What an incredible experience! It was so amazing to see so many reptiles and be able to actually…read morehold them and interact with them in their habitats. We wouldn't have had such an amazing time without our amazing tour guide. Rachel did such a great job teaching our kids the right ways to interact with the animals and you can tell that she really loves what she does. She was really patient with our kids and made this an unforgettable experience. Highly recommend! *full warning, the outside of the building looks a little sketchy at first because it's an old building, but don't let that deter you*

Would you like to learn about incredible reptiles up close and support a good cause? The…read moreEcoVivarium is the perfect place! For $25 you can get a behind the scenes tour that introduces you to a variety of turtles, snakes, and lizards that call the EcoVivarium home. They also have birthday party visits, host events, and as I learned from my friend Trish, can help teachers get set up with a reptile in the classroom. My first conversation with Susan at the EcoVivarium was heartfelt, as I was calling to see if they might be interested in the donation of our decommissioned aquarium. The setup was only four years old and housed our previous beloved 26 year old fish named Puff that had recently passed away. Susan was kind, expressed her condolences and shared that they would appreciate our donation. Chun P and I met Rachel and Donald on a Sunday and after we brought our items in from the car were treated to meeting some terrific reptiles. Many of the inhabitants at the EcoVivarium have sad stories, some had suffered abuse, some were abandoned, and others were victims of trafficking that were confiscated and brought in by the department of fish and game. Susan has created a safe space and her staff and volunteers give their all to make sure they live a better life. I'm looking forward to visiting again soon and supporting this worthy endeavor!

This auto museum is absolutely fantastic! Words cannot describe how cool the property and the car…read morecollection are. The pictures don't even do it justice. I've wanted to visit this location since before Covid but never got around to it. Finally this year a friend and I were trying to visit as many museums as possible during San Diego Museum Month (February) and when I told him about it he was totally in. I knew from the website that the collection was large but didn't know what to expect. We walked in and bought tickets. The gentleman at the counter was helpful and explained how the museum and the wine tasting worked. He led us over the entrance to the cars and told us about the main building and then told us how to get to the two outbuildings that were part of the tour. The main building has the wine tasting, seating, kitchen, and bathroom. There were some cool artifacts in the building. We were both so impressed by what we saw. THEN...we walked down the path to the garage and our minds were blown! BLOWN! There was some seriously spectacular history in that garage. The cars and the collected fridges, radios, toys, and other items housed there. When we walked up to the third building we were once again stunned at the beauty of the cars and bikes and such there. I would never be able to pick out a favourite because there were just too many treasures. I've been to the museum three times this year because once I mention it to someone they insist on checking it out and I would never say no. The wine tasting was a lot of fun too. They have different types seasonally and all of the wine we drank was pretty good. I bought a couple of bottles. You can bring your own snacks and nibbles to go with your wine. Go. Visit. Check out. Be amazed. Enjoy! Excellent, Deer Park, absolutely excellent!

NOT JUST CARS An interesting collection of mostly…read moreconvertible cars and other Americana and collectibles (i.e. Vintage TVs, appliances, radios, Barbie dolls, etc.), housed in three separate structures in a winery setting. PRICE TO ENTER When you first enter, you will be in a gift shop/entry area where you pay at the desk. The cost was $14 per adult in April 2026. (Discounts offered for seniors, military and kids). IT NEEDS A REFRESH Overall, I felt the museum needed a bit of a refresh and rebrand. It's tired, dated and a little clumsy and cluttered. The items in the gift shop look like they've been there for decades. There are odd pieces of furniture lying around nestled between the cars along with cardboard stand-ups of Marilyin Monroe and dated photographs. The descriptive signage next to the cars are on the floor and wordy, hard to read. There was dust, dirt and cobwebs in display cabinets. It felt like someone had collected all this stuff, put it on display and then forgot about it. The cars and their paintwork were in great condition and paintwork was dust-free and shiny. It would have been nice to have learned about the owner or the story behind the collection, but we weren't given any brochures and there weren't any docents to ask. BARBIE COLLECTION In one building there's a small room with a large collection of boxed Barbie dolls from years past with a few Barbie cars as well. Again, it all looked a little tired and forgotten. WINE BY THE GLASS OR TASTING We didn't stick around for wine or wine tasting, but there were people there enjoying the patio and live music. There's a refrigerator with charcuterie and cold drinks available for purchase. The vineyards were pretty with roses and benches dotted around. Picnic tables are available out front. Their web site is one page, not terribly informative and again, could do with an update and refresh. Parking is complimentary. If you've never been before and like to seek out new places in San Diego County, stop by for a visit to either the auto museum, winery or both. See my photos attached for more details. Helpful?

