Page 173 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

TEMECULA CVB; PADAM COLE BARBER/SHUTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: ETTENAEJ/SHUTTERSTOCK
OLD TOWN TEMECULA, left;
a hot air balloon floats over
the Temecula vineyards, below.
City & Town
Food and wine fans can stroll through Old
Town Temecula’s historic district of 1880s
buildings while wine tasting and sampling
local fare in a friendly, Old West ambience.
Or visit Redlands, the “City of Beautiful
Homes,” and its opulent Victorians and Arts
and Crafts style homes of yesteryear.
North of Temecula, play in the mud or
soak in the soothing mineral waters of the
155-year-old Glen Ivy Hot Springs, dating
from early stagecoach days. Get in on the
action at the gaming tables at the Pechanga
Casino. Or soar in a hot air balloon over
Temecula Valley’s 35,000-acre wine country,
dotted with B&Bs and luxury resorts amid
vines and citrus groves. Afterwards, relax
with a glass of local wine on a winery por-
tico or play golf in this quiet oasis of the
California good life.
Heritage & Culture
Riverside harbors a wealth of California
history. On Magnolia Avenue, the state’s
DRIVE
»
TOUR
RIM OF THE WORLD SCENIC
BYWAY: This 107-mile scenic
drive begins on State Highway
138 just west of I-15 at the
MORMON ROCK FIRE
STATION. Travel east on 138 to
the CAJON PASS OVERLOOK
for breathtaking views, then
east to SILVERWOOD LAKE
and the Mojave River basin. 138 merges with 18 along the rim of the San
Bernardino forest and provides sweeping vistas of San Bernardino,
Redlands and the Los Angeles Basin. At BIG BEAR LAKE DAM, follow the
road around Big Bear Lake to MILL CREEK RANGER STATION. This tour
can be done in four hours.
INSIDER’S
»
TIP
Drift serenely in a hot-air
balloon over the vineyards,
citrus groves and horse ranches
of Temecula’s wine country,
tinged by the rising sun’s golden
light. SUNRISE BALLOONS first
pioneered these flights in 1975;
their capable, licensed pilots
ensure a safe float that begins
with a mimosa and ends with
cold champagne.
sunriseballoons.com
first and oldest navel orange tree, planted in
1873, stands on the spot where California’s
multi-million-dollar citrus industry began.
Since 1880, the iconic Mission Inn has
hosted U.S. presidents and delighted trav-
elers with a Hearst Castle-like eclectic mix
of Spanish and Moorish architecture,
adorned with priceless Italian and Spanish
treasures, as a church bell tolls on the hour.
The San Bernardino Museum explores
local history by exhibiting a covered wagon
that crossed the Mojave Desert from Salt Lake
City and a Wells Fargo stagecoach. The Hall
of Anthropology showcases local native cul-
tures, the Mojave, Serrano and Gabrielino.
Within the citrus groves surrounding the
museum, the Zimmerman Citrus Kiosk
explores the area’s citrus heritage.
Family Fun
The fun begins with rides on the trains and
trolleys of the Orange Empire Railway
Museum in Perris. At Tom’s Farm in Corona,
kids can pan for gold, mount a pony, board
the 1800s steam train, or explore a real gem
mine. In the summertime heat, take cool
water rides on the Alpine Slide’s twisting
curves at the Magic Mountain Recreation
Area at Big Bear Lake.
2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 171