Page 129 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

SPECIAL
»
EVENTS 2014
ROGUE PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL Feb 27-March 8, Fresno roguefestival.com
MARCH MEET March 6-9, Bakersfield famosoraceway.com
BRUBECK FESTIVAL March 26-29, Stockton pacific.edu/Brubeck-Institute.html
PICNIC DAY April 12, Davis picnicday.ucdavis.edu
STOCKTON ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL April 25-27, Stockton asparagusfest.com
ZINFEST WINE FESTIVAL May 17, Lodi zinfest.com
BASQUE FESTIVAL May 25, Bakersfield kcbasqueclub.com
AMERICAN GRAFFITI CAR SHOW & FESTIVAL June 6-8, Modesto
americangraffitifestival.com
VILLAGE FEST Sep. 6, Bakersfield bakersfieldvillagefest.com
FESTIVAL OF ROSES Sep. 6, Wasco ci.wasco.ca.us
BIG FRESNO FAIR Oct. 1-12, Fresno fresnofair.com
SANDHILL CRANE FESTIVAL Oct. 31-Nov. 2, Lodi cranefestival.com
sport (fishing, rafting, waterskiing) and
bird migration rest stops, as well as a
necessary element of farming. In the hot
summer months, the area’s rivers and
lakes help residents and tourists alike
cool off, and a shady swimming hole is
an ideal spot to spend an afternoon.
The most notable souvenir from a
trip through the Central Valley comes
from any of the unbeatable roadside
produce stands. Be sure to enjoy them
before you return home, because the
edible treasure of the region is best sam-
pled fresh.
THE STOCKTON ARENA seats 10,000 and overlooks the water-
front in downtown Stockton, below; lettuce ready for harvest
in Salinas Valley, opposite.
»
MUST
SEE,
DO
» Fresh off the Farm Reap the benefits of
Fresno farms’ bounty at the Vineyard Farmer’s
Market, held every Wednesday and Saturday,
year-round.
› vineyardfarmersmarket.com
» Middle Mountains Hike the Sutter Buttes,
remnants of an ancient volcano and known as the
“world’s smallest mountain range.”
› middlemountain.org
» Wine Tasting Pay a visit to winery tasting
rooms in Lodi, producing more than 40 percent of
the state’s premium Zinfandel.
› lodiwine.com
» Expansive Wetlands Explore Grizzly Island in
the Suisun Marsh, which makes up more than 10
percent of California’s remaining natural wetlands.
› suisunwildlife.org/grizzly.html
» Basque in the Desert Get to know Basque
cuisine in Bakersfield, where there’s a rich history
of transplanted sheepherders.
› noriegahotel.com
INSIDER’S
»
TIP
Catch a baseball game at Banner
Island, home of the STOCKTON
PORTS. An offshoot of the team
credited with inspiring Ernest
Lawrence Thayer’s famous
“Casey at the Bat” poem, the
Ports got their name because
Stockton was California’s only
inland port.
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