About Los Olivos

Located in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, the charming historic town of Los Olivos is a rewarding and relaxing weekend getaway or fun-filled day. Whether you want award-winning wine tasting, fine or casual dining, great shopping, fine art and plenty of artisans, renting bicycles to take in the sights – there is plenty to do in Los Olivos for the whole family!

Boasting expansive views of Santa Barbara County’s vineyards and horse ranches, Los Olivos is noted for its love of the arts, wine tasting opportunities, unique shopping, epicurean restaurants, fun festivals, antiques, recreational landscapes, and friendly residents found throughout the village.

Foxen Canyon Wine Trail starts in Los Olivos and stretches north, winding its way through beautiful wineries and vineyards.

Historical Walking Tour

Los Olivos is a beautifully accessible town with a variety of shady trees and gardens, in addition to historic architectural gems. We encourage visitors to use our walking map and explore all the nooks and crannies of our delightful streets. See the historical walking tour here.

Download printable Historical Walking Map – (this map is not up-to-date)

Also, get our most updated, modern Town Map here!

History

In 1861, the Overland Coast Line Stage Station was established in Ballard, just south of Los Olivos. The stage coach route ran from San Francisco to Los Olivos, then to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Anticipating the arrival of the Pacific Coast Railway, Felix Mattei opened a hotel in 1887. The hotel, now know as Mattei’s Tavern, accommodated rail and stage passengers making north and south connections in Los Olivos.

Following the first whistle of the much anticipated engine, land auctions were held in 1887, creating the quaint village of Los Olivos. The town was first named after a nearby ranch made up of 5,000 olive trees.

Presently Victorian architecture can be found sprinkled throughout this little western village. Many of the downtown buildings and residences date back over one-hundred years.

The Keenan/Hartley home is the oldest wooden home in Los Olivos, dating as far back as 1882. This redwood, balloon, single-walled house has undergone several additions and was moved to the Mattei property in the late 1990s.

Prairie-style Victorian buildings still standing in town are Mattei’s, the Whitcher/Sahm home, Downs store, D.D. and Uncle Tom Davis store, Rice’s gas stations and the Campbell, Ashbraner and Fleenor homes.