Family Fun at a Farmhouse in Temecula Valley Wine Country

Four heartwarming events and a culinary competition got the family going to a one-of-a-kind four-night reunion in Temecula, California. We had two birthdays, a photo shoot of four generations of women, and a Filipino tradition: asking for a hand in marriage.

The Wine Valley

The valley is in southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego. With nearly 50 wineries, its microclimate produces high-quality grapes and award-winning wines. Farmhouses, spas, and views abound, as well as dining places. My husband’s 80^th birthday dinner was at the Restaurant at the Ponte Winery. The Corbeaux Wine and Tea House was the site of the ladies' afternoon out for tea. My eldest celebrated her 50^th birthday at Bolero’s with three different kinds of paella and other Spanish dishes. This also became the venue for the asking of my Second Apo’s (grandchild) hand in marriage! 

One afternoon was spent wine tasting at the Masia de la Vinya Vineyard together with my daughter’s best-loved baked macaroni, Filipino-style. Another day we walked Temecula Old Town. The ladies took home shabby chic maternity and other dresses from Under the Willow. They were perfect for the photo shoot of four generations of women, including my great-grandbaby still in my First Apo’s womb. The boys shopped for wine and did their walkabouts.

The Farmhouse

My daughter found this great farmhouse in a vineyard atop a hill with a 360⁰ view of the wine valley. The 4br ranch-style white home was perfect for the grandparents, the parents, and the siblings and partners. There was a spacious open area for Karaoke nights with a large living room set and an 85-inch TV above the stone fireplace.  Every boisterous meal was celebrated at the eight-seater dining table after spirited meal preparations around the white kitchen’s large white island. Tucked in a corner was a round table with four chairs which became the scene for happy mahjong sessions.

Just below the house, beneath the orange trees, was a large pool/hot tub area perfect for other gatherings.  There were lounge chairs on the deck right outside the large open area looking out into the valley. Right after the outdoor parking area, there was a huge living/dining area for outdoor meals and gatherings.

The Culinary Competition

My daughter had this brilliant idea of a culinary competition for those meals when we were not dining out. She did not want any mediocre meal and gave away prizes of $50 for first place, 30 for second, and 20 for third.

The 1^st Prize went to the Corned Beef Kare-Kare dinner which my First Apo prepared for the first dinner as soon as everyone arrived late in the afternoon of our first night. Kare-kare is a Filipino classic stew with a thick savory peanut sauce usually prepared with beef oxtail.  Instead, they made corned beef patties served with the traditional veggies: eggplant, green beans, and bok choy.

2^nd Place went to a breakfast of Purple Yam Biscuits with Longganisa Gravy and Chia Pudding with Mango and Pomelo Bits, a healthy and delicious morning meal, made by my Second Apo. 3rd Prize went to Miso Bulalo courtesy of their younger brother who rehashed the Beef Bulalo (beef shank stew), by adding the Japanese thick paste, served with plenty of bokchoy and yellow corn. 4^th Place went to the father of the brood who fixed us “putosulot,” Filipino rice pudding with toppings: traditional, purple yam or pandan condensed milk, brown or white sugar, grated coconut, and optional salted eggs.

I came in last with a breakfast of hash brown casserole, scrambled eggs with cheese, sourdough bread, bacon and sausage, and store-bought “cowboy quiche.” I didn’t know there was a contest, and I had a Caucasian husband to please. Those are my excuses and I am sticking to them.

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TRAVEL AWAITS: My 7 Favorite US Mountain Towns To Visit This Summer

This article was originally published in Travel Awaits on April 30, 2023.

Summer in Phoenix means hot days and nights. That’s when my husband and I look for cool, crisp mountain air. Far from the madding crowd, sleepy mountain towns are the best places to chill; the smaller, the sleepier, the better. These are the nine that we remember best. They are all at least 6,000 feet in elevation and not more than 5,000 in population. Try one out this summer. You will love it.

Granby, Colorado

Granby, Colorado is a great skiing area during winter, but when it closed early the previous winter due to Covid, it became our choice for our first Covid family reunion. It’s a small mountain town in the Rockies, 8,000 feet in elevation, with a population of 1800.

Just twenty minutes from our lodge, Lake Granby offered boats for rent and many options for eating and shopping. From there we hiked the trail to Adams Falls, a moderately difficult 0.3-mile hike, and continued farther to a clear stream that tumbled to become the lovely waterfall.

