Glad that I got to visit Idyllwild and honestly surprised it was my first time given I go to the desert a lot and this town is only about an hour away. It was definitely a fun road trip / day trip experience. Essentially it's very small town, nature vibes. Located in the mountains it's a nice drive. Twisty turns and roads that lead to a cute town and plenty of nature paths, hikes, and sites to explore. Definitely Idyllwild is great for the outdoorsy folks who like to camp and hike. As far as the town goes, it's got old timey charm and is a nice little escape from the big city life. Shops are charming and a nice small variety of restaurants here. I found it an entertaining place to visit for a few hours but then that's about it. If you aren't a hiker or camper, their downtown area is walkable and even if you go slow, you can see everything in about an hour or two. While the shops are fun and kitchy, not a lot of great shopping. Restaurants are standard for a small town but nothing 5 star worthy that I could find that you'd come out of your way for a meal for. If you can appreciate an old school town with friendly locals/shop owners and nice scenery then it's a great stop for you. I'm really happy I came and I had fun, but this isn't a town/area I'd need to come back to anytime soon. Every few years coming up for the day would be just fine with me. Cute place, old school vibes and nice change of scenery. read more

Idyllwild - Local Flavor Near Me

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Idyllwild is a Small, cute, charming mountain town in one hour of LA...It's a relaxing getaway in heart of mountain with many pop & moms store and cute bar and restaurants...It has good trails for hiking and places to camp or stay by...I love walking through the streets here eveb though when we arrived it was heavily raining and it made our trip even more romantic...We drove by fog and rain and enjoyed beautiful coldish weather and the smell of wood...All stores were open and kind of busy...Life dont stop in mountains...Such a great short trip... read more

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As a road-trip enthusiast, this cant get any better Idyllwild is a great weekend road trip destination. If you are in SoCal, you should check this small mountain town out. The atmosphere, scenery and the weather provide instant relaxation. Maybe we are up in the mountains, the sky is extra clear and blue! The town center quad has bars, cafes, tons of mediation stores and a great picture setting. We arrived in late march, most of the snow had been melted. At 3pm, the temperature was around 60 degree. We spent several hours checking stores after stores. Everyone was relax and friendly! and there is more! The road up to the town is some fun twisty mountain road. If you like some mountain road driving, this road-trip will provide it too! read more

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Beautiful mountain side town. Fun shops, restaurants, and town square (it's actually round). We found a great restaurant called Cafe Aroma and I already can't wait to dine there again. It's worth the drive although parking on the weekends can be a challenge. read more

Idyllwild - Local Flavor Near Me

Idyllwild is a great little town to escape to from the big city. You get nice clean fresh mountain air, and beautiful night skies, free from light pollution. The town is quaint and has some good restaurants, parks, hiking trails, and other establishments to let you get what you need or window shop for a while. There are some great inns and bed and breakfast places too. Of course you should bring your camera, there is plenty to snap and capture. Whether you are staying or just driving through, definitely good place to stop for a while and recharge. read more

Idyllwild - Local Flavor Near Me

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This is a cute little town in the mountains. You take a narrow winding road to get here. On Monday and Tuesday, many, if not most, stores and restaurants are closed. We didn't know that. We came on Monday and went home on Tuesday. There are cute little colorful statues of deer around the town. read more

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Cute little alpine town. Stopped by before camping at the nearby Stone Creek campgrounds over Labor Day 2020. They had an art fair going on that was nice. Shops and restaurants are open for service. Town is sort of a larger version of Julian. Pros: - serenity in the landscape - little shops and love music - close campgrounds - above the smog read more

Idyllwild - Landscape - Local Flavor Near Me

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Great weekend getaway. Small town vibes with cute shops and great restaurants. Has great hiking trips. Stop by the local grocery stop for a coffee, sandwich and an adventure pass for hitting the trails. read more

Raving fan of Idyllwild here. I think Scott B. said it best on 4/29/18 in his review in that "there are no big box stores" here. Instead, a wide assortment of mom and pop shops. Many restaurants and eateries that are certainly not chains. Art galleries. Festivals. Hiking. Camping. Still close to L.A., Palm Springs, and Vegas... The air is so fresh and cool. There are so many wonderful things about Idyllwild... My fingers cannot... type... fast... enough. The pace may be a bit slower compared to my current hometown of Downey (CA), but I'm not complaining. None whatsoever. The residents here are very down-to-earth and friendly. So, come to Idyllwild and "idle-a-while." read more

Idyllwild - There are nearly 50 of these painted deer scattered throughout town according to the "Explore Idyllwild Directory" 6/13/19 - Local Flavor Near Me

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Such a cute little village in the middle of the mountains. Theres a true mom and pop feel to the stores here. And people are so friendly!

