Once a year, usually on the third Saturday of September, the city of München goes crazy…read more Once a year, we in the US try to copy our Bayern friends.... from Cincinnati Ohio to Fredericksburg Texas and now ... Temecula California. Europa Winery has caught the Wiesn fever. We came here last evening and enjoyed ourselves, along with a few hundred of our friends. The food was very good. Ron, the Executive Chef who worked for many years in the Bavaria city of Nürnberg, cooked up a storm. He served up Wurst, Brezel, Sauerbraten, Spätzle, Kartoffelsalat, Sauerkraut, Kartoffelpuffer, Schokoladenkuchen and lots of Bier und WeißWein (photos). Sehr lecker! Delicious! We sat in the Europa Village wine club tent C'est La Vie. Everyone was at communal tables of twelve, which made for lots of fun. Some of the guests even dressed up in genuine Dirndl and Lederhosen. Nice! Europa Village went all out. There was live music from an accordion player, who was really into it. We had fun imagining we were back in the Hacker-Pschorr and Spaten tents of our youth. As they use to say: "Lass dir raten, trinke Spaten!" We cannot wait until next year. Prost!

I hate to write this review because I like Europa Village winery, but they dropped the ball so hard…read moreon this event, that I felt compelled to share. The event started with an unorganized entry where some showed tickets and other walked in without from a different direction. For the exaggerated fee, we were only given 1 twelve ounce beer and dinner. There was some tasting of German beer that you had to stand in a long line for otherwise. Dinner was chaotic at best. We missed out on most of the traditional food because it took us an entire hour to get through the food line. The DJ and accordion player played music and tried to get people dancing, but we were busy standing in line. When we went to get another beer to go with dinner, I was told they RAN OUT OF BEER! I think some people could be JAILED for running out of beer during an Oktoberfest. We finally ate and were ready to dance... The DJ abruptly said "good night folks" and shut it down. The whole event went 2 hours for $100 a ticket and half the time was in line for food. No "festival atmosphere, games, or anything else they promised" including bratwurst, sauerkraut and spicy mustard. So sad. So disappointed. So uncharacteristically Europa.

This was my first time in a few years to see a real parade in a small urban city of Fallbrook…read more There were ponies, horses, police cars, classic cars, firetrucks, sport teams, sports from public schools and more cars with hydraulics! It was a fun time to people watch and watched a silly boy dancing on the street to the parade. Plus, I saw clowns and Ronald McDonald was a cool clown; made me laugh. I rate this parade 4 stars!

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays…read more A seasonal shift, a new dress, and it falls close to the wedding anniversary. Perhaps, it's the chocolate bunnies, fresh flowers and dyed eggs in bright colors. Maybe, it's the spiritual aspect, new growth, and beautiful weather due to Mother Nature. Easter has new meaning at this time in life. Carol Bailey, owner of Carol's Restaurant and Bailey's Vineyard and Winery hosts a couple of the best events in Temecula Wine Country. First, a Shakespeare series each summer and secondly a Doggie Easter Egg Hunt that goes along with a Sunday Dog Days ongoing event. We attempt to take our dog each year to pop open the colorful eggs. Turkey hot dog surprises inside. And even funner to watch than children. This year we introduced the event to our friends and their Frenchie,. We shared brunch, enjoyed the live music on the patio and watched our dogs hunt. One of the funnest events of the year... #Temecula #TemeculaValleyWineCountry #DoggieEasterEggHunt #CarolsResturaunt #BaileysVineyardAndWineey

During our Temecula visit, we wanted to check out a museum or artsy attraction. Searching Google, I…read morestumbled upon the Ricardo Breceda Art Gallery; a collection of metal sculptures. The gallery is located 16 miles east of Interstate 15 on the 79. Not hidden, but a mini adventure drive to get there. Once you are close, you will see silhouettes of dinosaurs and other creatures along the hillside and you are there. Enter a world of welded art creations of all sorts. I wasn't sure about parking when I arrived, but I accidentally drove into the gate. Luckily I turned around and noticed that parking was just all the gravel in front (unmarked). Not sure what to expect, there were two gentlemen under a shaded tent welding together more metal art. One of them was Mr. Breceda. Super friendly guy, and welcoming. The land is decorated with literally hundreds of art structures from hand size to dinosaur size. They range from anything from historical figures on horses to transformers. The entry fee is only $10 and ricardo even gives you a gift. This place is so cool and worth the visit.

