Weekend Adventure: Temecula

This weekend’s adventure was a day trip out to Temecula. Temecula is an easy drive from almost anywhere in Southern California and once there you’ll be rewarded with a great Old Town district and acres of gorgeous vineyards.


Our first stop was Old Town Temecula. It’s easy to find free parking there and it’s small enough you can easily walk from one end to the other. Our first stop was Old Town Root Beer where they have hundreds of different kinds of soda and not the usual vending machine line up either. I tried one that was a Pumpkin Pie Soda. It tasted just like a fresh made pumpkin pie. Delish and so fun! After that we browsed through a few more great stores including the Temecula Lavender Company, the Temecula Valley Cheese Company (yum, yum), and Old Town Antique Fair. The antique shop was huge and they had so much to look at we could have spent hours there.

Okay, this Halloween sign at the Antique Fair totally cracked me up.

After all that shopping it was time to get something to eat. We settled into a table at the Longshadow Ranch Winery’s tasting room and Cowboy Bistro in Old Town Temecula. The food was delicious. I had a three cheese blend melted on toasted flat bread with a green salad sprinkled with almonds and cranberries and a raspberry vinaigrette. The chardonnay I had with it was a great pairing. My fellow adventurer’s recommend the turkey and roast beef sandwiches too.

Old Town Temecula.

With our bellies full it was time for some serious wine drinking. Temecula has several wineries located just outside of town. Many make award winning wines and are beautiful destinations unto themselves. One of my favorites is Wilson Creek Winery. I love Wilson Creek for the following 5 reasons:

5. They have beautiful grounds where you can sit and enjoy a glass of wine and take in the gorgeous scenery.

4. The Wilson family has a few very friendly Golden Retrievers, all named after wine varietals, who are the friendliest greeters and always happy to be petted.

3. Wilson Creek is where they make the almond champagne.

2. Wilson Creek is where they make the chocolate port.

And the number 1 reason I love Wilson Creek? Wilson Creek is where they make a drink called an “Angel’s Kiss”, half almond champagne, half chocolate port. Lord have mercy it is awesome!

The grounds at Wilson Creek.

So we got kissed by angels at Wilson Creek and then made our way over to South Coast Winery. This is a big winery that also has an excellent resort and spa. They also have an extensive list of wines. The tasting room was packed when we got there so we headed over to the restaurant and bar. A word of advice, if the tasting room is super busy at South Coast then go to the restaurant bar. The bartenders there are just as knowledgeable about the wines and they were fun to chat with. Plus at the bar they serve you these fluffy warm rolls with herbed butter. (Am I saying that right? "Herbed butter"? Anyway, it was butter with herbs in it and it was tasty. I almost ate the whole basket they were that good.)

We decided to end our Temecula adventure with a trip to Pechanga Resort & Casino. I’m not really a gambling girl, but if you like to take your chances with Lady Luck then Pechanga is the place for you. I did try my hand at some penny slots and I won $14! Yes, I know, I’m such a high roller.

A bar at Pechanga Resort & Casino.

I had a super great time in Temecula and I’m sure you will too. Find more info here:

City of Temecula
Temecula Wineries