A Heaven on earth (or at least, this is what heaven I hope will look like). If you can cover your eyes (except if you're the one driving) while negotiating the winding roads that feel like you're driving forever and you secretly say a prayers as you make it around the bend overlooking a cliff (and there will be plenty)--I think the trip to the mountaintop will be worth the cussing and the praying. Sorry, I'm such a bad backseat driver. The hubby will attest to that. But if you ask me--It think that he could drive a little slower, I tell him wouldn't it be nice if we got to Idyllwild in one piece. Things that I was quick to realize: 1) Shops and restaurants are walkable from our cabin. The town proper is quite small. And like someone else has said, there are no Walmart's or Targets or Costco's here. But you have a collection of charming local shops, from a shop that makes their own ice cream, to a super cute pet shop (my fur baby was so overwhelmed by the choices of toys and treats that he refused to pick any! So we chose a stuffed toy (a lamb, which we now call "Lammie") as well as bag of an organic jerky snack, a gem shop (Nature's's Elements 1st shop), and a host of restaurants. 2) Did I mention restaurants? Ex-pen-sive! For three adults + a small pup (with rather sophisticated tastes), we would spend close to $100 for either lunch or dinner. By the way, there's no Doordash, nor an Uber service. But walking to and from places is no biggie. The fresh air and the forest trees will provide a most beautiful "diversion". 3) Parking can be frustratingly limited (we went late-February, and it was still crowded. Can't imagine how much crazier it gets during the peak season. Is there even a low season in Idyllwild?? Please see my photos (warning: I have tons) read more

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This is by far the best kept secret of the entire Riverside County. It has the devils sliding trail to suicide rock and the world famous Lily Rock AKA Tahquitz Rock. In the summer it can truly be a spiritual experience because all while Hemet and Palm Springs is burning in hell Idyllwild can be raining and exploding with rainbows. Why do I know because I have seen it. Then at night if you ever dare to camp-out you will find the milkyway. I have stay up waiting for meteor showers with owls in the back ground. In my humble opinion Big Bear is over rated. Idyllwild has no city council and in fact the mayor is a dog AKA "Max". If you feel smothered and you've had it with the big city trust me this is your best get away. Grab a cabin but be aware the air is VERY THIN and you might feel light headed. In the summers they offer Jazz in the pines! In the fall for Halloween they offer many spooky events such as Zombie nights and down town has costume contest. In my life I have been to many Halloween parties in Hollywood but Idyllwild community takes it to the next level. Why? because they actually have a art school. https://www.idyllwildarts.org/ That being said the community is diverse with folks that are getting away from the spot light and the rat race. Many Celebs have retired or have get away homes. One local celeb that is seen is Jack Nicolson. Idyllwild does get alot of snow in the winter and they also have the biggest gigantic sugar pine cones you well ever see in your life. A must is a San Jasinto's Palm Spring's Tram way. It is right in the other side of the mountain. If you are fit you can hike it back into Idyllwild. https://www.pstramway.com/ If you get nervous about heights please close your eyes. That is what I do. LOL Yes! I cheat! It goes really fast and if you get brave it is really an experience. my favorite spot for camping and with a exquisite view https://www.recreation.gov/camping/marion-mountain/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70178 Yes! They have mountain lions I have witness one by passing me. She was beautiful and gracious. Thank god! she had better things to do then to eat me. However according to gun society for every mountain lion you see 100 lions have already seen you. So Mountain lions in Idyllwild are well and alive. If you want something more mellow then try the Science center or the strawberry creek. https://www.ferrorestaurant.com/ http://idyll-awhile.com/ http://cafearoma.org/ https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/best-la-hikes/hike-mount-san-jacinto-from-idyllwild/ http://www.idyllwildbrewpub.com/ From Orange Co just take the bloodiest HWY 74 all the way till you hit Idyllwild. In my life I have driven that hwy many times and I am a true fan of the magic Idyllwild community has to offer. During the Memorial weekend the locals have garage sales. Lots of good finds for dirt cheap. read more

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It's a very nice place.We had a great experience.It's cozy and the people who live there are very nice. read more

