Lompoc
Population: 41,100
Travel west on Highway 246 from Buellton and you soon arrive in the Lompoc Valley, gateway to the Santa Rita Hills wine country, a cool-climate appellation with wineries and vineyards that produce world-class pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. From May to September you can also feast your eyes on flower fields forever, when the meadows and hillsides burst into color. Fantastic ocean and wildlife experiences lie just down the road at Jalama Beach and Ocean Beach, two rugged and pristine county parks.
Be sure to save an hour or so to follow the Old Town Lompoc Heritage Walk, and check out some of the city's famed murals. Lompoc is also home to La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, Vandenberg Air Force Base (one of the nation's most important military and aerospace installations), and one of wine country's best-kept secrets: the Wine Ghetto, a cluster of boutique wineries and tasting rooms in an industrial park.
