North of San Diego County lies the grape-rich region of Temecula, a fertile California valley boasting nearly 50 vineyards, dozens of tasting rooms and locals who understand the pleasures of a slow-paced life.
It also offers visitors a chance to step back in time: Old Town Temecula is lined with restaurants and storefronts straight out of a Wild West film. Here’s how to spend three days savoring the town’s laid-back luxuries: wine tasting, shopping, golfing, ballooning, hiking and more.
As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.
Friday: Get a Sense of Old West History
Start with a classic hearty breakfast at Swing Inn Café — proudly serving steak, sausage, hash and eggs since 1927 — before exploring Old Town Temecula‘s 12 blocks of antiques shops, galleries, brewpubs and restaurants. Water towers, wooden sidewalks and frontier-style storefronts create a charming 1860s Western façade — an homage to the town’s cattle ranching and railroading past.
Learn about Temecula’s history at the two-story Temecula Valley Museum, filled with area artifacts and an exhibit about local celebrity Erle Stanley Gardner, the pulp-fiction writer who penned 82 Perry Mason mystery novels.
Then hit the shops: Immerse yourself in the bliss of lavender-scented lotions and soaps at Temecula Lavender Company. Browse the made-from-salvage and artisanal furnishings at Reclaimed at Main St. Market. Peruse the Parmesan, Camembert and Brie at Temecula Valley Cheese Company.
And lunch at E.A.T. Marketplace, where the chef creates inventive dishes with local Temecula edibles (E.A.T. stands for “Extraordinary Artisan Table”).
After lunch, head over to Temecula Olive Oil Company to taste extra-virgin olive oils infused with bold flavors like roasted garlic and blood orange. Find out more about this artisanal business on a 90-minute tour of solar-powered Olive View Ranch. You’ll wander through the groves and learn all about growing, harvesting, milling and cold-pressing.
For dinner, reserve a table at Small Barn, a modern bistro serving New American cuisine in a renovated building that was, in past lives, a circa-1900s homestead and an auto repair shop. After your meal, check out who’s playing at the Temecula Stampede, the West Coast’s largest country-western music venue, where the dance lessons are free on weekends.
Saturday: Soar Up, Up and Away
At dawn, head out for an airborne escapade with A Grape Escape or California Dreamin’. Join the party of hot air balloons rising 1,500 feet above Temecula’s vineyards and savor the wow factor of horizon-to-horizon vistas. Your colorful aircraft will soar through the sky propelled by blasts of hot air, the wind’s fickle moods and your experienced pilot’s skills.
After touching back down to earth, celebrate the flight with a Champagne toast — it’s a ballooning tradition — before having brunch at Bolero Restaurante: The “Bollo con Salsa” (aka freshly baked biscuits with chorizo, gravy and eggs) draws raves.
Once known primarily for its chardonnays, Temecula Valley has expanded its offerings, now making very good cabernet sauvignon, syrah, cabernet franc and dessert wines.
Among the nearly 50 wineries, favorites include Baily Vineyard & Winery for sangiovese and port, Hart Winery for barbera and cabernet franc, Thornton Winery for sparkling and dessert wines and Callaway Winery for its elegant indoor/outdoor restaurant, Meritage. Check out the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association website for information about all of the valley’s vineyards.
For a completely unpretentious tasting experience, head to Wilson Creek Winery. Even if your palate leans toward cabernet, expand your horizons with a sip of Wilson Creek’s signature almond sparkling wine. Live bands play on the lawn most summer weekends, and an outdoor bar serves wine slushies, a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
When evening arrives, swing by PUBlic House for cozy farm-to-table pub food (be sure to share the “Tomato Addiction,” a skillet of roasted cherry “toms” served with Brie and sourdough bread). Then search out the “secret” entrance to Thompson & Twain Prospecting Co., Old Town’s atmospheric speakeasy.
Once you pass through the unmarked door, the modern world vanishes. You’ve entered a Wild West saloon in an 1880s mining camp; the bank vault, stamped-tin ceiling, shiny gold wallpaper, and gas-style lamps look like the best Western movie set ever. Talented mixologists use “time-appropriate” spirits — rye, bourbon and gin — to make strong, creative cocktails.
Sunday: Take a Hike
Kick off your morning with breakfast at Le Coffee Shop, an authentically French bistro and bakery that makes a crispy-gooey croque-monsieur and strong espresso. Pick up sandwiches to go at the Naughty Pig, a charcuterie and butcher shop peddling wagyu beef pastrami and smoked duck breast, then drive to the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve.
Known for its ephemeral vernal pools that appear for a few weeks in the rainy season, this 9,000-acre parkland has 40 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and equestrians.
From the visitor center, hike to the top of Monument Hill amid native bunchgrass and rare Engelmann oaks. You’ll be accompanied by an explosion of grassland wildflowers in March and April — and it’s the perfect place to enjoy those to-go sandwiches for lunch.
Afternoon activities depend on your interests: golfers will want to play a round at one of Temecula Valley’s scenic golf courses, including CrossCreek and Temecula Creek.
Non-golfers should spend a few hours at Vail Headquarters. This 1860s ranch site was once a stop on the Butterfield Overland stagecoach route. Now it’s both a living history museum and a modern hangout with specialty restaurants, boutique shops and live music.
Browse for handmade soaps and lotions at Downtown Apothecary and vintage and California-made finds at Super Mix Mercantile. Admire the custom-built furniture at Bucket of Nails or nurture your creative side with a painting class at the Craft House or an hour at the potter’s wheel at Temecula Clay.
If you have kids in tow, they’ll have a blast riding on a miniature “train” and climbing around on a colorful play structure.
Wrap up your Temecula visit with top-shelf Italian food at the Goat & Vine. The chefs bake rustic pizzas with creative toppings (“Jalapeño-Lime-Carnitas” and “Hatch Chili-Honey-Chicken”) on a stone hearth while the bartenders mix memorable cocktails. Order a “Spicy Melon Margarita” and raise your glass to your fun-filled weekend in Temecula.
Still not ready to go to bed? Take a stroll to the ghost-themed cocktail bar called Apparition Room for cheekily named signature cocktails.