Not far is Rocky Mountain National Park, the third most-visited national park in the country, with many trails, campgrounds, and streams. Easy Coyote Trail yielded no wildlife sightings, but at the Holzwarth Historic Site, one moose was feeding quietly near the homestead.  And all along the main park road, we saw many more at sundown.

Pro-Tip: There are two great day trips from Granby. Hot Sulphur Springs Resort, 30 minutes away, has 23 mineral springs of different sizes and temperatures on a hillside. Also 30 minutes away is the upscale town of Winter Park, Colorado where we did some shopping and found a branch of the Colorado Nepalese and Indian Bistro chain, Durbar. 

Big Bear Lake, California

Located in the San Bernardino Mountains at the south shore of Big Bear Lake, this mountain town is less than a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. It was easy for our two older grandkids, 24 and 27, to join us for a weekend and make the town of 5,000 our playground in the midst of Covid lockdowns.

Home to wildlife in alpine habitats including the rare mountain cougar, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo was great for our first morning. Then we hiked the Woodland Trail, a 1.5-mile loop of dry woodlands with 16 interpretive stops explaining the plants, wildlife, and geology of the area. Our first half-day was capped by a picnic at the East Boat Ramp.  

The two-block urban area of shops and restaurants called The Village was great for our first afternoon: hanging out while enjoying $2.99 sundaes at the Bone Yard Bar & Grill, scouring the shops, and watching the brightly lit carriages shuttling tourists around over dinner.   

The next day we went to Pine Knot Landing and rented a 22-foot pontoon boat. Southern California's largest recreation lake, seven miles long and a mile at its widest, 7,000 feet above sea level, became a wonderful base for taking photos of the Big White Dome, the Dam, and unique floating outhouses! Then we capped our stay at the large deck of the Pines Lakefront Restaurant, looking out to “our lake.”

Pro-Tip: A $5 Adventure Pass allows parking at all trailheads and the use of all restrooms.

Snowbird, Utah

When Covid statistics started to decline, the upscale Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort (in the unincorporated community called Snowbird, Utah) reopened, requiring very low points. My husband and I could not pass up the chance. From there, we ticked off a bucket list item: the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island, less than an hour away. 

Our 1,500 sqft one-bedroom suite at The Cliff Lodge also included a living room, a dining room, and kitchen/bar. One of the two balconies had a jacuzzi that looked out onto the Wasatch Mountains, with wonderful displays of wildflowers instead of winter ski slopes. Still, we spent time at the high-end Spa at the top of The Cliff Club .

With an aerial tram, chairlifts, a mountain coaster, a huge trampoline, summer tubing, the vertical drop, a tree climb, gemstone mining, and the alpine slide, the Snowbird Village was the place to be. The Peruvian Lift and Aerial Tram took us to 11,000 feet for spectacular vistas.  

There were other lodging options, nine shopping outlets, five fine dining, and 11 casual dining restaurants. And all these trails: 11 lower mountain, ten mid/upper mountain, and six Mineral Basin Trails for hiking and mountain biking.

Pro-Tip: With a Bird Bundle pass, one can avail of a host of summer activities.

The Grand Mesa Northern and Southern Terminuses

At over 500 square miles and over 11,000 feet elevation, Grand Mesa in Colorado is the largest flat-top mountain in the world. With over 300 stream-fed alpine lakes offering great fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing, it became a great personal retreat. The Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway (State Highway 65) runs through it for 62 miles between Cedaredge, the southern terminus, and Mesa in the north, two special mountain towns!

The Grand Mesa Visitor Center is near Cedaredge, which is at a lower elevation of 6,000 feet.  It’s a retirement haven (30 percent of the 2,400 residents are 65 years of age and older) because of the mild climate, low taxes, outdoor recreational opportunities beyond those offered in Grand Mesa, health care facilities, and cultural activities. From there we made a trip to the southern entrance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Mesa is higher at 8,000 feet and smaller with only about 600 residents. It is where most of the tourists stay in ski resorts, tiny home villages, lodges, and campgrounds. A ski lift platform took us to breathtaking vistas at the top. We even discovered the American Servicewomen Memorial Park in Collbran, 15 minutes away, the first park to honor women.

Pro-Tip: We got supplies from Palisade, down at the foothills dubbed “The Peach Capital of Colorado.”