Wow. This was worth the 20 minutes it took from Temecula to get here. Amazing works of art. And…read moreRicardo Was Very Helpful. there is a $10 entrance fee but if you buy something, he waves it. There are plenty of little cute things to buy, but it's also nice to support an artist.

This is a really fun event. We always do a weekend long campout, excitedly trying out hundreds of…read moredifferent beers from local homebrew clubs. The beer tasting is unlimited. They are raffles for mostly beer-related prizes, educational talks about brewing, and live music. The night before the festival, there is a big bottle share, with commercial and homebrew beers being shared with fellow beer lovers. After the festival, the party doesn't stop. You can go "trick or treating" at different campsites and try more beer, if you're up for it. We can't wait to see what next year's festival brings.

Always a great time. Lots of good beers and plenty to learn from the not so good ones. Everyone's…read morefriendly and having a great time. There's lots to learn from the educational talks on various subjects. The music kicks up about 4pm and the bands are always solid! It gets a little out of hand towards the end of the day, but that's part of the fun, right? Make sure to hydrate!

Yesterday (March 18th, 2025) we made the drive up to Mt. Palomar Observatory, something my…read more93-year-old father-in-law said he wanted to do. Seeing this wonder had been in the back of my mind as well, so I said, "Let's do it!" Having only recently lost his wife, through tears he explained to our amazing, friendly and knowledgeable guide Christi that he'd hoped to bring her up to the observatory someday, but she passed before he'd had the opportunity to do so. To Christi, he said, "I'd love to look through that 200" telescope and try to find my wife in Heaven." Definitely a tug on the heartstrings moment... and she responded with the sort of compassion one would expect from a family member. As other reviewers have noted, the public is not allowed to look through the scope; that privilege is reserved for nighttime astronomers. News to this 70-year-old reviewer... learn something new every day! That said, Christi explained to us the intricate construction of the telescope, the "re-mirroring" every two years, how the entire dome rotates to accommodate the different astronomers' needs, why the inside of the observatory is kept at a chilly 40°, and so much more. She told us she was "...new here..." but would answer as many questions as she could. Well, I'm a questioner, especially when seeing an incredibly complicated device such as the Hale Telescope (named after astronomer George Ellery Hale). Christi was able to answer most of my inquiries, and I have no doubt she will research the answers to any questions that stumped her. I cannot recommend this young woman highly enough to the powers that be at Mt. Palomar Observatory. Next to the gift shop is a small but very informative room for visitors thirsting for more information. The infinity of the Universe has always fascinated me, along with the mind-boggling intelligence of those who wish to explore its vastness. This tiny room is bursting with their stories. To those who posted "glass-half-empty" reviews here, I'm sorry the wonder of this landmark was lost on you. Perhaps you'll give it another look sometime. Getting a feel for how tiny our little planet Earth is when compared to the infinite puts our very existence into an entirely new perspective.

I called the gift shop and told the date we were bringing our grandsons to the observatory. I knew…read morePalomar had no tours on weekdays but I did not see one staff member in the hour we were there. The gift shop was closed so we could not buy souvenirs of anything to drink. The observatory was cool but we had to look through glass into a dark room again not a staff member anywhere. I'm sure the weekend is a better time to visit but we went the only day available to us. There was no cost but for our experience maybe a fair price.

Went on the DePortola Wine Trail Big Red Fest and had a great tour. It's my eighth Big Red Fest in…read moreeleven years and met several new friends. There were a couple of self-entitled complainers but we tolerated them. We stuck to our schedule for ten wineries and avoided other tour buses to prevent overcrowding. Overall, it went very well. Nice to be dropped off and picked up right up front.

It's classy and so much fun. We enjoy every second of it…read moreThey new the way around the wineries. Lunch was delicious. And I love the class they gave us on specific wines. Very interesting

Super fun with friends However, you have to toss the lantern…read morepretty far for it to float

First time at this event! While parking had me getting my steps in for the day, it was very well…read moreorganized. Easy to register, quick check-in, kit items were well made, plenty of food trucks, vendors, and free corn hole games. It is an event for everyone. It was a perfect mommy and son outing. We were able to play a few rounds of cornhole, decorate our water latern and then release the laterns. Such a memorable experience for us both! Just remember to bundle up because it gets cold (we even brought blankets). I've been wanting to attend and @ieyelp reminded it was fast approaching (even offered free general admissions)! A must for us next year!