Issues in my household are likely to skip a era. My mom can grasp with caffeine, whereas my grandma and I fare much better with decaf. Against this, grams and I can get down a glass of sauv blanc, whereas my mother isn’t a wine fan.

Her aversion to vino has by no means been an issue… till I fell in love with a San Diego transplant from one of many strongholds of California wine: Paso Robles. Fortunately, wine tastings aren’t all the town has to supply. From an more and more vibrant meals scene, sizzling spots for different sips like cocktail and beer, and myriad methods to discover the outside and the humanities, there’s a lot to expertise amid Paso Robles’ rolling hills and delightful vineyards.

So should you’d wish to cross on wine—or are merely searching for issues to do between sips—e-book your direct flight from San Diego to San Luis Obispo (a mere half-hour from Paso), seize a room on the Paso Robles Inn or Resort Cheval, and leap into the town’s less-heralded adventures.

Day One

Begin your weekend downtown, noshing on lunch from Ziggy’s, a cool, non-precious vegan spot serving plant-based takes on consolation meals: burgers, tacos, mac n’ “cheese,” even “carnitas” fries.

If going meat-free isn’t your jam at this time (or should you’re searching for one thing just a little more healthy, mockingly), head to the Odyssey World Cafe, a counter-serve, internationally impressed kitchen with an expansive menu, together with salads (get the Asian rooster), sandwiches, pasta, and stir frys.

Afterwards, don’t go too far—downtown is full of charming outlets, from clothes and present boutiques to sprawling vintage shops (just like the 4,000-square-foot Relics Vintage Mall) the place you possibly can hunt for treasures to take residence. Talking of souvenirs, cheffy sorts ought to pop by Pasolivo, a mecca of extra-virgin olive oils in flavors like rosemary, caramelized onion, and tangerine.

Over at Studios on the Park, meander by way of a number of working artwork studios and 4 galleries with rotating exhibitions. For those who’re feeling formidable, join a workshop prematurely—the studios provide single-class programs in artwork types as various as wooden engraving and cookie adorning.

After the solar units, discover part of Paso solely accessible within the post-twilight hours: Sensorio. British artist Bruce Munro planted 58,000 fiber-optic spheres in a discipline in 2019—an meant short-term exhibition that turned everlasting (and was expanded to 100,000 bulbs) as a result of standard demand.

I’ll admit, whilst an arts reporter, my preliminary response upon studying in regards to the exhibit was, “Okay, a bunch of lights on some grass?” However the kaleidoscopic unfold is staggering in its scope (it spans a number of acres), and there’s a lot to discover past it, together with a handful of different light-centric, site-specific Munro installations, a reside music stage, and a number of foods and drinks stops. A blinding new exhibit by LA-based artist collective HYBYCOZO is incoming, together with a bigger efficiency stage and occasion garden.

Although Sensorio presents a bustling meals courtroom, you’ll wish to save room as an alternative for dinner at In Bloom, adjoining to downtown’s Paso Market Stroll. Modern and cozily upscale, the Michelin Information–really useful restaurant earns its laurels with attractive plating and the flavors to match.

The five-course tasting menu gives a pleasant sampling of their artistic method (I didn’t know I wanted fried rooster with caviar in my life, however now I can’t cease fascinated about it). Even when ordering a la carte, although, it’s arduous to go flawed right here.

Day Two

Start your day at Joe’s Place, an old-school diner serving beneficiant parts of bacon and eggs. Spend the remainder of your morning about quarter-hour away at Sculpterra Vineyard & Sculpture Backyard—whereas wine is, in fact, on provide right here, it’s simply as a lot in regards to the artwork, a group of large-scale works by Central Coast residents John Jagger, Dale Evers, Darren Brown, and Bob Bentley. Wander by way of the acres of gardens and vineyards and, should you’re fortunate, catch a reside band.

For lunch, head to each San Diegan’s pure habitat: a brewery. California Coast Beer Co. serves pizza and barbeque (attempt the tri-tip sandwich, a well-liked providing in Paso) on a sprawling campus constructed from elements of the autobody store that when stood in its stead. They brew 16 beers onsite, however their greatest “dessert” isn’t on the draft listing. Ask for the Golden Robust with a Nitro Stout float for a pint harking back to a chocolate-covered banana.

For those who spherical out the meal with a cocktail on the brewhouse’s hooked up sister idea, The Den—a Seventies-inspired lounge decked out in era-appropriate décor sourced from co-owner Frank Panian’s dad and mom—you’re technically dishonest the no-wine factor, however solely barely. Bartenders whip up espresso martinis, Moscow mules, and different mixes with a 40-proof, wine-based vodka that tastes precisely like the actual deal. Seize a white Russian and sit back to the sounds of an outdated 8-track.

