 pm ~ Docent-led tours
~ Take a ride on "Little Toot" Water Taxi
Ride to and from the Wharf & Harbor
~ See u @ Firestone Brewery for Happy Hour!
5:30 to 7:00 pm (no-host) Dinner is on your own!
It's Country Roads & Solvang!
It's "Danish Sunrise Breakfast" buffet day on the terrace, then off we go for a full day of fun & adventure. Our tour day ends with our wonderful "Finale Gala" celebration!
On this special day, we experience the pure enjoyment of motoring the beautiful "Santa Rita Hills" backroads.
We also take in "Ostrichland USA" and enjoy a private tour and even feed the ostriches before embarking on the unique landmarks, old world architecture, plentiful museums, abundant shopping, and authentic Danish food and bakeries of "Solvang", California's own authentically Danish American town.
Lunch and enjoyment are on your own ~ with so many wonderful choices, we wish you good luck in choosing just one place to eat!
Later, join us back at our Host Hotel for our "Finale Gala". Yes, sadly, it's our last night together. Enjoy hosted champagne cocktail reception, no-host cocktails, an elegant dinner, entertainment, including the humor of Sandy Hackett - amazingly talented and renown son of Buddy Hackett, the music of famed songwriter Ron Miller performed by his daughter, Lisa Dawn Miller, and dancing to live music performed in phenomenal "Rat Pack" style by the one and only Luca Ellis.
Things to do Today
**Free Admission with AACA Tour Badge
~ Be amazed at Ostrichland USA**
Private Guided Tour! Come see the baby ostrich!
~ Lunch On Your Own in Solvang! Enjoy!
Choose from a bounty of wonderful options
~ Shop! Shop! Shop!
No shortage of shopping in Solvang!
~ Savor Elverhoj Museum of History & Art**
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
~ Take a stroll thru Wilding Museum
11:00 am - 4:00 pm Admission $5
Active Military Free Admission
~ Wine & cheese Reception at Renaissance Antiques 1:00 pm - 3 pm Complimentary for AACA
~ Visit Old Mission Santa Ines 1804
9:00 am - 4:00 pm Admission $8 / Seniors $7
Veterans & Military Free Admission
~ Take your taste buds to Birkholm's Bakery
Lunch or treats!
~ Enjoy Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum**
Vrrrrrooooomm
~ It's the "Finale Gala!"**
including no-host cocktails, dinner**,
program**, & dancing**
(Santa Ynez Valley Marriott)
Our Sponsors
We owe the elevated quality and scope of this Tour to the very generous support of our sponsors. Their thoughtful contributions provide added elegance and special surprises throughout the Tour experience. We are deeply grateful for their caring support and commitment to AACA Santa Barbara Region and to this AACA Western Divisional Tour.
GOLD SPONSOR
Roger & Margi Drue
& their Family of Cars
’63 Corvette 340
’60 Lotus Super 7
’60 Lotus Elite
’65 Alfa Spyder Veloce
’66 Jag XKE
’58 Maserati 450S
’60 Mercedes 300 SLR Ulenhaut
’73 Original 2 door Range Rover
Welcome! Motoring the Santa Ynez Valley’s scenic back roads is a delight, and Santa Barbara is a very special “Western Riviera” car town. We enjoy all sorts of cars, new and old, and you will see many of them on this unforgettable Tour - Plus yours!
SILVER SPONSORS
Bob Burtness & Nollie Lei Dawson
With gratitude to our AACA colleagues who have worked so diligently to make this Tour a reality in 2023.
Dana & Andrea Newquist
Planning a Tour is challenging, but the old friends, new friendships, beautiful countryside, amazing events, and those fabulous cars are priceless!
Bob & Mary Gates
What a great tour this will be! Many many thanks to AACA National for all of the great support and encouragement! Welcome friends! Happy Motoring!
Dusty & Fallon Baker
Fallon and I are looking forward to this incredible tour! Classic cars, friends, wine country, and coastal beach drives - you can't ask for much more! Happy Motoring from your friends at the Dusty Baker Group!
Conner & Gianna Rehage
Gianna and I are excited to embark on our very first AACA Tour. As new AACA members we’re looking forward to sharing our love of these gloriously fantastic vehicles with new like-minded friends.
Our best to you from Harbor Hills Wealth Management!
1012 Consulting
We are proud to be a part of this very special event and wish everyone exciting days and many wonderful memories. Best regards from 1012 Consulting!
Jim Harris
I'm thrilled to support this exciting tour. Motoring these areas of the Central Coast is delightful as is spending time with others who appreciate beautiful, classic, well-made cars. Happy Trails from your friends at Puretec!
The Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce
The Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to Santa Ynez. Enjoy your tour, we are here if you need us!
BRONZE SPONSORS
Milpas Motors
Just be "WOW"!!
ivan.bar
ivan.bar is delighted to work with our friends at AACA, and we look forward to filling your tank sometime soon!
OUR ADVERTISERS & SUPPORTERS
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