9 U.S. Destinations That Feel Like Europe

2. Solvang, California

Solvang is located in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. In 1911, a group of Danish Americans settled in the area to establish a Danish community far removed from Midwestern winters. Dubbed “The Danish Capital of America,” Solvang’s quaint streets are lined with windmills, European bakeries, boutiques, and wineries that give it an Old World feel. There is even a historic wooden streetcar pulled by draft horses that makes its way through the town with a population of about 6,100 people. Fans of the movie Sideways will recognize Solvang as one of the places where the characters played by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church tasted wine and bumbled through their midlife crisis.