Many people are familiar with Northern California’s wine country but did you know that Southern California has just as great a selection of wine too? I recently visited Temecula and here are my suggestions for a fun, budget trip to Temecula!
Winery hopping and wine tastings are going to be an obvious activity in Temecula! My winery of choice was Wilson Creek Winery – known for their Almond Sparkling Wine and for good reason. It was tasty and a nice light drink for a hot summer day! My server also let me try some new sparkling flavors – Vanilla and Coconut. Oh, and if you go, be sure to also try their dessert wine – served in an edible chocolate shot glass!
Cost: Tasting $20 (If you’re traveling with someone, check their website as they sometimes have 2-for-1 discounts)
For something a little different, I attended the community theater Shakespeare in the Vines – a fun outdoor theater, next to Baily Vineyard & Winery. They did an enjoyable rendition of the Oscar Wilde classic “The Importance of Being Ernest”.
Cost: $14.75 via Groupon + Wine at the show $12.
I enjoyed a gorgeous sunset while waiting for the play to start!
The Hidden Gem of my trip was the Temecula Duck Pond. I was really surprised, it’s much more involved than I realized. Surrounded by artwork from Temecula’s sister cities of Voorburg, Netherlands & Nakayama, Japan and filled with ducks (naturally), this beautiful park is perfect for a morning walk.
Cost: Free
The Duck Pond is also home to one of the most beautiful Veteran’s Memorials I have ever seen. A soldier sits on a bench that is surrounded by letters written by other soldiers to their family and friends. The letters run the gamut of wars from the Revolution (the letter was dated June 12, 1779!) to current day. It’s quite stunning to see their words recreated in their own handwriting in the stone plaques.
Old Town Temecula is the touristy Main Street area, lined with stores, restaurants, and tasting rooms. It is a fun street to walk up and down. I stopped at Villa di Calabro to try their Peach Sangria and enjoy a delightful conversation with the owner. Then, I wandered thru a couple of shops and had a delicious lunch (cheese filled, bacon wrapped dates and red Sangria) on the patio at the Temecula Cheese Company.
Cost: $5 Peach Sangria / $25 Temecula Cheese Company
The Temecula Valley Museum houses a great historical exhibit of the city, including a panorama of the original city blocks. There’s also a ‘Touch & Feel’ area for kids, with a section to try on costumes and take pictures. Did you know that the author of Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner, lived in Temecula? There’s a section of the museum dedicated to him, including a recreation of his office, photos, and autographed books.
Cost: $5 (suggested donation)
Here are my trip itinerary and budget:
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A reminder, all links are for your convenience only, I am not an affiliate of any company and do not make money off recommending them. I just want to make it easy for you to find them if you’re interested!
How lovely! Peach sangria sounds amazing! I’ve been on a few wine tours in Australia and I just loved them! Its so fun to feel classy sipping wine but also just having fun… sipping wine 😛
Yes, sipping wine is absolutely the best way to have fun AND feel classy!!
I can just imagine sipping on a great glass of wine while watching a beautiful sunset. I haven’t done any wine tours in California, but it’s close enough that I should really consider it. I do tend to get tipsy quite easily though…
One nice thing about visiting wine country is you can take all the time you want to savor your wine. Have a drink, walk thru the vinyards. Drive to another, and repeat. There are always Uber/Lyft for those times you get a little tipsy! 😉
I absolutely loved this!
I’m such a wine-lover and its definitely my idea of a getaway. Sadly I don’t live in the states but this will be super useful when I finally get there and can hopefully check it out (almond wine sounds very intriguing!)
Stephanie
Oh, I do hope you get to visit sometime soon because the Almond Wine was delicious!!
What, I have never heard about sparkly flavored wines! Sorry, I have but only with strawberries. 🙂 Now I wonder how almond flavored one tastes. Dessert wine in an edible chocolate glass sounds tempting! Also, the entire experience you described sounds and looks so different from the European wine countries such as Italy and France. I would love to visit some day!
And, I’m hoping to visit the wine countries of Italy and France someday too!
What an amazing 2 day vacation in Temecula you had! I really enjoyed all of the photos, I really love the vine yards and how relaxing the place is from the duck Pond and the sunset. Wow! SO much to enjoy in Temecula for just $200.
It was incredibly relaxing, a great place to visit when you’re in need of some R&R!!
I hear ALL about northern Cali and the wineries, this is a great twist! Hoping to get down to Southern Cal in October, this would be wonderful to do! Not expensive either!!
Doesn’t have to be expensive at all! Hope you get a chance to come down and visit!
Though i don’t’ drink at all, I love wine country for its landscapes and pretty sights. The bunches of grapes and lush green vineyards stretching for miles and miles are pure delight. One can just drive on and on forever staring at the scene.
The vineyards are quite beautiful – especially to walk through, such a beautiful site when the vines are full of grapes!
I’ve been to Old Town Temecula, but would like to return to Temecula to enjoy the wine. I definitely want to try that Almond Wine. I’ve never heard anything like it!
Yes, highly recommend the Almond Wine – absolutely delicious!!
What a fab holiday for $200! Wine tasting has always seemed too expensive for me but your post has changed that perception. I love a good ole glass of vino so this would be the perfect getaway if I wasn’t on the other side of the world!
It certainly can get expensive, but there are ways to do it when you’re on a budget, just have to do some research!
What a great 2 day get away you have curated here! Temecula looks like a lovely town- and WINE! I love that you took the time to enjoy the local theater. That’s not something many folks would think to do. But it’s so nice to support local community arts, and looked like it was a fun evening as well!
The theater was so much fun, I was excited to find it!! I spent many years working in the community theater where I grew up, and we were always grateful for the audience, so was glad to support the local community there.
Never knew about this region, but the wineries look awesome. Vanila & cocounut must have been nice . Never tried that … I am not a big fan on dessert wines, but recently came across couple of good varieties. This sounds great .
Glad I was able to share a new area with you! The coconut and vanilla were very interesting to try, I enjoyed them a lot.
never heard of this region before. Coconut & Vanila sounds great . I am not a big fan of dessert wines, but this sounds great .. May be in my next visit to CA.