Not Another LA Blonde

Tag: day trip

  • Temecula Wineries – Day Trip

    Temecula Wineries – Day Trip

    It’s TRAVEL TUESDAY!! Today I want to share a day trip we took in July 2019 for my 27th birthday. We had already done a day trip to San Diego for hubby’s birthday. We decided that we wanted to do something a little different, so we picked Temecula for the day to hit three wineries.

    Stop #1 – Europa Village

    This was our first stop of the day; it wasn’t too crowded when we got there, but it definitely was by the time we left. We choose to do the Prelude Passport Tasting option. This $25 per person and includes 6 tastes of any C’est la Vie or Vienza wines from their regular menu. This was pretty cool because we had our own personal sommelier who helped us pick the wines based off of our preferences. There are three different wineries on the Europa Village property! There is a restaurant and hotel on the property. I also just learned that they offer olive oil tastings! OMG I wish I had known this because I so would have enjoyed this!

    Stop #2 – Wilson Creek

    This place was probably my favorite, but it was the most crowded! We wanted to eat when we got here, so we had to wait and find a table on the lawn area. We ate a quick lunch and had a wine slushie! (You can not bring your own food or drink)

    There is a restaurant, but you have to make reservations, so I recommend planning ahead if you want to eat there! After lunch, we went into the tasting room; it was soo crowded inside, it was very difficult to find a spot at the bar. Our tasting was $25 per person and included 6 tastings, a logo wine glass, and a $5 coupon toward wine bottle purchase of $30 or more. I tasted the almond sparkling, watermelon, white cab, peach bellini, and rose. I wish that we could have spent more time here because it was just so beautiful, but like I said, it was really crowded. *There website has all of their up to date offerings and you can find all the info here*

    We got to bring the glass home with us

    Stop #3 – Ponte Winery

    This was our third and final stop of the day. Ponte Winery also has a restaurant, but we did not eat here. We only did the wine tasting since it was getting close to their closing time. Wine tastings are $25 per person and include 6 tastings.

    Here is the menu that we got to choose from, it may be different now

    There is also a hotel on the property and I think that this would have been such a cool place to stay the night! *They are open for wine tastings outside, but you do have to make a reservation ahead of time. All of their info on COVID protocol can be found on their website. The restaurant and tasting is currently open for reservations, but they are not doing any winery tours!

    I can’t wait to be able to do these types of day trips again once things go back to normal and I feel comfortable being around so many people. All three of these places are open and have a COVID protocol in place. I recommend checking out each of their websites before planning to visit so that you can make sure you’ve made the proper reservations and have everything you need.

    As always, if you have any questions, let me know and I’ll do my best to get the best answer for you! If you have any recommendations on other wineries to go to while in Temecula, drop them in the comment section.

    XOXO

  • San Diego – Brewery Day Trip

    San Diego – Brewery Day Trip

    Good Morning friends! I have been meaning to post this FOREVER! Literally. For Robert’s 29th birthday, we decided to take a little day trip down to San Diego to do a little beer tasting at a few breweries that he was interested in. We woke up super early Saturday morning (March 2, 2019) and drove to San Diego.

    First Stop: Green Flash Brewing Co.

    We made it just in time to snag a spot on the brewery tour. At the start of the tour, they gave us a taste of their special beer they were promoting that weekend. During the tour we learned about how they make all the beers in house and the process that each one goes through.

    After the tour, we grabbed a drink and then decided to head out to our second spot as it was getting a little crowded. They had a large selection of beers and I felt like they had something for everyone’s tastes. I’m not a huge beer fan, but they had something that even I enjoyed. I believe Robert got the Hoppy Birthday and I got the Passion Fruit Kicker.

    Second Stop: Saint Archer Brewing

    This was my favorite stop hands down. We chose to do two flights instead of just one regular drink. In my flight, I got: Razzleberry, Peach, Sour IPA, and Chocolate Strawberry Stout. The Razzleberry was my favorite as it reminded me of a cider (my favorite drinks). I ended up getting a case to go and am super bummed that I finished them over the summer. We didn’t stay here very long as it was raining so all of their outdoor seating was unavailable and they didn’t have a ton of indoor seating.

    Third Stop: Iron Fist Brewing Company

    UPDATE: They have permanently closed their doors due to COVID.

    This stop was not what we were expecting; it was in more of a shopping center and had apartments above it. I think the location was fairly new when we went.

    Fourth Stop: Mission Brewery

    It was closer to dinner time by the time we got here and were getting pretty hungry so we only grabbed one drink each before leaving for dinner. I liked the options at this brewery and liked that they had the option to purchase a sampler size (the small glass in the picture). They had games that you could play and gave off more of a bar vibe.

    Dinner: BarleyMash

    Robert had been here before while on a Bachelor Trip in San Diego but this was my first time. It was all delicious! I would definitely go back. The restaurant is located in the Gaslamp District, so it’s super close to all the bars and nightlife. If we had planned better, we should have stayed the night so we didn’t have to drive the two hours home.

    These are all places I would recommend stopping at if you are ever in the SD area. If you are not planning on traveling anytime soon, definitely bookmark this and save it for later. If you do plan on heading to SD, I would call ahead to make sure they’re open and to see what they’re COVID protocol is! If you have any questions feel free to let me know and I’ll do my best to answer!

    XOXO