Summerfest Tour of Temecula Valley (Old Town and Wine Country) | #TemeculaValleyFAM @Visit_Temecula

Most recently a group of bloggers and I went on a Tour of Temecula with Visit Temecula Valley. We took a walking tour of Old Town Temecula, visited a couple of their wineries, and attended a Balloon Glow for their annual Balloon & Wine Festival. I haven't been to Old Town Temecula, and I really wanted to see what their Balloon & Wine Festival was all about. Believe it or not, in one afternoon we were able to visit seven stops within our "Walking Tour of Temecula" (all right before we checked in at our hotel). It was eventful, nonetheless, and we were in for a full day of fun!

I drove in from Orange County that morning which took about a 1.5 hour drive. Our morning started off with us all anxiously meeting up at Temecula Valley's Visitors Center around 10:30 am. With cameras in hand, we all walked a few blocks to Temecula Olive Oil Company where we tasted various extra virgin olive oils from California olives. What a unique experience! After taking several shots of delicious olive oil combinations, we were headed to our next destination - Pennypickle's Workshop Temecula Children's Museum. This fun house is an imaginative world of Professor Phineas Pennypickle, Ph.D where children can explore inventions, gadgets, and gizmos. A few blocks away, Temecula Lavender Company was aromatherapy to our senses.

Steps away, we stopped in to taste fudge varieties and candied apples at Old Town Sweet Shop before we visited Old Town Rootbeer Company for tastings of their famous soda made with honey and cane sugar. They have over 500 choices of soda in glass bottles! One of our last stops was Old Town Spice & Tea Merchants where we tasted tea and admired their spice collection (they have over 250 spices) before we had a delicious lunch at Crush & Brew. Hint: Their Bacon Parmesan French Fries and Lobster Mac and Cheese is a must!

After an eventful afternoon in Downtown Temecula, we checked into our hotel at SpringHill Suites. My room had a contemporary design with a separate living space which included a desk, a sofa, and a mini-refrigerator. We had little time to freshen up before Viva Limo picked us up to tour wine country! (We didn't want to be late to the dinner or the miss the Balloon Glow).

Wine Tasting at Lorimar Vineyards & Winery was devine. We were all given a tasting card which allowed six tastings from their wine menu. I like mine on the sweeter side and narrowed it down two favorites: Lorimar's 2013 Muscat Canelli and 2014 White Merlot.

 

Our second stop in Wine Country was Tour & Dinner at Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyard. Their property is absolutely beautiful. We saw families rehearsing for their wedding, families with children having dinner, and folks enjoying themselves over conversation and wine. After our tour of the vineyard with their infamous Almond Champagne, we stopped in the "Barrel Room" to have a beautiful dinner and enjoyed more wine before our last destination - An Evening Balloon Glow at Temecula's Balloon & Wine Festival!

 

The Evening Balloon Glow is a special demonstration of some of the hot air balloons participating in the festival flights the next morning. Right before sunset, everyone at the festival (including families with children) watched in anticipation as they inflated their balloons and started lighting them up with their burners. It was a sight to see, and I'm hoping to take my family to see it next year.

Visiting Temecula Valley Wine Country is so much fun, and I can't wait to come back again with my family or girlfriends for lunch and more wine tasting! For more ideas of what to do in Temecula, please visit their tourism website at www.visittemeculavalley.com. For more information about the Balloon and Wine Festival, please visit www.tvbwf.com.