From feeding farm animals and picking fresh produce to fishing and wine tasting, Folded Hills offers plenty for kids and parents in Santa Ynez Valley.

My husband and I divided and conquered a playdate, a final World Cup watch party and a surprise birthday for our daughter Naomi’s classmate all before our planned getaway to Folded Hills Winery & Farmstead in the Santa Ynez Valley. But too much fun in the bounce house led to a sprained knee, an urgent care trip and the question of whether we should cancel the whole thing. 

“No!” Naomi wailed, her cries almost louder than the ones she uttered when she sprained her knee. She’d been looking forward to this trip for weeks, dreaming of all the pigs, goats, llamas and miniature donkeys she would meet. 

“I need to see the animals! The animals!” 

Somehow, as parents often do, I forged ahead with our plans, already envisioning a glass of chilled wine in my hand as I drove up the coast, ignoring my almost-empty gas tank.  

“Look, Mom!” my 3-year-old, Juna, exclaimed. “The ocean has glitter!” 

Distracted by our coast’s beauty, I began to panic when I realized the next gas station was beyond the winery. Fortunately, we pulled up to the 600-acre working ranch, owned by Kim and Andrew Busch of the Anheuser-Busch brewing family, right around golden hour without another emergency. My car’s tank might’ve been empty, but the next 24 hours filled my family right up. 

“The tractors! Mom! Tractors!” Juna shouted. Before I could finish explaining how tractors help a farm, she was sprinting toward the pasture where the horses were enjoying the last bit of the sun’s rays. “What are they doing mama?” Her little hand reached for a majestic mane. I lifted her up, so that she and the horse were face to face, each taking the other in while all my modern worries melted away.

Catching fish and uplifting women winemakers

Our wine-tasting adventure kicked off with a private lake-dock fishing experience, where our host, Layna, started our tasting with Folded Hills’ award-winning 2025 Lilly Rosé and two fishing rods. We had never fished before, but both girls wanted a turn on the dock, to which my husband happily obliged (and even caught his first fish!). 

I was perfectly content learning about wine and the vineyard’s background, deep family roots and predominantly women-led team, including founding winemaker Angela Osborne. “We all uplift each other. It’s really nice,” Layna reflected on working with mostly women in a male-dominated field. 

I was working my way through the tasting list, which included their new Cluster Grenache and their 2025 Madre Chenin Blanc, named after Kim’s nickname, lovingly given to her by her sons, who also take part in the family business. As Layna was explaining the story behind the name, I noticed a vintage Anheuser-Busch sign hung above the fishing rods. 

Legacy and love of family is infused in every part of Folded Hills — from the naming wines to its nonprofit Grapes for Glioblastoma, which provides financial assistance to families affected by the aggressive cancer. 

Naming piglets and picking fresh produce

Our next host, Ryan, greeted us with wine and baskets of carrot sticks for “Corks & Critters.” The girls squealed as they fed carrot after carrot to the hungry goats and pigs.

Kim Busch met us at a group of picnic tables shaded by grape vines and hops — another nod to their family lineage. She told us about three piglets born just the week before and asked if my daughters would like to name them. 

Of course, they did!

Naomi held one of the sweet black-and-white piglets and declared, “Salt… and pepper.”

“And the other one?” Busch asked. 

“Inky!”

After the naming, we cooled off with treats from locally owned Rori’s Artisanal Ice Cream, then hit the u-pick fields, where my daughters harvested tomatoes, melons and peaches. 

“This is the heart and soul of the brand — to learn where your food comes from,” Busch said. My city girls happily dug their hands in the dirt to try and yank a cantaloupe off its vine. We were lucky enough to bring home fruit that is worthy of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Markets, which is where Folded Hills sells its produce.

Not quite ready to leave country life, we spent the rest of our afternoon enjoying the curated snack boxes, sipping on sparkling white tea and having nowhere to be. At least, not until the next adventure.  

Nina Harada is Digital Editor of L.A. Parent.