What a great place for anyone, young or old to visit. Come visit and see and learn some history of…read moreSan Marcos. They have some great collections of antiques and a few historical buildings as well. Please call to find out some info on some hands on craft, chores and lifestyle from 100 hundred years ago. The staff are wonderful and very informative. Great place to have a picnic too!

One of the highlights of my 8 days with my grand children who live in San Marcos was going to the…read moreSan Marco's Historic Museum. Catie had been there on her first grade field trip and really wanted to go back. It was an amazing tour of the history of their area led by Docent Mimi for just us. The kids loved it (me, too). We would highly recommend.

Fun place for a quick drop-in. The host was very nice and the grounds peaceful…read more If you find yourself heading east past the Wild Animal Park, stop off if they are open! It's free. Or give a few bucks. These folks are doing a good service to the citizens of San Diego!

This place is cool, amazing and informative. 9/18/12 was free museum day and by the time we arrived…read more30min after opening they had already had several patrons visit... there was a few still walking around inside. They were taking down zip codes to see where everyone was coming from, a couple walked in right after us from Santa Rosa. We started with the kids learning treasure hunt. The questions line up with the numbers on the exhibit and the answers are within the reading. While the place is small we were there for about 1.5 hours reading and doing the activities along with the treasure hunt. They have an excavation section for kids (like a play/learning area) and an employee came over and starting showing munchkin the cool things you can find on the rocks, shells and even your fingers. That was super cool and interactive. After we were finished we ventured to the small gift shop inside towards the front and munchkin was able to get some obsidian, opal, thunder eggs rocks, iron pyrite, tourmaline, geode, Drury quartz, wonderstone, topaz, lavic jasper for his rock collection. Then he was informed of the free book section and we ventured over there and he grabbed a few national geographic books to take home and read. All-in-all a great learning experience and great friendly staff! A great choice for us on Musuem Day! Would recommend as it is very kid friendly! This place is literally right next to San Diego Wild Animal Park!

TheCado.co (the link to take you there) H aas is featured…read morehere E levated experience as I love the fruit A vocado knowledge is shared V ictory my first time playing cornhole, all bags in on one try, going pro O pen for ticket sales online C ome and see it for yourself A place for the senses D ynamite sister team who created this will guide you (Anne & Mary) O pen to teaching new generations about farming M r. A-Z, Jason Mraz offers insight, as a local Avo farmer via cassette U m forgot how to use a cassette player, but ordered Mr. A-Z on vinyl S ome secrets we will save U nite with like minded avo lovers here E ducation is equal to Instagram influence at this museum M ake it a date E xpect to pay between $14-19 to enter, through September X -rated it's not, yet adults may enjoy it more than kids, please sanitize P hoto opportunities for fruit forward fun E ntertainment value R ipe for the taking I heart avocados, clearly for those that love them E at at Fresh for 10% off avocado smoothies, salads and sandwiches N ewtopia Cyder also offers a Avo-Honey Cider next door C alifornia Avocado Commission is a sponsor E xit at the gift shop does not apply here, only one cute market tote for sale, which is very useful for the environment. Why buy more things you don't need? Buy an EXPERIENCE...thanks Anne and Mary! #TheCADO #NorthCity #SanMarcos #HaasHistory #AnneandMary #TheRipeTime #JasonMrazFarmerandMusician

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS ______________________________________…read more(...And The Enchanted 'Cado Seed) ONCE UPON A TIME, in a land far far away called California... there were 2 sisters named Anne and Mary Spriggins. They were spry, poor millennials living with a dairy cow and 2 iPhones in a farm cottage. The cow's milk was their only current #side-hustle. When dairy milk lost its market appeal to Almond; Soy; Cashew; Coconut; and Cat Milk, Anne asks Mary to sell the cow at the Mercado. On the way, Mary's Uber driver named Ben (along with ride-along: Jerry) offered 3 magic beans in exchange for the dairy cow, and Mary makes the trade. When she arrives home without any money, Anne becomes angry, throws the beans to the ground, and sends Mary to bed without her iPhone. During the night, the magic beans cause a gigantic beanstalk to grow outside Mary's window. The next morning... because duh... the girls climb the beanstalk to a place high in the sky. There, they find an enormous castle and sneak in to take some selfies [#pics or it didn't happen]. But Mary was #woke to a childhood tale about a scary Giant... cannibalism... and larceny gone wrong... so they overcome their #FOMO and climb back down the beanstalk as fast as they can. When they reach the ground, they cut down all but a 3-foot length of beanstalk with an axe. The next morning, giant avocados started blossoming from the remaining stalk, and the sisters called their avocado farmer friend Jason Mraz to help them harvest. Each time they picked one, a new one would grow. They could now have Avocado toast for life! YAAAAAS. Jason explained that the beans from the Uber driver were from the Hass Mother Tree of La Habra Heights -- and all Hass avocados trace their roots back to her. Mary and Anne decided that, if people would believe them... their story needed to be told. They asked Jason to narrate. He found some #lameAF "Captain and Tennille" cassette tapes, which he gladly recorded over. Next they bought all the green paint in 3 Home Depots and got to work. A pop-up museum was born, and the rest is history. Pro tip: this immersive seed-to-toast art experience features SoCal's finest bumpy-skinned fruit. Here, you can hear Jason tell the story, visit with Hass Mother, and bring home your own enchanted 'cado seeds. But hurry... it all ends Sept. 22. After that, your #FOMO struggle is real.

