Chances are, if you are planning a trip to Lompoc you are like me and have a loved one that either works for Spacex or is stationed on Vandenburg. Or maybe you are on a California wine tasting trip. Either way, a stop in Lompoc is definitely worthwhile! While it is a small town and pretty rural, we actually found a lot of things to do there! Here you will find my top recommendations for where to stay, what to eat, and where to go while visiting Lompoc. Enjoy!
How to get there and where to stay:
The closest airport to Lompoc is Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) and while it may be a little bit more expensive to fly into than one of the larger ones I highly recommend it because of its convenience and size. It is also one of the cutest airports I have ever been to. With only 5 gates it is super easy to get around and it is so charming with spanish tile, wooden ceiling beams, tile roof and overall old spanish style. It was a great welcome to Santa Barbara County.
If you are hungry and want to grab a bite to eat before you hit the road, South Coast Deli is a quick, easy stop and serves up delicious sammies and salads. It is about a 45 minute drive to Lompoc from the airport and it is a gorgeous drive with mountain and ocean views the whole way. If you want to break up the trip, I suggest stopping at one of the many wineries along the way. We chose to stop at Folded Hills and it was so cute and cozy! We did a wine tasting and the wine was incredible, this was a great kick off to our trip!
We stayed at The Hilton Garden Inn Lompoc. This is where Spacex puts up all of their employees and it is probably the nicest hotel in the area. It’s not luxury by any means but it’s newer and actually very lovely with a pretty fireplace in the lobby, pool with hot tub and restaurant and bar. It was very clean and the staff was great, plus it was in a very convenient location.
Where to eat in Lompoc:
Lompoc is definitely not know for cuisine, however we did manage to find a few solid options for good food while we were there.
- Valle Eatery & Bar– this is the restaurant inside of the hotel, and it was great for breakfast and even a couple of dinners while we stayed there.
- Eye on I– a pizza shop with globally inspired cuisine, art, and live music.
- Solvang Brewing Company– great burgers and BBQ with a great atmosphere right in downtown Lompoc.
- El Culichi Tacos y Mariscos– this is a taco truck with authentic and fresh tacos and mariscos. The Birria tacos were delicious!
- Floriano’s Mexican Food– another great option for Mexican food, this one is right across the street from the hotel.
- Foster’s Donuts– this is a small donut shop owned by a sweet Asian couple, also right across the street from the hotel. The donuts are huge and so tasty!! Be aware that this is a cash only business.
What to do in Lompoc:
- La Purísima Mission Historic State Park– the most extensively restored mission in the state of California. The location and scenery are stunning and there is so much to see! Definitely leave several hours to really have time to explore and if you feel like adding on a hike there are numerous trails around it to take in the beautiful surroundings.
2. Murals of Lompoc– this project was started back in the early 1990’s in an effort to revitalize the old historic downtown of Lompoc and now has 30+ murals throughout. It was so much fun spending the afternoon hunting for murals, there are so many and they are really beautiful.
3. The Wine Ghetto– this was one of the highlights for me! This is an industrial area that has been transformed into a collection of boutique wineries that have their tasting rooms in one area of Lompoc, so on the weekends you can walk around and taste all of their amazing wine. Some of the best wine I have tasted! Some of our favorites were:
- Dark Water Winery– the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was divine!
- Montemar Wines– this was our favorite in terms of atmosphere with an outdoor area with olive trees, firepits, and live music!
- Flying Goat Cellars– if you like bubbles this is the place for you! The Goat Bubbles Crémant was our favorite.
- Ampelos Cellars– 100% sustainable, certified organic and biodynamic. The Syrache (Syrah/Grenache) was the winner here!
4. Jalama Beach– this is about a 45 minute drive from Lompoc and well worth the drive. The 14.5 mile road that leads to the entrance of the park is absolutely stunning with incredible views. The beach is ruggedly gorgeous and we even saw a sea lion while we were there! There are camp grounds and cabins there as well as the Jalama Beach Store which offers the world famous Jalama Burger. Obviously have to try one of those!
5. Solvang– “The Danish Capital of America”, makes for a fun day trip. It is about a 30 minute drive from Lompoc. There is everything from bakeries serving up traditional Danish pastries, to the most adorable shops, restaurants, wineries (of course), and even a windmill and trolley. We happened to go there on a Wednesday and there was a fantastic farmer’s market going on as well!
6. Wineries- Lompoc is in the middle of wine country, so naturally there are vineyards and wineries surrounding it. We loved Babcock Winery and Melville Winery which are conveniently located right next to each other just outside of Lompoc.
7. Lompoc Flower Fields– If you time it right, you can see fields and fields of flowers that are grown here commercially for florists all over the country. We were about a month early but could see all the fields growing and could easily see what a gorgeous and fragrant sight it would be! Flowers are blooming generally from mid-April through early-June.
8. Watch a Rocket Launch- last but not least, if there is a scheduled launch while you are in Lompoc, definitely get out and watch it. We found a great spot (through an insider recommendation) on Union Sugar Ave, which is one of the closest spots you can get to watch. The night launches are particularly spectacular! Check here to see if Spacex has any launches scheduled on Vandenburg during your visit.
As you can see, there is actually plenty of things to keep you busy for at least a few days in Lompoc. We thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to visiting again! We did break up our trip with a few days in Santa Barbara as well. More on that to follow. You could also very easily incorporate your visit to Lompoc with a road trip up the California coast. Here is a guide on how to plan your California road trip! I hope this list has helped to get you super excited for a visit to Lompoc, California.
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