First time attending the Lodi Fair. I'm used to the 2 in Oakland growing up. This was the same just…read moreupgraded! They had a lot more to offer from food vendors, regular misc vendors and activities for the kids. Plenty of parking (however pin your car and remember what lot you're in!) I didn't realize there were 2 entrances. We entered in the front, yet when we were leaving we walked out through the back and didn't recognize or notice until we got all the way out that our car was on the entirely opposite side. Luckily they allowed us to re-enter so we didn't have to walk around. It was definitely packed, parking can be paid with Apple Pay! Purchase tickets online a few days before the fair for the best deals! I can't wait for next year to come back and enjoy some sun, rides, and carnival foods.

I throughly was impressed by all the great food, entertainment, and rides and games here. But I…read moreended up having such a poor experience! There were too many people to enjoy anything there were no seating for me and my family when we wanted to watch the performance. The lines were very long for absolutely everything except the food and drinks which constantly made us give up and walk away. Everyone was scattered everywhere and it was hard for my family to stay together. I loved the idea and concept of the grape festival but honestly wish there was some sort of capacity limit. Also. My daughter was waiting in line for numerous rides and they were telling her she was either too short or too tall to rides and my niece is actually one inch taller than my daughter and was let on rides. Over all I just wish there was a capacity limit so we could've enjoyed the festival more throughly.

We came for the first time on NYE night & could tell that some homes were not as decked out/lit up…read moreanymore & the experience was not full impact. However, there were hardly any cars, so we could do a slow, easy drive. It was still magical with lots of lights throughout this neighborhood. The standout feature was that the streets were lined with continuous strings of white lights that swagged down the participating areas, creating lit paths to follow. It was impressive! There were definitely some houses that went above, while others were more simple, but all delightful to see. Here & there, Christmas trees were in the middle of a court or roundabout. We aren't familiar with the neighborhood & lost track of how we meandered through, so next year we'll try to figure out a good route. We'll definitely plan to come back earlier during the next holiday season to enjoy the full experience.

Rockmont Lights in Natomas is all they say it is and more!…read more My friend, daughter and I wanted to check out Christmas lights last night and decided to check out Rockmont Lights instead of fighting the Fab 40's crowd. It was a first time for all of us and we weren't sure what to expect. We arrived around 7:30pm and it was already pretty busy, but we found some parking on a nearby street. Most of the streets surrounding Java Court were festively decked out and flooded with people - we made our way over to Java Court and I was so surprised to see a massive Christmas tree in the center of the court. There was Santa and The Grinch happily taking photos with families and a couple of fire pits that people were warming up by! They were handing out candy canes to passing cars and I believe they were even selling hot cocoa in front of a few houses! You can drive around the area, but I highly recommend walking it to fully experience the magic that Rockmont Lights has to offer! Make sure you bundle up though! Rockmont Lights definitely gives Dovewood Court and even some streets in the Fab 40's a run for its money! We will be visiting every year now and making it a new tradition!

The good news is that the long remodel of this lot into a public space is done. It makes it a…read moreperfect spot for a farmer's market, notably with a shed roof and attractive landscaping (both plants and pathways) and well-organized parking (for the most part). But the function is more like boutique farmer's market. There's not much variety of actual farmers, although there seems to be a pristine example of each category of agricultural goods -- honey, cheese, meat. But don't expect to get your green grocery shopping done here, and the variety within even basics like berries or greens is more limited than Sprouts or even Smart & Final. The food trucks are a sparse but typically mediocre and expensive. And the market is already too crowded. The big treat is the yard-long tube of popped corn that distracts the youngsters while mom and dad peruse the beeswax soaps. My biggest gripe is that the City likes these little demonstration projects, and makes no attempt to get real quality farm-to-fork food, or to coordinate it with the other efforts at Laguna/Big Horn or District 56. Good ideas, all of them, but pick one that works.

Thanks to my Elk Grove pals Ashley N and Judi M for giving me a great reason to drive all the way…read moreto Elk Grove ;) This farmer's market is great, and it's only getting better. Old Elk Grove really needed this boost. The setup on Sunday has your basics: kettle corn, a food truck or two, fresh veggies, local cheeses and honey and some arts and crafts. But the extras did it for me. The coffee vendor, the loose leaf tea vendor, the vegan mayo/spread vendor- all fantastic. The organic produce was also reasonably priced. Parking is not a problem. There's a small paved lot across the street from the market, or a large dirt lot directly behind. Bonus is that you're in Old Elk Grove, which means you are walking distance to a handful of good brunch and lunch spots too.

What a culturally rich experiences this was! I had never been to the city of Locke and came here…read morewith my dance group to perform at the Harvest Moon Festival. This town is simply charming and the people are extremely friendly as well. The City of Locke is the only surviving rural Chinatown in the nation, and it was built by the Chinese for the Chinese. This festival was held at the Jean Harvie Community Center, which is right next to the levee. I was amazed at the cultural diversity evident at this festival. The dance, music, and Taiko drum performances were wonderful to watch. The costumes was amazing as they were made with beautifully textured and colorful fabrics. Additionally, when I asked one of the dancers aout her costume she told me they were hand made and often times would take weeks to stitch and embroider. Several of the performers involved in this festival traveled from the bay area as well as Stockton to attend this event. The performances displayed flawless movement and synchronization to beautifully orchestrated cultural music. The Chinese food at this festival was scrumptious. I enjoyed a plate of dim sum, vegetable chow mien, and a delicious cup of freshly brewed oolong tea. Overall I really enjoyed this festival and would love to go back to this delightful town again in the future. After all, its only 23 miles south of sacramento.