Came today to see their Tractor Show with my son. He is 1.5 years old and obsessed with tractors. A…read morelot of old machinery outdoors. A bit of a steep price of $10 to get in. We went to the farmhouse and saw cookies being offered but I seemed to have offended these ladies when I asked if any of their items had peanuts because of my son having a peanut allergy. It was a simple question but they were so mean about it. Not too sure if I'll come visit again. It was quite a drive and the volunteers at the farmhouse definitely rubbed me the wrong way about my food allergy question.

Located on the outskirts of Vista, on a giant piece of land you will find the AGSEM…read more There is a huge parking lot, and after a rain storm it will be muddy and have potholes, so go slow, be careful. Park and make your way over to the visitor center / gift shop (across from the barn) and pay your entry free or buy the membership pass which comes with 1 year membership, 4 guest passes, etc. The place is pretty large, and if you move quickly, don't talk to anyone, and breeze through the exhibits, and items you can get through in 60-90 minutes. If you have time, and are there on a Saturday, there are lectures and exhibits that are open, like the model train, blacksmith, weavers, etc. Sometimes the place is rented out for special events, and sometimes they have special days like the Antique Engine and Tractor Show. The place is huge and run by many volunteers, and not many docents walking around so grab a map and go explore. Definitely plenty of old, vintage, rusted items including steam engines, tractors, cars, signs, gas pumps, etc. The model train exhibit has been a work in progress for over 15 years, but is 1/164 scale of the donner pass area and they just started building a new section that will be a work in progress for many years.

Very weak and not always open. Our party was disappointed and we had a hard time finding out when…read moreit would be open. The Welk Resort needs to have better communication and customer support.

Are you on a long drive? Are you on I-15?…read more Are you approaching Escondido? Do you need to pee? Can you finish the following line: "Mairsy doats and doasy oates and _______"? If you answered "yes" to the five questions above, then the Lawrence Welk Museum will be a fun pit stop on your way to somewhere else. I'm not a huge Welk fan or anything, but I've seen enough cute clips on YouTube to block out those terrible pre-cable Sundays growing up when Welk was the highlight of early Sunday evening television programming. Dark days of the 1970s. I can appreciate any kind of museum, really, if it's done well. I could go to the Museum of Hot, Manky Brussel Sprouts and enjoy myself under a devoted curator's care. So why not break up our trip from Las Vegas to San Diego with a stop here? (With a nod to the Roadside Attractions website for the tip.) The museum, or "museum," is actually just a lobby display in the community theatre on the grounds of the timeshare properties built by Welk. The theatre is part of a not-unattractive but rather generic little shopping area that also includes a beachwear shop and a Pizza Hut Express. The hills to the east are quite tranquil and lovely, though. It's a better place to stretch your legs than some diesel-belched parking lot. Very little interpretation happens in the theatre lobby. You've got the enormous champagne glass, a fake studio set with a cut-out of Welk, a recreated radio booth, a piano, a big screen playing faux-Beatles (what was up with that?) in front of some plush sofas, and many posters and photographs. The staff at the desk didn't say a word to us as we entered. I got the feeling they were only there for box office concerns. Surprisingly, there are no Welk souvenirs. No pens, no biographies, no ornaments, not even a souvenir champagne glass or bubble wand. I'm disappointed. I expect more from my tourist traps. To be fair, this isn't really a tourist trap at all - I think it's really just a very nice and absolutely free lobby display that someone unfortunately decided to call a museum, and now things are out of hand. But who can regret seeing the world's largest champagne glass? No one who needs to use a clean bathroom, that's who.

A total hidden gem for anyone! Tiny engines, motors, and other devices mostly handcrafted from…read morescratch. All sorts of model vehicles, ships and planes plus a fun dollhouse section. Lots of interesting details and background information to read.

Admission was free. It was very interesting because I love crafting. Also because there was a…read morescavenger hunt that I completed and got a little lizard 3d print.