Temecula: Sippin, Swingin and Wilderness Lakes
I have to admit that we’ve been to this area before, even stayed at the same campground but wow, we totally missed Temecula and what a mistake! We missed out on some serious sippin’ and swingin’!
Two years ago we found ourselves at the Wilderness Lakes RV Resort and Campground in Menifee, CA and made the mistake of just exploring about a 5 mile radius. In our defense, we were only staying for two days, still new to full time travel and entirely too anxious to get to the next BIG destination.
Now that we have learned a thing or two about road tripping, we expanded our horizons and were greatly rewarded with undisturbed greens and more wine than even our experienced tolerances could handle. Temecula is only a mere 15 miles from Menifee and yet feels so very different. It’s your quintessential small town with a big emphasis on wine and hiding (maybe even purposefully) some really great golfing. Ok, maybe they are not hiding the golf; it just takes a back seat to the wine scene.
One of the tastiest of our stops was Leoness Cellars. It had a very formal and elegant feel and yet it was founded by two farmers who had been growing grapes in Temecula for over twenty years, so it wasn’t pretentious. If you are going on some tastings, this one should be on your short list.
Doffo Wines definitely takes the cake for one of the most interesting wineries we have ever been to! The wine is good (we suggest the bubbly) but the motorbikes and the Argentinean/Italian family that owns and runs the place is what made this stop one we will never forget.
Yes, I said motorbikes. Marcelo Doffo (AKA Dad) has long had an obsession with vintage motorbikes and has amassed an amazing collection that is prominently displayed thought the property. He is a proud man and loves to gush on his bike collection, wine and even his children. After spending a couple of hours with Marcelo and his son/winemaker Damian we had to remind ourselves that we were in California and not Europe. If you make your way there and you own pink shoes, wear them and please tell Marcelo Jason and Nikki sent you. Marcelo couldn’t get over Jason’s pink PF Flyer shoes. We couldn’t believe that the European was shocked by pink shoes! It’s just a lighter shade of red and we thought all Argentinean/Italians loved red?
Now, about that golf we mentioned. We don’t always take the time (or want to spend the money) to hit many golf courses along our way but we do love to play. We were told by several people that cross creek golf course is one we shouldn’t miss. They were right.
Their tag line is, “No Homes, No Freeways, No Noise… Come Experience Pristine Golf” and it was all true. It was a bit of a drive to get out there but once we were there, it was beautiful!
We tried to pass off our Smart car as a golf car, but they weren’t having it. Maybe if we switched to the all electric they would let us… may be an idea worth exploring, don’t you think?
So, if you haven’t gathered, we enjoyed exploring Temecula and had we not gone back to Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes campground, we would have missed it! Here is the video we shot for the campground…you will notice we didn’t have any fun (or maybe too much) filming this one.
I should mention that we did really enjoy our stay at the campground. We ran into some familiar faces and got to know some new ones too! There were a few different families camping from the group Fulltime Families that would have group hang outs. It was fun getting to know some of the young families and hearing their stories about traveling the country, living life, and raising children on the go. If you are considering full time travel with kids, get yourselves a Thousand Trails membership and check out Fulltime Families.
Ok, your turn. Have you been to Temecula or Wilderness Lakes Campground? If so, tell us your favorite finds in the comments below!
Disclaimer: While we were compensated to film the campground (thanks Thousand Trails!)…all of our experiences and opinions are not purchased and are still our own.
