The charming town of Temecula, in Riverside County, California. is known for its wineries, and golf courses. I was there for a conference. But, it was also the same weekend that the Temecula Valley Wine and Balloon Festival was being held.
The area has over 45 wineries and is becoming a wine tasting destination that rivals the Central Coast and Napa.
The Garage Brewing Company
It was a smooth ride from LA with no major traffic. but my partner and I were starving when we got there so we stopped to get a bite to eat at the Garage Brewing Company. It used to be a repair and tire shop that was converted into a craft brewery. The brewing tanks can be seen through a large window behind the bar.
They were custom designed by a company in North America that’s a pioneer in developing equipment for the craft brewing industry. The restaurant is also a busy fast food pizzeria that serves tasty thin crust pizza and salads. We split a pizza and a large salad. If you’re looking for a quick bite with high quality, fresh food, and great beer, give it a try.
One thing I noticed while we were there was that almost all the older men sitting at tables had funny tee shirts on. I wonder if this is a Temecula thing.
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We went budget for our hotel
After lunch, we checked into the Ramada Inn which is located near the entrance of Old Town Temecula. It’s an affordable no-frills hotel but they offer a nice continental breakfast starting at 6:30 each morning and have a pool and Jacuzzi. If I wasn’t going to spend most of the day at the conference, I would have booked something nicer but it was convenient and affordable.
Temecula has gorgeous winery resorts, but because the Festival was that weekend the road to them would be packed with cars.
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Old Town Shopping
Temecula’s adorable Old Town is built to resemble 1880s buildings and boasts specialty shops, wine tasting rooms, and an array of fine restaurants.
The sidewalks are boarded to give it more of an old Western look. While we were strolling there we popped inside Fazeli Cellars, a wine tasting room off Old Town Front Street and both of us ordered a flight of wine to taste. The ladies at the bar were friendly conversationalists and the wine was smooth and lovely.
Trattoria Toscana
For dinner, we dined at Trattoria Toscana which was rated number 1 on TripAdvisor for the Temecula area. It’s a tiny but attractive establishment owned by Pietro, a recent immigrant from Sardinia, Italy, and is located in a large shopping center. Our waiter was Gino from Parma, Italy. Pietro told us he opened the restaurant only 18 months before but we could see why it’s rated number 1.
Trattoria Toscana is truly authentic Italian. We felt like we’d been transported back to Italy with every bite. Both of us started off with the Bruschetta di tre colori. Each piece of bread had a different topping.
- Asparagus, garlic, olive oil, and aged Pecorino
- fresh tomatoes, basil olive oil, and garlic
- Sautéed mushrooms, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Everything we ate was excellent and beautifully presented. We finished off our meal by sharing a luscious Tiramisu.
Pietro handcrafted some of the furniture in the trattoria out of carved wood. It added to the ambiance.
Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival
The next morning, my partner woke up before sunrise to drive to the festival and took a ride in a hot air balloon. After his balloon voyage, he spent a few hours at the wine tasting festival and then returned back to the hotel to take a nap. I was bummed I had to miss it but at least he took some nice photos.
Dinner at Ponte Family Estate Winery
That evening, we had reservations for dinner at Restaurant at Ponte at the Ponte Family Estate Winery and Vineyard Inn. It’s located on the same road as the balloon and wine festival but, luckily, the traffic had died down by dinner time. We sat outside and dined al fresco in the garden.
It was a beautiful night and we shared a plate of Paella along with a glass of their fantastic Doppietta red wine. Our wine was so sublime that we ordered a bottle to take home with us. After dinner, we treated ourselves to Crème Brule Trio, which comes in flavors of chocolate cigar, candied lavender, and tropical fruit. Yum!
Breakfast at Mo’s
The next morning we checked out of the hotel and went for brunch at Mo’s Egg House. It’s a hugely popular breakfast joint outside of the main part of town. I ordered the Little Italy omelet that came with potatoes, biscuits, and gravy.
The waitress also gave us two servings of their famous coffee cake for free. Like a good girl, I only ate half of my breakfast and took home the rest. Mo’s was busy when we arrived, but we called ahead and were seated almost immediately.
Visit Temecula
If you’re thinking about a relaxing weekend getaway in Southern California, then put Temecula on your list. If you visit during the week you can avoid the crowds. The town frequently has weekend events. Next time, I’d like to splurge and stay at one of the winery spa resorts.
If you’re out that way and love to drink wine, at least stop by for the day. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
Find fun things to do in Temecula here
If you could go anywhere in Southern California, where would you go? Please leave a comment below.
Hi Rebecca! It looks like you had an awesome weekend. I’m not sure if it looks like Doug had more fun than you did, but how great that you both were able to take advantage of a fun weekend. The only time we usually go to Temecula is on our way to San Diego for the desert. Now we might have to stop at one of those restaurants for lunch! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy, Yes, I think Doug had a pretty good time. He enjoyed the balloon flight and I get to use his pictures for my blog. LOL You should definitely stop in Temecula if you live nearby. There are tons of great places to eat. Thanks for your comment. ~ Rebecca
I’ve only been to California once (I live on the East Coast), if you don’t count a stop over once in San Francisco’s airport. I visited San Diego for a week, and it was unforgettable. I would love to go back “one day”.
Hi Alana,
I hope you get a chance to come back to California. I’m surprised you thought San Diego was unforgettable. There are so many fun things to do there. It’s one of my favorite towns. Next time you go there, ask me and maybe I can point you toward a more interesting experience. I love San Francisco too!
Looks like an awesome time. Those balloons are stunning, but I don’t think I’d like to be in one! The food looks amazing…especially that Tiramisu
I have to agree with you about going up in the balloon. I think I’m done with heights ever since I did a zip line in Puerto Vallarta. I was shaking like a leaf the entire time. The Tiramisu was even better at the Trattoria Toscana than the ones we had in Italy and they were amazing!
San Diego is my husband’s hometown. You made me miss it! I need to get back there. I love your pics! Thank you so much for linking to #MidLifeLuv.
Thanks Elena,
I could imagine. I love the San Diego area but was really pleasantly surprised by how nice Temecula is. It’s friendly and fun and I hope to go back there soon.
Your food pictures and descriptions are going to wreck my diet! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thanks so much for visiting my blog.
Alicia
spashionista.com
LOL. I know. I’m wrecking my own diet. We had a ton of fun there. I love your blog too. Your vintage Italian fashion photos were awesome!
Temecula is a gorgeous place to spend a weekend. Nice that you two were able to enjoy it together. I had one of the best meals there over 2o years ago, so many great places to eat! Thanks for joining us on #MifLifeLuv Rebecca, we’re very glad to have you! Kimberly
Thanks Kimberly,
We love to get away every once in a while and explore new places. There are so many restaurants it was hard to choose. They all seem great. We lucked out on the places we ate at. They were all wonderful! Thanks so much for hosting #MidLifeLuv. I love that women midlife and over are joining together to help each other succeed.
Looks like an amazing time. We’re going hot-air ballooning in a few weeks in Sonoma (wine country). Can’t wait!
I bet you’ll have a great time John. My brother lives in Napa and the hot air balloons go over his house every morning. Have fun!