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As we learned, Idyllwild isn't an officially chartered town, rather a mile high village in the San Jacinto mountains, under an hour's drive from Palm Springs. We visited there with my brother and his family over Thanksgiving Weekend. After several days in the desert, getting up to the cooler, fresh mountain air seemed like a great mini-escape for the afternoon. Once we made it to town, we discovered their Harvest Festival in full swing. We also noticed a LOT of dogs. Turns out, dog-lovers abound in Idyllwild. Their unofficial mayor is even a canine called Max! He has his own website and everything. One of my nephews was overwhelmed with the number of dogs, as he's a cat person. Just be aware. ;-) We were getting hungry, so we found a place to park and went in search of food. FERRO was a choice highlighted by the Yelp crowd, so we tried to get in there. For a party our size, there was going to be an hour's wait. We made a reservation, then went out to explore. We found temporary sustenance at The Town Baker, with cookies and drinks. That held us over and gave us a sense of the town's spirit, which is laid back and friendly. We also poked into a few shops before heading back for our early dinner. There was a sense of style and whimsy in town, from the boutiques we checked out, to the well-decorated retired fire engine we spotted. After dinner, we were surprised to find the streets packed with humanity and caninity. Lucky us - as a highlight of the Harvest Festival, the Saturday evening of Thanksgiving Weekend is when they have a ceremony to light the village Christmas Tree! We couldn't have moved our car if we wanted to, as we were in an area quite close to the tree, and it was filled with townspeople waiting for the big reveal. They had a few speeches, some caroling, and general merriment and music going on leading up to the magical moment. Totally a great small town experience to be in which to find ourselves! There were some issues with the sound system, but we got the gist of the merriment. When the other lights went down and the tree lit up, it was fabulous to see. It was at least 25 years since my previous visit to Idyllwild. I sure don't expect it to take that long to go again! read more

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The realtors at Idylwilde were wonderful! They helped with any and all questions and were not only professional but kind and welcoming. Thank you Sophie and Lori for helping us find our new home! And thanks to The Providence Group for hiring extremely hard working professionals. read more

I didn't expect this place to be so cute and upscale. A really cute town that is really quiet, beautiful and pristine with some great hiking and day trips around. We came here from Las Vegas for a quiet long weekend to get away from the hustle and bustle of the strip. This place was amazing. We came here during COVID and the riots so it was a bit of a strange time but our experience was not tainted at all. This place have everything you need. A few grocery stores, a gas station, little stores and a few nice places to eat with great hiking. Also if you're here for awhile and had time, its also very close to Palm Springs. The day after a long hiking trip, we drove through and got to experience someplace new. I hope this place stays small and cute, we loved it here and will continue to come each year. read more

My husband found this town and decided we would visit on a weekend as a staycation. We came by this past weekend and stayed 2 days & 2 nights, and was lucky enough to be there during snowfall! So much fun to do some sledding, build snowman and play in the fresh snow! Quaint town and found some good food too. Hope this place can stay a secret gem so it doesn't get overcrowded! read more

I love coming to Idyllwild, CA! The drive is a bit windy and sitting in the back seat will make you nautious lol. But the view makes it all worth it. I picture the indigenous people traveling up and down seasonally for hunting and such. The main town is so friendly and I love that. There are several thrift stores that usually have really cute stuff at real thrift store prices. The main Italian red restaurant has decent food and outdoor live music frequently. There are a few great fresh ice cream places you must try. Art and wine store. Toy shops and a pottery store you can go and do projects with your kids. There is a kids space camp and down the way the lovely Hemet lake that you can fish, camp, swim, and walk the trails. I truly love Idyllwild. If you are ever near this quaint beautiful town you should visit. Most importantly though... take home what you came with. Their trash service there is the store owners having to drive their trash to the dump themselves. God bless you all! read more

Busiest weekend of the year and no public restrooms. Cute town. Great shops. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My favorite little get away, I live about 45 mins away from this gem of a town every store is sweetly Unique the town is small which makes it perfect for walking around for an afternoon shop and lunch or dinner. Wonderful day trip! read more

This is our place but it is the place claimed by many who's heart and soul is touched by her magical and majestic ways! Did not know I was so much a mountain man! Peaceful. Here there are no big box stores, McDonald's or fast food places. All mom and pop shops and so many cool things to do! Some awesome churches with St. Hugh's being one of our frequent Sunday worship grounds. We love you Idyllwild. read more

Idyllwild is a place of peace and tranquility. You can just feel the stress run off your body as you drive up the hill. Our family had rented cabins in Big Bear and Arrowhead over the years, but both areas were far too commercial and didn't have the forest get-away feeling we wanted. In the late 90s we visited Idyllwild for a weekend get-away and fell in love with its simplicity and beautiful surroundings. We ended up buying a cabin in Idyllwild in 2001 and it is one of the best choices we ever made. What's really amazing is that there is so much to do in town - visiting art galleries and shops, going to the film festival, the annual Home Tour, the annual Christmas Tree lighting, eating at wonderful restaurants, attending the many productions at the Idyllwild Arts School, or just sitting on the deck and soaking up nature. Idyllwild is a true, unspoiled gem that brings joy to my being every time I go there. read more