Oak Glen: Apple Holiday Time - Oak Glen CA Weekend Getaway

Preview: If you think Southern California doesn’t have a change of seasons, you’ll discover otherwise in this one-night escape to rural Oak Glen. Located about 120 miles from Los Angeles (on the way to Palm Springs), the sequestered glen is tucked in the San Bernardino Mountains between Yucaipa and Beaumont, at an elevation of almost 5,000 feet. Oak Glen is the Southland’s largest mile-high apple-growing community. More than a million visitors come up year-round for its peace and beauty; to smell the lilacs and pink-and-white apple blossoms covering the slopes in springtime; to enjoy the cool summers in the mountains; to marvel at the brilliant fall foliage amid towering pines, cedars, and oaks; and to throw snowballs in winter. Above all, they come to enjoy the fall harvest of some forty million apples (40,000 bushels) of more than sixty-five varieties, all sold directly to the public in one of the largest operations of its kind in the country. The apple growers also press several hundred thousand gallons of fresh cider and sell their own blends. In all the friendly apple sheds, you can taste the different apples and ciders before you buy. In an 8-mile loop, you can visit twelve apple ranches and orchards. During apple harvest season, September to New Year’s, you can buy fresh crisp apples in the apple sheds by the bag, the box, or the bushel and buy fresh-pressed cider, apple butter, apple jelly, and other apple products; browse fifty specialty shops; enjoy hearty country food in five family restaurants, always highlighted by freshly baked, hot apple pie; have picnics; visit a candy factory and animal petting parks; take part in seasonal festivities; and overnight in a charming B&B. On your return home you’ll visit an elegant and delightful decorative-arts museum. Highlights include: apple ranches and orchards, fresh-pressed cider, apple pie, mountain scenery, museums, animal petting farms, gift shops, and a B&B inn. The detailed itinerary in this chapter is a driving tour that features extensive recommendations for sightseeing attractions, recreational activities, lodging, restaurants, shopping, and more.
© Copyright Eleanor Harris and Claudia Harris Lichtig published by The Globe Pequot Press all rights reserved.


Duration: 1 Night
Best Time to Go: Year-round
This travel guide comes from:
Quick Escapes: Los Angeles Guide Book