A new California wine trolley is joining the pack to now allow California-bound visitors to get a rare glimpse into the varietals along California’s Central Coast. The Santa Maria Wine Trolley brings the crisp chardonnays and sophisticated pinot noirs for which Santa Maria Valley is known. For visitors geared up and ready for a long-overdue wine country weekend, consider this; once there, how does one safely get from one winery to the next without breaking the bank?
This summer, Santa Maria Valley is offering an exploration of local wineries and tasting rooms on the Santa Maria Wine Trolley. The very affordable trolley wine tour beats neighboring vacation destinations when evaluating strictly price comparisons and makes the Santa Maria Wine Trolley a viable option for travelers looking to explore California wine country on a budget.
- Santa Maria Wine Trolley – $15 per person in advance, $18 per person at the trolley
- Napa Valley Wine Trolley – $125
- Sonoma County Wine Trolley – $125
- Livermore Wine Trolley – $99
- Temecula Valley Cable Car Wine Tours – $139
Starting at Costa de Oro Winery, wine trolley guests can explore Santa Maria Valley at their own pace – minus the rush or attention to someone else’s agenda. While the entire route takes approximately 60 minutes, passengers can step on and off at their convenience. A complete schedule of the Wine Trolley’s stops is available online. Decals on the trolley windows include a QR code directing back to the schedule on the Santa Maria Valley website as well.
Stops include Amplify Wines; Old Orcutt at Broadway & Clark, where travelers can explore wine shops and notion boutiques, sample delicious restaurants and enjoy tasting rooms; Costa de Oro Winery, located next to a favorite barbecue pit stop–Cool Hand Luke’s; and Cottonwood Canyon Winery. Tickets can be purchased at a variety of easy-to-access locations throughout Santa Maria Valley and group and meeting events can be managed through the website. To purchase individual tickets in advance, call To purchase tickets in advance call (805) 925-2403; info@santamaria.com.
“With 34 tasting rooms within a 30-minute drive, Santa Maria Valley is the perfect home base on the central California coast where you can eat, drink and do more for less,” Jennifer Harrison, Santa Maria Valley’s Tourism Director, said. “The Wine Trolley not only offers our visitors a great way to explore many of our amazing wineries, restaurants and shops in the area, but it is also a fantastic example of how much further our visitors’ dollars can go.”
The Santa Maria Wine Trolley runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 16, 2022, plus Labor Day Monday. More information about Santa Maria stays: santamariavalley.com/save.
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