You know you've entered Solvang when the horse ranches along Highway 246 give way to windmills and half-timber buildings with thatched roofs. Danish settlers founded the town in 1911 near Mission Santa Ines. Nearly everything they built celebrated Scandinavian life, from pastry shops and cobblestone courtyards to smorgasbord stations and fairytale houses, dubbing charming hamlet the "Danish Capital of America." Solvang celebrated its Centennial in 2011 with a packed calendar of memorable events and things to do, including a royal visit by The Prince Consort of Denmark.