The Apple Valley's Desert Rock & Road Half Marathon brought me out here. The start and finish line…read morewas at the Civic Center Park. It was near the intersection of Highway 18 (Happy Trails Highway) and Dale Evans Highway. I picked up my race packet over at the Aquatic Center office. They had more than enough parking for the event. Everything was easy to find and looked to be well maintained.

Apple Valley has such a deep and which history, especially for me as it's the first city I lived in…read moreafter moving out as an adult with my first partner for a good chunk of time. From the Apple Valley Speedway to the Highlands cusping Hesperia A.V. has lots to do and see. I was a super regular at the Anytime Fitness on Apple Valley Road from 2008 to 2011. Frequenter of Los Domingos on Wika Road on the outskirts of Hwy 18 (aka Happy Trails), obsessed with Eggplant Parmigiana at Mama Carpino's and lover of so many cool gems, coffee spots, food favorites, big chain must like Target, Albertsons, Walmart Winco Rite Aid, Red Robin, Del Taco and more. BJ's Health Corner (a sub branch of BJ's Health Food store in Victorville) was a place I'd pop into on occasion when I made the transition from vegetarian to vegan in 2009... Not the easiest thing to do in the 2000s, but Apple Valley definitely has some great options and gems. Driving around during Christmas made me really want to double back a visit a little more in the new year. Re-explore and support this community I called home for years, showed up for the birth of my first nephew at St. Mary's Hospital (now Providence St. Mary's), lived with awesome friends. Enjoy house socials, date nights, movies at Jess Ranch Cinemark. Dive bars like Gator's for concerts, karaoke and inexpensive drinks #SmallTownCharm or even Frogee's #RusticLounge for a little dancing, billiards and local characters were my nightlife, beyond spots in Victorville. Today I'd recommend places like D.R.E.A.M. lounge, Better Days and 18 Taps Tavern, especially for the nightlife scene. A few cool parks like Civic Center Dog Park, Norm Schmidt, Lion's Park (extra tiny). Pretty good schools such as Apple Valley High, Granite Hills High (one of our rival high schools back in the late 90s/early 2000s), Desert Knolls, Sycamore Rocks Elementary School, Sandia Academy and AAE (Academy for Academic Excellence) where all my siblings graduated. Victor Valley College (my alma mater being the hub for high education - with many trade and charter campuses). Some local hotels, motels and inns tucked away including the Apple Valley Lodge (most places for night/day stays are in Victorville and/or Hesperia - along the 15). Airbnb in Apple V is there, but Vrbo might be better depending on what you need. Deep Creek Hot Springs is probably one of the most known places in all of Apple Valley - beautiful camping, natural springs and sites. I'd explore when I lived here and did have an opportunity to come with some friends from LA ironically who wanted to camp it up, but declined due to the heat at that time of year. Growing up in the desert you know the heat well and visiting, you learn or re-learn fast. Weather rise expect cold winters (the coldest for me being the blizzard of 2009 - never have I ever seen a freeway shut down - the entire desert covered in ice - had to shovel off so much snow - walk in it - work during it or worn more layers in life)... Snow typically only sticks once in a blue moon. Strong winds with dust, great springs, fun falls and sizzling summers. Beat the heat at places like the Civic Center Park Aquatic Center. And keep warm at nice cozy places like Perks Coffee House (check out the upstairs loft). From films, tv shows commercials and film school project Moon Warrior (2012/2013) that's floating around online I was apart of to legends like Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Cassandra Peters, Skip Young, Megan Jastrab and Apple Valley High's very own Cuba Gooding Jr. former residents you'd be surprised how this wide open, yet well populated and diverse city town has to offer in various pockets. A lot of smooth roads, streets, neighborhoods and upkeep.

Wow!!! This was such an amazing birthday experience for 2 little boys turning 9 years old! The…read moreowner was so responsive, thorough, attentive and reasonably priced. He came to asses my roads and make sure we were accessible out here in the country side. He made sure all the kids had something to play and didn't argue over a gaming device. He had switches for the kids not playing on the ps5's. There were 6 screens and each ps5 was preloaded with games. He had us choose games beforehand and then make sure there weren't others we didn't want the day off. The a/c was so cooling on an unseasonably hot day. The music was appropriate for the ages we had (kids bop). It was so clean and well kept. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to make the dreams of little kids (or big kids and dads) come true. I would hire him again in a heartbeat.

Had a great bday party with the game truck. Clean, professional, kids had so much fun!!read more

This is my 5th year at Dance Dynamics. The teachers and students make me feel happy and brings me…read moreso much joy. Currently, I have Mr. Ryan and Miss. Randi. They are both so kind and fun. In previous years, I have had Mrs. Jeanette for tap, ballet, and jazz. I have also had Mr. Stephen for hiphop, Mr. Ryan for hiphop, and Miss. Randi for cheer. Next year, I am having Miss. Randi for cheer and hiphop, Mr. Ryan for hiphop, and Miss. Mackenzie for jazz. Huge shoutout to all of these teachers!

It's so good the teachers are the nicest and they push you to be a better dancer and my niece has…read moregotten so much better than when she first started

Miss Selenia's Happy Place has truly been a blessing for our family. As a parent of children on the…read moreautism spectrum, it's incredibly hard to find someone who not only understands but also connects with them in such a gentle, patient, and loving way. Miss Selenia is calm, compassionate, and simply amazing. She creates a safe and supportive environment where my boys feel comfortable and confident during their swim lessons. I'm beyond grateful for her presence in their lives and wholeheartedly recommend her to any parent of a child with special needs. She's a rare gem!

This is a great learning environment and Miss Selenia is an excellent teacher with plenty…read moreexperience. She makes the class fun and knows when to encourage you to push yourself when she sees you are ready too, which I really appreciate. I currently take her pole classes. I'm really glad we have this in the high desert and from such a great instructor :) great vibes!

Mission has been a great choice for me to get back on my feet Enrollment was really easy The CNA…read moreprogram is taught by Mrs Roger she is patient but stern She get her students ready for the workplace She is willing to share her story to encourage You

Very great school! Ms.Rogers was a wonderful instructor very informative and very hands on. Always…read moreis willing to help you where you are struggling!

Cobra Kai changed our lives. My son Cruz was getting bullied in school and my brother in law, who…read moretrains here, recommended we try Cobra Kai. We started off boxing with Coach Luis and my son learned not just self defense and the art of boxing but he also learned respect and discipline. After training in the boxing classes for 15 months we finally transitioned into the Jiu Jitsu program with Joe Stevenson and Coach Mike. My daughter finally got involved too at the gym and now both my kids do Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. This gym is really great and there is a sense of community and family here. The kids are all respectful to each other and the coaches really emphasize this. The coaches and staff are all amazing and there is a wide variety of classes not just for kids but for adults too. We love Cobra Kai!!!!

My 3 kids love learning and training at cobra kai. The environment is set up for them to have fun,…read moregrow and thrive.

I took my first driving lessons here in 2017 with Sal! I was insanely nervous to begin driving but…read moreeveryone was super kind, patient, and welcoming. After 3 lessons, I was ready to take my test and passed it without being docked a single point!! There's so many things I learned that I still use today. I seriously can't stress enough how kind and patient Sal was. If you're considering taking your son/daughter here or even considering taking a class here yourself, please do! Here I am, two years later and thankfully accident free and I can't help but to feel that this school is part of the reason why!

They don't answer the phone so take them of f the yelp 11/11/21trying to see if taking appointments…read morebut no answer