The Funk Zone is the small grid of streets between Highway 101 and the beach east of State Street — about six blocks of low-slung industrial buildings, warehouses, and surf-shop spaces converted in the last fifteen years into wine-tasting rooms, breweries, art galleries, and small restaurants.
There are now around 30 Urban Wine Trail tasting rooms in walking distance of each other — a way to taste Santa Ynez Valley wines without driving the hour up the hill to the actual wineries. The streets are also covered in colourful murals, which the local arts council commissions and rotates each year. Avoid Saturday afternoons if you want a quiet wine tasting.