Brian Head and Parowan, Utah

Last summer we had our family reunion at Brian Head, Utah, minutes away from the Cedar Breaks National Monument. Smaller than Bryce Canyon National Park (only an hour away), the Cedar Breaks’ hoodoos are much larger and more dramatic. It is truly a hidden gem.

The small downtown (population 154) had regular restaurants and shops, but an art/flea market added to the fun. Afterward we drove up a narrow gravel road to reach Brian Head Peak (12,000 feet). From the very windy overlook, the view of the reddish national monument was surreal; at night, stargazing was spectacular. We were happy we caught the last day of the Wildflower Festival, too.

Cedar City is a valley town of 37,000, 40 minutes away. But it was Parowan, Utah, at an elevation of 6,000 ft. with 3,100 in population and just 20 minutes away, that caught our fancy. The Parowan Cemetery features frontier-era sandstone fences and markers. We stood in front of the grave of one of the many wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church.

At the outskirts of Parowan is a wind gap, a 600-foot-deep notch through the hills cut by an ancient river 15 million years ago. Native Americans carved petroglyphs on the smooth faces of the large boulders. The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pro-Tip: Farther on the Gap Road is Dinosaur Footprints Trail, an easy 0.4-mile hike with some dinosaur footprints properly marked.  

Crested Butte, Colorado

Several summers ago, my husband’s high school had a reunion in Crested Butte, Colorado, a former coal mining town with a current population of 1,500 at 8,800 ft. elevation. (The other town of Mt. Crested Butte is at 9,375 ft). They are famous for skiing and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. We stayed at the cozy Columbine Cottage with great views of the mountains and the Aspen Glow.

The Silver Queen chair lift took us to 11,000 ft of Gothic Mountain and a thousand feet more of hiking got us to the top. The area is Colorado’s wildflower capital, and near Kebler Pass there were troves of lavender, yellow, white, and orange. The movie “Swiss Family Robinson” was filmed around Lake Irwin. In fact, the Hollywood Cabin is still there. We picnicked near the top of the mountain.

After a great walking tour of downtown hosted by the popular bard from the town museum, we joined all the townsfolk who had gathered for a free outdoor concert on the grounds of the Center of the Performing Arts with the venerable mountain as the backdrop.

Pro-Tips: Some of us did river-rafting on the Taylor.

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

At 7,000 feet in elevation, Taos Pueblo in New Mexico is a unique mountain town. With a population of 4,500, it’s the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. This World Heritage Site includes 95,000 acres of preserved land called the Blue Lake Wilderness Area of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Red Willow Creek splits the Pueblo into the northern part with the Hlaauma and the southern Hlaukkwima, two adobe Great Houses believed to be more than 1000 years old. The old church and cemetery have been there since 1619. Today the modern city of Taos lies nearby for tourists’ dining, shopping, and lodging.

Pro-Tip:  From Santa Fe, the Low Road that follows the Rio Grande (spectacular in fall) takes you there. Going back, take the High Road and stop at the Santuario de Chimayo (built in the 1800s) and marvel at its original 6-foot crucifix.

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TRAVEL AWAITS: 11 Unique Roadside Attractions Along American Highways

This article was originally published in Travel Awaits on March 12, 2023

Roadside America calls them “attractions and oddities.” To me, they are welcome distractions from the humdrum of the roads we travel. I am not talking about those that we include in our bucket lists; I mean those that we don’t seek. They just pop up unannounced. Sometimes we enjoy them from the comfort of our vehicle. Other times, we just need to get out and walk a bit. For a few others, we see a sign and follow for a short distance.  

Every summer when we visit family and friends in their homes (and to escape the Phoenix heat), they have made our trips much richer. Here are the 11 we remember best. I have written about seven others elsewhere in Travel Awaits.

1.    1. Lucy the Elephant.

The first one we came across is dubbed the oldest roadside attraction in America; we saw her early in our RVing days. Built in 1881, Lucy the Elephant stands six stories high on the road alongside the beach in Josephine Harron Park in Margate, New Jersey near Atlantic City. Originally called the Elephant Bazaar, she later became a tavern. Now she’s a National Historical Landmark.She inspired us to watch out for more.

Pro-Tip:  Be sure to take the guided tour to explore her interior.

2.   2.    World's Largest Praying Hands

We also took day trips from Pittsburg to Branson, Missouri, passing through Joplin. Just outside of the town, we came across the Praying Hands Memorial. It’s 32 ft tall and built on top of a 40 ft man-made hill. Created by a local artist in 1972, the words “Hands in prayer. World in peace.” are written on a concrete slab base.

Pro-Tip: On a previous trip, we also saw the 60-ft. world’s largest praying hands at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

3. The Ampersand Sculpture

Stopping at a convenience store, part of the chain called Kum & Go, on Joplin’s Rangeline Road, we found the Ampersand Sculpture, not that big (8x7 ft), but quite colorful. The company’s core values are on one side; the other side contains things about Joplin’s history: mining, Route 66, Bonnie and Clyde, and the many symbols of Joplin’s “strength and hope.”

Pro-Tip: Joplin is known for its citizen-led rebuilding after the devastation from the  May 2011 tornado.

5.  4. Cadillac Ranch (see headline photo)

After Oklahoma, we passed through Amarillo, Texas where we discovered what road travelers have been raving about since 1974: a Cadillac Ranch with ten Cadillacs buried nose-down in a field at the same angle as the Pyramids of Giza. It’s free and you can find it on the south access road of I-40 east of the Arnot Road exit and is open 24/7. 

Pro-Tip: Bring a small canister of paint so you can follow the custom and leave your own mark.

7.    5. The Arco Number Hill

Along US 20, on our way out of Boise, Idaho where my husband’s son lives on the way to Calgary, Alberta where my daughter lives, you will be surprised to find a hill dotted with white numbers. Since 1920, the town’s high school graduating class paints its year of graduation on Number Hill, We should have also explored Arco, Idaho, dubbed the Atomic City!

Pro-Tip: Start looking as soon as you leave the Craters of the Moon National Monument.

8.    6. The Charcoal Ovens in Nevada

Once we took an alternate route going home to Arizona from Boise through Las Vegas. On US 93, at the small mining town of Ward in Ely, Nevada (population, 4,202), a sign pointed to “Charcoal Ovens.” We followed the signs on a six-mile, well-maintained dirt road to six beehive-shaped, large ovens (30 ft high, 27 ft in diameter with walls 2 ft thick at the base). Built in 1876, each one held about 35 cords of wood, each 4 ft high, 4 ft wide, and 8 ft long, producing 1,750 bushels of charcoal for two silver smelters in town. It is now the Ward Chocolate Ovens State Historic Park.

Pro-Tip. From the dirt road, it is just 100 yards to walk to the ovens.

9.    7. The Wild Horses Monument

From Boise to Seattle, Washington (where my daughter used to live), as you go north on I-90, you will be able to spot the Wild Horses Monument. It’s a spectacular sculpture of 15 life-size galloping wild horses on a cliff overlooking the Columbia Gorge, just after Highway 243 becomes I-90.  As you pass the sign to the town of Vantage on the left, keep looking up to see the Dave Govedare masterpiece.

Pro-Tip: You can view it up close by taking a 0.2-mile hike up the hill.

8,  Forever Marilyn

On the road to my sister’s former in Lancaster, California, we were surprised to find that the famous Marilyn Monroe statue had been transferred to Palm Springs from Chicago, Illinois where we had first seen her. We found out then that the 26-foot statue was moved to a new location every year (from Palm Springs it went to New Jersey, Australia, and Connecticut).

Pro-Tip: In 2021, Forever Marilyn returned to Palm Springs as a permanent fixture on Museum Way, just east of the Palm Springs Art Museum.

1 9. Painted Pipes

When my sister moved to Alaska, we took a road trip north to Fairbanks and came across a colorful building air vent on a downtown street corner. A store owner we asked told us there were 13 of them (out of 23 in the city). Our afternoon turned into a treasure hunt. They were part of the Fairbanks’ “Paint the Pipes” project and serve as fresh air intakes for a utilidor (utility corridor) that runs under the streets.

Pro-Tip: Now there are only 12 because the one called “Marilyn in Bunny Boots” has become just a pink pipe.

1 10.  World’s Largest Tire

One of my daughters lives in Canada. Once on a drive back down, we found the World’s Largest Tire, a Uniroyal weighing 12 tons and standing 80 feet tall on I-94 between Highways 39 and 2 in Detroit, Michigan. It first served as a Ferris wheel in the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, then transferred to its current location at Allen Park in 1966. 

Pro-Tip. It is on I-94 near the Metro Detroit Airport.

1 11.  Tovrea Castle 

I have to tell you about Phoenix’s best roadside attraction. No one who drives on Arizona State Route 202 will miss it. Tovrea Castle is a four-story, 5,000 sq. ft. architectural masterpiece that looks like a wedding cake. It holds 100+ years of Arizona history and is Arizona’s only castle.

Pro-Tip: There is a long wait to explore this gem. I have joined ticket lotteries but have not managed to win one yet.   

There you have it! To all the roadside attractions we have loved before and to all the ones we will someday have the pleasure of seeing: Thank you for enhancing the roads we travel.

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TRAVEL AWAITS: 7 Amazing Experiences In San Diego’s Historic Liberty Station

This article was originally published in Travel Awaits on Nov. 22, 2022.

There is no other place like it: a historic landmark turned into a rich and rewarding experience for the whole family. And in a city blessed with great all-year-round weather. Liberty Station was built from the buildings and grounds of the Naval Training Center (NTC) in San Diego, California. Of the original 300 buildings, 64 make up the Station; all but 10 have been restored and repurposed. From its inception in 1923, and before it closed in 1998, the NTC turned two million recruits into naval servicemen who went on to serve their country.

The NTC Park, the Ship that Never Sailed, and Gate One

One of the naval servicemen who were trained here was my cousin, an electrician who worked on many “classified” nuclear submarines. All those ships are memorialized in two rows of black blocks lining each side of the Naval Training Center Park bordering Liberty Station. Large naval guns line the front. The NTC Park is now a place for family sports, walks, and just watching the underbellies of planes as they take off from the nearby San Diego International Airport. 

The ship through which the naval servicemen all underwent rigorous training is fondly called Recruit, the ship that never sailed. It stands as a proud memorial near NTC Park. At the northern end of Liberty Station is Gate One, the only gate left open past curfew then and now a non-pedestrian entry. Attached to its two sides are former prison cells. And, as you enter the gate, you will see a large anchor, the mainstay of the Station logo, outlined by flowering shrubs on an expansive green lawn.

Liberty Public Market: The Former Mess Hall

There were, at its peak, 40,000 servicemen who took their meals at what is now the Liberty Public Market. It has been repurposed as a hip dining area with 22 food stalls serving different cuisines. Almost everything is left near its original state. In fact, in the section called Mess Hall, where there are bars providing refreshment options, the murals painted by artists/naval recruits are still on the upper walls.  There are also local sellers of crafts, clothes, and jewelry.

North, Central, and South Promenade: Former Parade Grounds

The old central buildings are laid out in two rows between what were once parade grounds which have been fittingly landscaped as wide spaces for family events. There are three sections: North, Central, and South. Sidewalks are provided all around the manicured lawns.

The North Promenade has an 88-ft pine tree that dazzles with bright lights for the Christmas season, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving. The historic white church, where many servicemen were married and their children baptized, stands at the South Promenade. Behind the Dick Laub NTC Command Center is the Central Promenade. There is a reflecting pool, a rose garden with great history, and three outstanding art installations: “Facetime”, “Tesselation”, and “A Dime to Call Home.” Between the Central and South Promenades is a Greetings mural for an Instagrammable souvenir photo.

The Arts District and Historic Decatur Road

The Arts District on Historic Decatur Road, the main artery of Liberty Station, is home to art galleries, studios, artistic venues, art societies, and museums where families can have fun or stage events. In one building there are three museums: the San Diego Watercolor Society which hosts workshops in and exhibits of the medium, the New Visions Museum for quilt and textile artists, and the New Americans Museum dedicated to the experiences of people like me, immigrants to this land of promise. And you will love Hugo Crosthwaite’s murals that adorn the covered walk from the Liberty Public Market to Barracks 41. Most buildings have these walks fronting the promenades and varied artist’s chairs provide occasional resting spots.

^{A Lot of Entertainment and Exercise Options}

^{Entertainment options include The Lot, formerly the Luce Auditorium where recruits enjoyed concerts, comedies, and more. It is now six cinemas featuring the latest movies with a bar/lounge in front. A 9-hole golf course, near Gate One, has surprisingly reasonable prices by California standards. There is a variety of fitness centers available across the property, including Point Loma Sports Club in Bldg. 210, which was once the Gymnasium. An original mosaic artwork of a sailor waiting for the bell has been kept in the entryway. Other centers include Spark Cycle, Fitness Together, Club Pilates, Yoga Six, and more.}

^{All year round, special events are hosted at Liberty Station. A current one is “Octoberfest” and soon “Halloween at the Station.” An annual “Salute the Season” is coming up to include the Holiday Tree Lighting, the Hannukah Menorah lighting, and a Nutcracker Tea Party. Last summer, the Arts District put on the outdoor Summer Music Series. Individual vendors and businesses also sponsor their own events. An Events Calendar is kept so you don’t miss anything. And next year there is a year-long celebration of Liberty Station’s Centennial.}

^{The Shopping to Love}

^{For me, the ultimate entertainment option is shopping.  Since there is a preference for locally owned businesses, the shops make for a very interesting variety.  I started at the stalls in the Liberty Public Market and ended at the Sea Hive, a collection of 30-odd retailers. There are 21 other shops, but I spent a lot of time at Pigment.}

It is a curated plant and garden store. I had been looking for suitable options for several projects at home in the nurseries of Home Depot or Lowe’s. At this wonderful store, I found many interesting possibilities. There is a beautiful plant with yellow stems (my favorite color; the plant lady said there is also a red variety). The store has separate sections, each focusing on a pigment color: pink, salmon, or yellow. I loved the neon section because I had long been looking for neon plants to brighten my living room. Another section had varieties of hanging cacti for my pergola. 

Hydrating, Snacking, and Dining

After walking around the Promenades and the Arts District, my husband and I had an intimate dinner at the posh Solare on Historic Decatur Road. An excellent charcuterie board accompanied by red wines for cocktails, followed by divine swordfish and sea bass entrees. We finished with coffee and chamomile tea, skipping sinful dessert.

The next day we lunched at The Presley, a new restaurant added to the over 50 restaurants, cafes, and food vendors around Liberty Station. I loved the ambiance, especially the romantic almost boho nooks around the spacious gardens outside.

Children will love Mini Donut Place. But it was at Moniker General where my husband lingered. We loved the nook called “Better Together.” He would have also liked The Stone Brewery, makers of craft beer and the biggest eating place in Liberty Station but it was closed for renovation. But its brewing stations were visible from large display windows.

Quality Lodging at the Station

We stayed at the comfortable Town and Place Suites by Marriott at the extension area of Liberty Station, surprisingly quiet even if it was beside the San Diego International Airport. It was also right across from the Spanish Landing Park. The Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton was also there while The Courtyard by Marriott and Homewood Suites by Hilton are both on Laning Road at Liberty Station.

Prized Residential Neighborhoods 

There are prized residential areas at the north and south ends of Liberty Station. I imagined that they are expensive pieces of real estate but now that I have seen Liberty Station, I’d say they are well worth it. Just like any American neighborhood, the usual national chain businesses people love to have near their homes are there.

So Many Exciting Day Trips from Liberty Station

There are already many resources for a rich and rewarding family experience at the Station. But if you have more than a weekend, or if you like packing your days with activities, there are other exciting places to explore. Old Town San Diego is only ten minutes away; downtown San Diego with Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Seaport Village, Seaworld, Gas Lamp Quarter, and other landmarks is five minutes more.

The same is true for the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma, which honors the 16th-century explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and has the Old Point Loma Lighthouse built in 1854. The two-mile Bayside Trail has spectacular views of San Diego Bay and the Coastal Tidepool Trail leads to the unique ecosystem in Southern California.

The Women’s Museum of California, previously part of Liberty Station, is just 15 minutes away.  Its educational center at the Jacobs Center in Euclid provides interactive workshops on the history of women who pushed for necessary social changes through grassroots activism. I especially loved the delicate pink flowers cascading from the roof line.

And, at just five minutes more, La Jolla including the Cove, Scripps Park, and the Children’s Pool all cover a coastline on a steep grade from the restaurants and shops of downtown. Part of the La Jolla Underwater Park and Ecological Reserve, there is ample wildlife, including the popular seals’ colony. Activities include snorkeling, open-water swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, and coastal walks.

And just when we thought we’d seen everything, a Glider Port In Torrey Pines caught our fancy. Liberty Station is just such a great place for a rich and rewarding family experience.   

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