Things to Do in Mammoth in Summer or Anytime With No Snow

San Diegans usually view Mammoth Lakes as a winter travel destination.  Mammoth Mountain, part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, offers some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the state of California.  However, there are a number of beautiful, natural outdoor sites in Mammoth Lakes that can’t be visited during that popular time of year because they, or the roads leading to them, are covered in snow.  Summer in Mammoth Lakes is also a popular time of year for travelers, but it doesn’t feel as crowded as winter because everyone is spread out fishing, hiking, biking, and driving, rather than all being on the slopes.  For nature lovers, there are many things to do in Mammoth in summer, or any time snow isn’t covering the ground.  Also, Mammoth Lakes is incredibly dog-friendly, so all of these things to do in Mammoth Lakes are dog-friendly as well. 

A Guide to 3 Great Restaurants in El Paso Texas

We enjoyed a Texas weekend getaway to El Paso with the intent to find fun things to do.  While there we also found some great El Paso restaurants which fit any traveler’s food desires, whether they want to enjoy border Mexican food, Texas steak and barbeque, or a more eclectic mix of foods of the world.  Here is our guide to some of the great restaurants in El Paso, Texas.

What to Do On a Girls Weekend in Chicago

I live in Southern California and my best friend Debbie lives in upstate New York.  While she left San Diego over 11 years ago, we’ve managed to see each other once every few years.  This year we decided to meet somewhere that would be a fun travel destination for us both and chose Chicago for our girls’ weekend trip.  Chicago is a great destination for a weekend getaway as there are so many varied things to do and see.  Take some ideas from our girls’ weekend in Chicago to plan your perfect trip.

Eating Healthy (And Good!) at the Restaurants of Conejo Valley

Southern California, especially the Los Angeles area, has a reputation for eating healthy.  People in other parts of the country are sure we eat avocados and alfalfa sprouts all day.  Vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and every other health choice can be found here.  Vacation is the most difficult time to stick to a special diet as it is sometimes hard to find items that fit within a diet when eating out.  During our weekend getaway to Conejo Valley, we were struck by how easy it was to eat well and eat healthy.  No matter your dietary restrictions or choices, you’ll be able to find a meal that fits your needs and tastes delicious at the restaurants of Conejo Valley. 

El Paso: Fun Things to Do on a Texas Weekend Getaway

The great thing about being travel bloggers is that we are sometimes offered opportunities to travel somewhere that wasn’t necessarily on our radar.  Such was the case for our trip to El Paso.  We’ve flown through Texas.  I’ve been to Plano, Texas for less than a day for work.  We have a number of Texas cities on our travel wish list.  But El Paso wasn’t on that list simply because we didn’t really know anything about it.  But when we were invited to spend a weekend in El Paso, we immediately said yes (after doing a little online research first of course).  We hadn’t thought about El Paso as a weekend getaway destination, yet it makes perfect sense, both if you live in Texas, or in a nearby state like California.  There are a lot of fun things to do in El Paso to fill up a Texas weekend getaway. 

Guide to a Conejo Valley Weekend Getaway

Conejo Valley.  Where is that?  That’s the question we asked at the Conejo Valley booth at the San Diego Travel and Adventure Show.  So let’s start with a short geography lesson.  Conejo Valley is northwest of Los Angeles and touches both Los Angeles County and Ventura County.  Conejo Valley includes the communities of Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Oak Park, and Agoura Hills.  Conejo Valley’s most well-known tourist site is probably the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.  Even people who live in Los Angeles don’t necessarily know Conejo Valley by name, yet Conejo Valley is a great weekend getaway destination for people who live in Los Angeles, San Diego, or other parts of Southern California.  Conejo Valley is also a great side-trip for people traveling to Los Angeles.  Here is our Conejo Valley guide for a great weekend getaway. 

California Weekend Getaway: Buellton Beyond Pea Soup

What is Buellton known for?  A lot of people know Buellton as the home of Pea Soup Andersen’s, a favorite California road trip stop for families with kids.  In fact, Pea Soup Andersen’s is pretty much responsible for putting Buellton on the map.  Wine fans know Buellton for being part of the Santa Ynez Valley Central Coast wine region made famous in the movie Sideways (a movie I will never forgive for being so detrimental to Merlot).  In our never ending quest for unique California weekend getaway destinations, we decided to give Buellton a visit for Romeo’s birthday weekend.  What we found was the quintessential small town with super friendly people, gorgeous natural surroundings, good restaurants, wineries, and distilleries, and fun things to do and see.  Buellton is also incredibly dog-friendly, which meant Rome could spend his birthday weekend on vacation and with our furry children.  Top that off with glamping (glamorous camping) in a luxurious safari tent and you’ve got a California weekend getaway that’s pretty hard to beat. 

The Best Restaurants for Local Food in Bishop California

When you first drive into Bishop, what stands out the most along the main drag are the signs for brand name hotels and chain restaurants.  Look a little closer and you’ll find there’s a lot more to Bishop, especially in the food department.  Amongst the Denny’s and the Carl’s Jr. there are some local gems that will make your trip to Bishop a culinary delight.  During our weekend getaway, we ate at some of the best restaurants in Bishop which we think are must-visits for any food lovers traveling to Bishop. 

10 Ideas for Unique California Weekend Getaways

Mendocino
Photo courtesy Visit Mendocino County

We recently attended the San Diego Travel & Adventure Show for some travel inspiration.  Since we work full-time, we’re always looking for fun new California weekend getaways to provide us with a little bit of vacation without having to take time off.  The travel show had an aisle-and-a-half of cities and counties from all over the state, providing us with lots of ideas.  Even though we have lived in California our entire lives, we are always amazed by the wealth of vacation opportunities this great state has to offer, many of which we still haven’t experienced.

Denver Without a Car: Things to Do in Downtown Denver

Bronco Buster statue in Civic Center Park.

America’s cities are not always the easiest to navigate without a car.  They’re spread out and the public transportation isn’t always that great.    But we only had a weekend for our trip to Denver and it felt unnecessary to have a rental car for such a short trip.  We decided to see what kind of Denver weekend getaway we could put together that didn’t require a car.  We were excited to find there are a number of fun things to do in downtown Denver which meant we could have a full weekend visiting Denver’s attractions without needing our own four wheels.

Santa Maria: A Secret Central California Weekend Getaway

As Southern Californians, we are constantly looking for new California weekend getaway destinations to explore.  We found one of Central California’s secret getaways in Santa Maria.  Santa Maria is probably more popular among visitors coming from other countries than among travelers living in the United States.  This is something that should change because Santa Maria is a quick California getaway with many varied attractions for travelers.  If Santa Maria is known at all, it is known for its wineries, but Santa Maria has so much more to offer including one of California’s best missions, farm-fresh produce, lip-smacking barbeque, hikes with stunning vistas, and quaint museums.