With 375 wineries, there’s a good reason that Napa Valley is the first thing folks imagine when they hear California wine country. But a quaint little Southern California town is staking its claim as a wine-lovers destination; Temecula. 

An hour and a half south of Los Angeles, Temecula is quietly churning out sophisticated Spanish and Mediterranean varietals of wine in one of its 50 local wineries.  While Temecula can boast being named one of the 10 Best Wine Travel Destinations in 2019 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, it hasn’t lost its laidback SoCal feel. You won’t need to be an oenophile to enjoy Temecula. 

But there’s so much more than wine that makes this a perfect candidate for a weekend getaway. 

(Running short on time, click here for the complete Temecula travel itinerary.)

What to Do

Explore Old Town Temecula

This is the natural first stop on your weekend getaway after checking in to the hotel. With a charming old western feel, Old Town Temecula is perfect for an evening stroll.Old Town Front St, the heart of Old Town, is home to a litany of restaurants, antique dealers, and boutiques. There’s also a parade of antique cars that weekend warriors showcase along the main road in the evening.

Hot Air Ballooning

Every morning, the sky is dotted with colorful balloons showing off views of the entirety of Temecula. Now there’s a lot that can be off-putting about the idea of ballooning. First, there’s nothing like standing in a deserted field before daybreak with complete strangers that makes you feel safe. But a 5:30 am start time is a necessary safety precaution as ballooning is so dependent on the weather. It’s wonderfully disconcerting to launch yourself over the side of an oversized picnic basket that comes up to your chest, and I’ll admit, I did not handle that gracefully. Yet, as we floated into the morning sky while the sun burst over the horizon, apprehension drifted away, and peace filled its space. 

We chose California Dreamin’ which came with a two for one tasting coupon for the Vindemia Winery. Our pilot had 40 years of ballooning experience, which gave us confidence that was demolished when his first words to us was that he was having a bad day. Eek! 

*Pro-tip, those celebrating anniversaries or birthdays get a free bottle of wine to take home. 

Hiking

Am I a hiking enthusiast? No. Do I like to integrate a relaxing hike when I travel? Also, no. Yet there I found myself, at the base of the Dripping Springs Trail. A 13 mile ‘moderate’ hike that promised mountain vistas and lush forest. I had resigned myself to just push through this hike, until we saw a sign to beware of rattlesnakes.  Suffice to say, I was rattled (pun intended). I was on edge the entire time, a feeling of dread at the possibility of confronting a snake. Not a full mile into our upward trek did we spot a snake rapidly slither across the path. Sure it was a small one, but self preservation kicked in and I was back at the car within 10 minutes. 

Another, possibly safer, option is the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. Walk through the park’s varied ecosystems, keeping an eye out for the mule deer, badgers and turtles that make their home here. 

Alpaca Feeding

Looking for something a little more unusual to fill your time? Why not feed alpacas on a private alpaca farm tour. Bonus, at the Alpaca shoppe, you can pick up alpaca fleece goods and even alpaca milk. Check out the Alpaca Hacienda here. 

Golfing

While I’m not a golfer, I stayed at the Temecula Creek Inn, where all the rooms opened up to the golf greens, and I could see the appeal. The scenery is particularly beautiful, mountain vistas on one side and the rolling hills of wine country on the other.

Wine Tasting

With 50 wineries to choose from, the options can feel overwhelming. That’s where a wine tasting tour saves the day. They tailor an experience of visiting three to four wineries. For a traditional experience in a party bus shuttling you to three different wineries, Grapeline Tours can’t be beat. 

But Temecula has quirky wine tasting experiences in spades. Here are some strong competitors for the most unique wine tasting tours.

Temecula Carriage Company offers a one or two hour horse drawn carriage ride that includes a bottle of wine and picnic. This is ideal for a couple’s getaway if you’re looking for something a little more private. 

Temecula Cable Car Wine Tours offers the fun of a group tour with open air flair. Ride in an honest to goodness cable car visiting three wineries with an included lunch.

So-Cal Sidecar Tours offers so much more than just a wine tour. Riding in a two person sidecar next to a dapper motorcyclist, choose between wine, brewery, cocktail, or food tours. 

Where to Eat

Breakfast

Toast - So nice we did it twice. Boasting made-from-scratch dishes and offering local coffees & teas, craft beer and unique cocktails, this is a hidden gem hiding in plain sight in an unassuming strip mall. The smoked veggie benedict, crab cake benedict, and shrimp and grits were all outstanding

Swing Inn Cafe - Looking for a more local diner experience. Swing Inn Cafe has that in spades even down to the red vinyl booths. This place specializes in the classics, but worth grabbing an Irish Coffee, because why not, you’re on vacation.

Lunch/Dinner

1909 - The sister restaurant of Toast and it shows.  The menu has flair, everyday dishes with a twist. I would have eaten my weight in the deep fried deviled eggs. The goat cheese and spinach caesar was everything I didn’t know I needed and the fish tacos were fantastic. I could keep going, but in the interest of time, let me just say, make this a part of your time in Temecula.

Be Good - There’s pageantry and then there’s bringing out a procession of  waitstaff carrying sparklers to serve fajitas on a sizzling skillet. The flight of margaritas is not to be missed, there’s something for everyone from lime/cucumber, mango, and jalapeno orange. 

Cork | Fire Kitchen - it was about this time in the trip where I started feeling like a stuffed pig. But Cork Fire offers an upscale dining experience with a view over the golf course at Temecula Creek Inn that was a great punctuation to a wonderful trip. The cocktails were delectable, the scallops nice, but the real start of the show was dessert. The mason jar cake was molasses, french buttercream, and torched vanilla bean marshmallow heaven.

Public House - This gastro pub was a pleasant surprise. We hadn’t planned ahead and could not secure a dinner reservation and stumbled into Public House, located next door to 1909.  The goat toast is a great starter, and I enjoyed the brussel sprout appetizer as my entree. Peppered with cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, and drizzled with balsamic reduction, this dish gave me life. 

Whew, that’s a lot of info. Long story short, Temecula is a great getaway with no shortage of things to fill your time. If you’re heading out, be sure to download our Temecula itinerary here.