Joe Biden Flew Directly to This Calif. Hotspot from Inauguration: How He’s Spending First Days Off (Exclusive)

The former president and first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, left D.C. after the inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday, Jan. 20

By Published on January 21, 2025 01:23PM EST

Joe Biden headed directly to a favorite destination after Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Following Monday’s swearing in of the 47th president of the United States in a frigid Washington D.C., former President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, jetted off to more pleasant climes.

After departing from Joint Base Andrew, the couple headed for a hotspot on the opposite coast: the Santa Ynez Valley of California. According to local news outlet KEYT, residents headed to the Santa Barbara Airport on Monday, Jan. 20 to try and catch a glimpse of the presidential plane landing. The outlet reports a “no-fly notice” took effect in the airspace around Vandenberg, Calif. signaling the Bidens’ arrival.

The former presidential couple have vacationed in the region before. “He and Jill visited last summer so this is his second visit in less than a year,” Shelby Sim, President/CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“Rumor is he’s purchasing a home in the area,” Sim adds, but notes, this visit “is purely R&R, away from the hustle and bustle.” The region is a far cry from D.C. There’s “no traffic” and “a home town country feel,” says Sims.

The Bidens have not shared where they will be based after moving out of the White House, but have long maintained two houses in Delaware, in Rehobeth Beach and Wilmington.

They have a friend in the Santa Ynez area, major Democratic donor Joe Kiani, whom Politico reports they’ve stayed with before.

The outlet also notes Biden’s last visit was following another major moment: when he announced that he’d drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee at the Democratic National Convention in August.

On their last visit, KEYT reports, the Bidens visited the Kiani Preserve, an 8,000-acre ranch and vineyard in the Figueroa Highlands owned by the billionaire of the same name, and the Old Mission Santa Barbara, a former Spanish Mission that now holds a museum, a Franciscan Friary and the Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library.

Situated about two hours north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County on California’s Central Coast, the Santa Ynez Valley is known as a scenic wine region, with several Michelin-rated restaurants and outdoor activities including hiking, zip-lining and horseback riding.

It’s home to Padres National Forest, Sedgwick Reserve, and in spring, offers world-class wildflower viewing on Figueroa Mountain.

It’s also a popular spot for celebrities to own a home.

Olivia Newton John had a ranch there, which her widower recently listed for sale for $9 million. And Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch is cited near the town of Los Olivos. The 2,700-acre estate sold to billionaire Ron Burkle for $22 million in 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported.