Going on a vacation always inspires me to try new things, but also reminds me I can support and discover local venues at home as well. This is something I need to work on. However, I find that California holds an abundance of new experiences and it definitely helps that the weather is typically in ones favor. Example: While a 100+ in Dallas last Friday, I was enjoying a coastal walk off Torrey Pines beach

Torrey Pines Beach

where it was in the 70’s!

In the past years we’ve had the opportunity to visit my husband’s close Aunt & Uncle at their beautiful home in Del Mar, and as tradition we try to fit in a new adventure to mark the holiday.  This trip we went deep sea fishing, placed some trifecta bets at the Del Mar race track, and yet we had done all this before. However, for this getaway I had researched possible ideas in advance, specifically that which related towards a grape harvest. I found it in Julian, California at the Menghini Winery.  Not a harvest, but a grape stomp for adults, complete with barrels (remember that ‘I Love Lucy’ episode), and it was a thoughtful touch to have a smaller one set up for children who also wanted to join in. Driving up to the winery I was excited to see how many had turned out to “get their stomp on”. Parking was along the sides of an apple orchard where the apples were still ripening and I captured a quick shot:

and then in an opening between the vineyards, orchards, and a pink house that could have starred in a Hansel/Gretel scene was the centerpiece of the whole gathering.

Different types of grapes in the wine barrel provided for stomping

Karen (Tommy’s Aunt) & Myself- “grape stomping”

With the barrels being in the sun all day, and hundreds of people filtering in and out mashing grapes, the temperature when in the “grape slosh” was suprisingly cool. Several tents with local vendors sold “what-nots”, and others offered food and wine tastings (including the Menghini Vineyard) for $1, which added to the all around great time. The live band played traditional Italian dancing music as those that felt the urge (myself included) put it all out on the dance floor. In all, I look forward to my next adventure in Cali and can officially mark “grape stomping” off my list!

Upon returning to DFW, I logged online to search for websites that support local: restaurants, events, and entertainment and suprisingly did not find as much as one would expect . I thought a grassroots type of website would have popped up, though I did find the following:

For produce: local harvest, pick your own

Restaurants: eat well guide, not much here, do any of our readers have any more suggestions?

Entertainment: typically your local newspapers keep track of all happenings (symphony, rock concerts, plays, art shows, etc) yelp, dallas observer, D Magazine

If you can think of any other sites that should be listed, please let me know. I’d love to add more!