A great place to have a big party. Eventhough it's quite a drive from Stockton the place served its…read morepurpose. The parking can accommodate many cars. The lighting in the parking lot is adequate.

Every year tens of thousands of sandhill cranes descend on the small Central Valley town of Lodi,…read moreCalifornia. From September through March the cranes make themselves right at home in the grasslands and marshes, feeding on grains (mostly corn), fish, rodents, loafing around and flying to their evening roost. This fly-in is what you have to experience. Watching a flock of graceful gargalers descend into a sunset-lit field at dusk is utterly amazing. General admission is free and (most) all the events that take place at Hutchins Street Square, including the kick-off Reception, is free. Costs for the numerous nature tours vary, depending on the tour. We did the 'Bald Eagle by Boat' tour early Saturday morning. East Bay Mud Biologists took us to Pardee Reservoir (which is closed for the season) and out on a boat to spot bald eagles, golden eagles, loons, grebes, and red-tailed hawks. At dusk, we went to the Sandhill Crane Preserve, lead by Department of Fish and Game Docents, to watch thousands of cranes converge on the marshland to roost for the night. The sunset behind Mt Diablo mixed with the vocalizations, feeding, and dancing of the cranes will be with me the rest of my life! Sunday morning we got up early and went birding on the Delta. Our boat left Tower Park Marina and we cruised through the waterways for a couple hours watching for cranes, swans, geese, and ducks. We spotted a few Blue Herons and a horned owl asleep in a big pine tree. The sky above us darkened at times from the thousands of birds flying above. Totally AWESOME! Whether you're a beginning birder or advanced, this festival has something for anyone interested in birds, specifically sandhill cranes. Tours are suitable for most ages and range from canoeing to hiking, sitting in a boat, to learning bird photography. There is also a great Art Show, BBQ and Wine Tasting, and a chance to purchase birding souvenirs. I'm already ready for next year already!!!

Have been attending this event for over 5 yrs. They originally started out with speakers either…read morestudying/ photographing /and or working in the species field. They also had guided tours to the various wetlands. And there's the rescued bird discussion out on the patio. (of course i had to collect my t-shirt & whatever other goodies they have for purchase) . the evening fly in is a must see, but get there early if driving own vehicle (parking at site is a bit limited during prime time) .

I tried registering for tickets prior to the event. The web site claims tickets will be on sale…read moreonline until Friday, 5/18 @11:59. I tried to get tickets Friday evening at around 8:45 and they weren't available (see screenshots for evidence). We may still go I and hopefully the lines and our experience will be better than my negative experience so far. UPDATE: I still give one star for my above review of online registration. However, we went and there was no line to get tickets, and we had a great time. Great value as you get to try lots of wine for a relatively low price (compared to a day of wine tasting in Napa/Sonoma. Good people watching, spectacular location, safe and very well laid out. My only complaint was the long lines for food.

First time at Zinfest 2k16 and not sure based on other reviews I was a little nervous. So as soon…read moreas we walked up I was a little nervous to see literally 100's of people waiting out front. A little confusing based on the fact they make you buy your tickets ahead of time...this was all due to the fact that they have people that need to put wrist bands on you? So this is what took away the star for me. The logistics need some serious help! Now you couldn't pick a better spot in Lodi than Lodi lake park for this festival. They have everything spread out really well on both sides of the lake so things aren't so super crowded. I thought they had tons of selection of all the great wineries from the Lodi area and even though based on the some the other reviews I would much rather hang with these locals and who this attracts....besides based on how many grapes Lodi is trucking to Napa might as well stay here anyway. Lol! We had a great chance to sample all of our favorites plus some new choices. They also give you the opportunity to have wine by the glass as well. One super nice perk was the free bottles water and bread. I personally thought they could have had more food options knowing how many awesome food trucks are in the area but did enjoy sampling some of what they had. Also for the size of the venue could have had a few more vendors to look at while wine tasting. Either way had a great time and would for sure come back again.

We came to the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Aquatic Center for 2024. The tree itself is…read morelovely, as shown in the photos from David's review and I highly recommend stopping by to see it lit during the season. That being said, if I were writing a review for the Tree Lighting event itself, I would be giving closer to three stars. The event was dog friendly which is why we came but was packed and hectic with long lines for everything from food to games to photos. We saw some instances of unsupervised children damaging decorations and being overall out of control. This event is really tailored to large families with small children. I would definitely not attend the event again but I would stop by at a quiet time to see the lit tree during the holiday season.

This is on the East side of the Aquatic Center. This light Christmas tree is put up by the City of…read moreElk Grove, I believe. It's so beautiful and we come here every year since they started it. I think 3 years now. I did a Drone video the other year and had a picture of my wife and I kissing. It's so festive. Great to take your family picture in front of. I will have to find it and post that one later. I checked with Elk Grove and the tree is lite 24/7 until the first week of January when they will take it down. Don't miss it. Visit and get your picture to post on your media page.