Los Olivos

If you head north from Santa Barbara on highway 101 for about 40 minutes, you will have reached the enchanting and historical old west town of Los Olivos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Olivos,_California). Los Olivos is located in the Santa Ynez Valley and is full of rich California history, as well as contemporary art galleries, wine tasting rooms, shops and restaurants. Ian Filippini Santa Barbara loves taking weekend day trips to Los Olivos because there is enough to do, but it is also a very quaint little town.

Los Olivos dates back to the 1860’s and used to have genuine stagecoaches passing on through. Today, Los Olivos is covered in vineyards and horse ranches and still retains much of its historic charm. Ian Filippini Santa Barbara found out that the town of Lost Olivos was named for a ranch containing over 5,000 olive trees. Los Olivos was also part of the stage coach route of California, which is a fun piece of historical trivia.

A link from the past to today in Los Olivos is Mattei’s Tavern. In 1887 Felix Mattei opened the first hotel in anticipation of the railroad that was going to be built. Today the same building is known as Mattei’s Tavern and is a popular watering hole for residents and visitors alike (www.matteistavern.com). Ian Filippini has been known to wet his whistle from time to time at Mattei’s Tavern.

Los Olivos truly is a hidden gem in Santa Barbara County. To learn more about this special little town, go to www.losolivos.com and to learn more about Ian Filippini Santa Barbara, go to http://www.slideshare.net/ianfilippini/ and https://twitter.com/iaianfilippini.