Page 175 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

RICHARD THORNTON/SHUTTERSTOCK; CURTIS PERRY/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR; JIM FELICIANO/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: TERRANCE EMERSON/SHUTTTERSTOCK; WAYNE HSIEH/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR
KERN COUNTY MUSEUM in Bakersfield, right; Bakersfield at
night, bottom left; Student Union and bookstore at California
State University, Fresno, bottom right.
Fresno and Bakersfield
Get ready for an adventure in Fresno,
because some of the best ways to see the
region’s flowers and fruit trees are to
follow the trails. At the right time of year
(February through March) the Fresno
County Blossom Trail leads to wide
panoramas of orchards full of fruit trees
bursting with blossoms and sweet fra-
grance. The Fresno County Fruit Trail has
rewards year round, but aim for harvest
time of your favorite, whether that’s cher-
ries, apricots, oranges or another. The area
outside town is scattered with U-pick
farms from May through September to get
your fill of berries, cherries and plums—
or, just cut to the chase and get a fresh pie
at a farmstand stop.
Bakersfield is tucked within Kern
County, which ranks third among all
counties in the United States in agricul-
ture-related production. A local favorite,
Murray Family Farms is surrounded by
citrus groves, golden foothills and the
Tehachapi mountain skyline. Pick from
seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, a pet-
ting zoo and a ride on a tractor-driven
wagon that traverses 43 acres of crops.
Vacaville and Manteca
Vacaville’s Suisun Valley is home to
nearly every variety of wine grape.
Although the area’s winemaking tradition
dates to the late 1800s, planting has
expanded steadily within the last 20 years
with an increased demand for premium
wines. Don’t leave without a stop at the
legendary Nut Tree, which has been a
staple of Northern California road trips
and overnight stays for decades.
Balance tours of family farms (com-
plete with a seasonal pumpkin maze in
the fall) with wine tasting in Manteca,
where service is so personal that you’re
likely to meet the farmer, grape grower
and wine maker. You know you’re close to
the farms when local delis and restau-
rants carry produce grown just a short
distance away.
»EAT, PLAY,
STROLL, RELAX
Central Valley
Tourism Association
visitcentralvalley.com
2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 173