Temecula, California – Hometown Adventure Series

Welcome back to our Hometown Adventure Series, where we're sharing the best sites and “Must See” places in our hometowns. Today, we're headed back to sunny Southern California. Our guest blogger today is Nicole from 365(ish) Days of Pinterest.  She is sharing what she loves about her hometown of  Temecula, California.

I have lived in the Temecula Valley since 1987. My dad is a pastor, and our family moved to California from Oregon to start Calvary Baptist Church. At the time I really hated living here. Everything was so BROWN. There was only one stop light in town and next to nothing when it came to stores and restaurants. But the area was booming and new tract home developments were going up every week. Since then, the population has grown over 500% and our sleepy little bedroom community has become a beautiful city full of great dining, entertainment and a family friendly environment.

Photo source

Temecula has a long and fascinating history, from Franciscan padres, to trappers, ranchers, Temecula Indian and Mexican battles and a famous massacre, stage-coach lines, quarries and visits by celebrities during the Hollywood's Golden Age. Throughout the 20th century, large ranches gave way to development and in 1980 the I-15 corridor between Los Angeles and San Diego was completed, bringing the housing boom to fruition. Fortunately, not all the area has been developed, and there are still large ranches and wineries throughout the valley.

Today, Old Town Temecula is a charming location full of antique stores, boutiques, old-fashioned candy shoppes, and unique eateries. There is also a beautiful theater for performing arts and a brand new civic center for city hall, the chamber of commerce and other city business. There are many annual activities for families like Western Days, the Rod Run, street painting festivals and the Christmas and Independence Day parades. Temecula has a “small town” feel but the amenities of a larger town.

Photo Source: ©2014 Dale Porter / KillerImage.com

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the thing we are most well-know for: Wine Country. Now, I don't drink, so I have never visited any of the wineries, but I did work out in Wine Country in my employer's home office, and that drive to work was probably the most beautiful drive anyone could ever enjoy! The area is full of hot air balloons early in the morning and the views are just stunning. Temecula hosts a balloon and wine festival every year and thousands of people pour into the valley for the weekend.

Photo Source: Visit for more great balloon and wine country photos!

One of our favorite places to eat in town is Rosa's Cafe and Tortilla Factory. It's a chain Mexican food restaurant and they have GREAT deals for Taco Tuesday! Our entire family can eat full-sized meals for under $20 on Tuesdays. My kids love that you can watch them make the tortillas and they come out warm and fresh. We call them “fluffy, doughy blankets of love.” 🙂

I am now very happy living in the Temecula valley. It's beautiful, the weather is amazing, we are a short drive away from the beach, the mountains, the desert, San Diego, LA…there's so much to do and see around southern California! I was gone for a few years in college and shortly after we married, but I'm so glad to be back home and raising my own kids in our beautiful city!

Tell us about your favorite thing in your hometown. Let us know in the comments below.

About our guest blogger, Nicole Burkholder from 365(ish) Days of Pinterest

Nicole is a wife, the blessed mom of three happy boys, a piano teacher, an Autism mom, a homeschool co-op leader, and now…a blogger. She started her blog on a whim after discovering Pinterest and having such a great time trying all the pins. She decided to start a blog to keep up with all of those pins.  And just to make things almost impossible, she decided she would try a new pin every single day for a year.  Thus, the premise of her blog was born.