Soothe sore muscle tissue after that morning exercise at River Oaks Scorching Springs Spa. A keep at a sizzling spring resort would sometimes set you again a minimum of a pair benjamins, however River Oaks rents out personal mineral water sizzling tubs by the hour for a mere $28 per bather. You may tack on a therapeutic massage or facial for additional bliss.

When it’s dinner time, head to an surprising wine nation hang-out: a tiki bar. Cane Tiki Room operates with a joyful more-is-more mentality, setting stiff (and scrumptious) drinks on hearth at your desk and laying down the tastiest and spiciest inexperienced beans I’ve ever had. A mai tai is a should right here, in fact, however don’t sleep on their non-rum-based concoctions.

Later, head subsequent door to Libretto, a subterranean jazz bar that hosts such heavy-hitters as Grammy-winning trumpeter Jay Jennings and American Idol star Elliott Yamin in an intimate, cloistered area. Exhibits promote out usually, so nab a ticket prematurely.

Day Three

Seize a fast breakfast at Joebella Espresso Roasters contained in the Paso Market Stroll. The café, which toasts its beans in close by Atascadero, serves plant-based brekkie burritos and candy and savory pastries alongside basic caffeinated bevs (and harder-to-find ones, like a yerba mate latte).

Then, get on the market. Chances are you’ll be on trip, however that doesn’t imply you possibly can’t sustain with that 2024 intention to maneuver extra. As for the kind of train, decide your poison—Paso Robles has its justifiable share of open-air areas to roam.

Golf is a beloved pastime right here, and you’ll spend the morning hitting the hyperlinks at one of many metropolis’s a number of programs, together with Hunter Ranch Golf Course and Paso Robles Golf Course. Or e-book an electrical bicycle with Central Coast Bike Rental and chart a course by way of downtown and previous the town’s sprawling vineyards.

At lunchtime, head to enterprise collective Tin Metropolis (positioned 10 minutes from downtown), a paradise for many who like considerate sips—not simply wine however beer, cider, and spirits from homegrown brewers and distillers. Unwind with a pint on Barrelhouse Brewing’s shady patio or uncover your new favourite cocktail base with a tasting at Tin Metropolis Distillery, which produces vodka, whiskey, and gin. When you’ve drunk your fill, steadiness out the booze with an enormous lunch at Etto Pasta Bar, an ethereal Italian joint that makes its noodles in-house.

Shut issues out at Negranti Creamery. Loads of scoop outlets sling a combo of cow’s milk and non-dairy ice cream, and Negranti has each, however the dessert spot is greatest identified for its sheep’s milk ice cream in artistic flavors like strawberry basil and cinnamon apricot crisp. The choice dairy is simple on the abdomen for lactose-sensitive people and sits fairly within the store’s housemade waffle cones.

Subsequent cease? One other vineyard—however not for the vino, in fact. Central Coast Trailrides hosts scenic, guided treks on horseback by way of Cass Vineyard’s vineyards, lower than 20 minutes from downtown Paso Robles. Those that are a bit nervous to saddle up can go for a low-key path by way of the vines, whereas extra adventurous riders could desire the path that climbs into the hills for extra expansive views. (Word that the trip at Cass Vineyard is on the market solely to events of 4 or extra. Smaller teams can giddy up on the Santa Margarita and Santa Rita ranches in close by Santa Margarita and Templeton, respectively.)

When you’ve labored up an urge for food, hit The Alchemists’ Backyard. The downtown eatery has a wine listing, positive, however requesting a chard at this Eden for cocktail nerds can be like ordering simply fries at Mister A’s. Co-owner Tony Bennet is a spirit savant, all the time completely happy to stroll you thru the chemistry behind every of your G&T’s refined, shifting notes.

Drinks like a hibiscus-vodka-and-sweet-potato-liquor spritz and a PB&J quaint pair with bar bites, salads, and protein-driven entrées. Talking of fries, although, you must get them right here. Flat and crispy, they arrive with a goat cheese ranch I needed to smuggle the final dregs of away in my purse.

After dinner, head subsequent door (you’ll have to make a reservation prematurely) to The Treatment, the comfy cocktail-only cave from the parents behind The Alchemists’ Backyard. Normal like a regency-era gents’s membership and lined with bottles of uncommon whiskey, The Treatment is Bennet’s mad-scientist playground, a dimly lit hideaway the place he conjures creations like a deconstructed negroni served with little jewels of campari “caviar.”

Every sip comes with a (completely fulfilling) lecture. Getting smarter whilst you get just a little sauced is a good way to finish a weekend in Paso Robles.