Travel Review: Paso Robles, CA

A terrific weekend destination for wine aficionados and art enthusiasts alike

Since I discovered the NY Times annual “Places to Go” list in 2016, I’ve made it my mission to travel to at least one destination on each year’s list. For this year’s list, Paso Robles, CA ranked at #6. I’ll admit, despite having lived in California most of my life, I had never heard of the town. And as it turns out, it’s a fairly easy 2.5-hour drive from the Bay Area down US-101. Given its close proximity, I decided it was worth a day trip with my girlfriend to see what the city had to offer and I must say it didn’t disappoint! Here are a few of the highlights from our time there:

Wine, Wine, and more Wine!

While our initial plan was to arrive at Paso Robles around noon, we ended up getting a late start and didn’t arrive until about 1:30 pm. We quickly grabbed some sandwiches at the Paso Market Walk, a food court that had just reopened on August 1, the day we went. Unfortunately, we were unable to eat it as I had booked a 2:15 wine tasting at Adelaida winery and they didn’t allow us to eat while we were drinking :( Despite that, the wine was incredible and surprisingly refreshing, especially given the forecasted temperatures that day were expected to top 100F. Paso Robles is said to have about 300 or so wineries in its vicinity, so naturally, wine tasting had to be on our itinerary. The NY Times recommended visiting Adelaida and, at $20/person, it was reasonably priced.

Above: Enjoying some white wine at Adelaida Winery in Paso Robles

Downtown Is Where it’s At

After sitting and sipping for a couple of hours, we decided we needed food in our stomachs to prevent us from getting too tipsy, so we decided to sit in our hot car and chow down before briefly exploring the rest of the winery. At about 4 pm, we headed back to downtown and chilled at the downtown city park, which was a gorgeous place to relax before our dinner reservations, despite the heat.

After napping under the shade of a large pine tree, we headed over to Les Petites Canailles, a farm-to-table restaurant that the NY Times recommended and recently opened. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the restaurant had no indoor seating but accommodated us nicely in a makeshift setup with shade in their side parking lot. At that point, we were still full from the lunch that we had not even two hours prior and just given how hot it was, opted to order a salad and an appetizer consisting of semi-raw fish pieces.

We then took some time to explore downtown and take some couples photos. Despite the numerous restrictions given to restaurants by the state of CA, we weren’t the only people out and about on a warm Saturday evening. Downtown Paso Robles was packed with restaurants offering sidewalk seating with a large range of cuisines to choose from. Even the downtown park offered seating for those who wanted to bring their own food and enjoy a summer night, giving the town the feeling of a tight-knit community.

But despite the hustle and bustle of downtown, we managed to find tranquility in a neighborhood just a couple of blocks away, where we were greeted by lots of friendly cats and even some deer, along with neighbors playing corn hole in their front yards. My overall impression being that people here know how to relax and have a good time!

The Field of Light Fails to Disappoint

Once the blazing sun finally set, we headed to “The Field of Light”, an art display by Bruce Munro 60,000 illuminated glass bulbs placed over 15 acres of a hilly field. The entry process was a bit unorthodox, even with Covid protocols, requiring us to state our name into a camera while our temperature was checked. The display itself was breathtaking, to say the least, and a very unique experience which I highly recommend, despite being a little pricey (tickets were just shy of $40/person). In addition to the lights, there were food carts, music, and a dance floor for folks to enjoy, along with some fire-lit tables for good aesthetics. The display was recently extended until early Jan 2021, so I would highly recommend checking it out.

Overall, Paso Robles is a wonderful and unique destination to explore, especially given its convenient location halfway between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Whether you love wine, are fascinated by art, or are just looking for a weekend getaway, Paso Robles has it all!