Inside Paso Robles

Hotel Meets Winery in Paso Robles - A Match Made in Wine Heaven

by Lori Ritchey

Well, it’s finally been done.  Hotel meet winery, winery meet hotel.  Yep, that is right, the Paso Robles Inn has partnered with 17 different local wineries and one brewery to create their own version of winery row. 

The Paso Robles Inn has recently renovated rooms and incorporated various winery characteristics into the décor, ambience and amenities of each of the deluxe mineral spa rooms – starting with the unique naming on the door.  Each suite features a variety of unique decorative items, from a real grape vine in the Ancient Peaks Winery room to wine barrel chairs in the DAOU room to beautiful murals over the spa tubs and glass lamps filled with wine corks. 

Other touches include wine barrel art, sculptures, coat racks and photography from the vineyards.  All the rooms are tasteful, educational and entertaining. 

Guests staying in these rooms have a private mineral hot tub with natural hot spring water that has been used for healing and relaxation for centuries.  In 1913, the world’s most well-known concert pianist and composer, Ignace Paderewski, would come enjoy the hotel’s mineral hot springs for his arthritis. What other hotels can you think of that have incorporated artisan healing water and wine together? 

Locals take for granted (or don’t even know) what is behind the big brick building.  Everyone should take a stroll there one day, you won’t be disappointed.  You will find a canopy of trees and shrubs that make up a luscious green garden; you can take a deep breath and enjoy the cool and refreshing atmosphere; stop and listen to the babbling brook and feed the Koi fish; and tour and sample from the Chef’s Organic Kitchen Gardens with local produce that is incorporated into the Steakhouse menu daily.

The Paso Robles Inn has variety of events for locals and hotel guests.  One of my favorites is their summer wine and tapas series on Tuesday nights.  It is a treat to enjoy the cool breeze on their decadent patio, mingle with friends and enjoy delicious passed appetizers and wine.  The featured winery winemaker is typically there pouring and you can even have a peak at the wine room.  With this Indian summer we seem to be having, you still have the chance to check out a few more events.  DAOU, Eberle, Donati and Castoro will finish up the series.  For more information be sure to visit their website at www.pasoroblesinn.com or call 805-238-2660. Mention you saw this article and receive $2 off your Wine and Tapas ticket.  Code word – Travel Paso.

Lori Ritchey is the Marketing Coordinator at Martin Resorts. Lori is a Paso Robles native who has an intense love and passion for the Central Coast and everything it has to offer.  You can find her out on the weekends enjoying the beautiful weather, savoring good food, wine and beer. 

The Paso Robles Inn serves up hospitality with a side of history and hot springs

by Laura Gurreau

As the guide of the Paso Robles Food & Wine Tour, a stop at the Paso Robles Inn is a “must” for a variety of reasons. In that I’m a bit of a history nut, I’ve considered it imperative that I share the bona fide reason for the town’s existence … and it all winds nicely back to the hot springs and the stage coach stop of the same name. Later, this very successful and busy stagecoach stop renamed itself the Paso Robles Hot Springs Hotel.

On this location three hotels including the present day Paso Robles Inn have evolved since its start in 1864. The hotel’s rich and interesting history is mostly forgotten, except by those who chance the luck of peeking behind the present day façade perched staunchly on Spring Street. Note: even the name of the main drag in town alludes to the history of the town’s beginning: (hot) spring.

I’ve been to the Paso Robles Inn maybe 100 times since I started the food tour last year, and every time I visit I find something new and wonderful to capture my attention and imagination. I can honestly say people who have not ventured behind the structure that serves as the hotel’s check-in have no idea of the treasures that rest beyond.

In addition to wide eyes of surprise, the most frequent comment I get on our visit to the Inn is, “I had no idea all this existed!” As if unveiling a new treasure, with a wink of an eye and a knowing smile, I nod my head in understanding. As my guests gaze upon the luscious greenery, century old redwoods and olive trees, the meandering path through the grounds beckons them on to explore. However, first I say, “we eat – then we walk.”

As I turn my group toward the garden patio dining area, I witness another breath of “aaahhhs.” I guide my group to a welcoming table set with a white linen tablecloth, china and wineglasses. In fact, while talking and gazing at the gardens, our wine glasses are filled, now calling for us to sit and relax. Smiles all around … I can tell that once again the setting enchants.

I explain to my guests that by way of its exterior coffee house appearance, the Steakhouse is often undiscovered by visitors. But, I whisper, it’s a real find.  Since Kevin Hyland was hired a few years ago to spiff up the food and beverage experience at the Inn, we’ve witnessed a whirlwind of enhancements including the hiring of Chef Kevin Fryburger, a new menu based on fresh, local product, and “chef gardens” growing an assortment of herbs and vegetables throughout the grounds

If you were to ask either of the “Kevins” both would probably say that meat, particularly their Prime Rib, is the highlight of their menu. And in all fairness, the Prime Rib is absolutely delicious (and what we serve on our food tour). However, I regularly frequent the Steakhouse with friends and have ordered an assortment of menu items and found all similarly outstanding.

Below are a few of my personal favorites:

• The Iceburg Wedge – classic, simple, crispy fresh;
• The California Salad – a much better take on the traditional tostada salad. I love the spicy creamy dressing;
• The famous Prime Rib Sandwich – their spin adds aged white cheddar and fresh avocados;
• The Gorgonzola Grilled Chicken Sandwich – always a winner;
• The California Lettuce Wraps – this is mom’s favorite (and she’s a tough customer).

After dining and enjoying our wine, I rouse the group for our walk through the Inn’s gardens. The cooler and refreshing atmosphere is a treat as we wind our way through the green canopy of trees and shrubs. There’s tons of history to the grounds and hotel, but I’d spoil all the surprises if I shared them here. Just know that you’ll be pleasantly surprised and enchanted by taking the time to explore the hotel, its grounds, historic ballroom from 1891 … and most especially the food being dished out at the Steakhouse.

Enjoy!

About Laura: Laura Gurreau is the owner of Central Coast Food Tours. A longtime 'local', Laura shed her career as a management consultant to follow her passion for food and wine. She enjoys meeting the farmers, chefs, winemakers and artisanal food producers who make Paso Robles a premier destination for fine foods and delicious wines. Laura can be found sharing her 'finds' with guests of her Paso Robles,San Luis Obispo and Farm-to-Table Food Tours.

Historic Perspective: Paso Robles Hot Springs

by Cindy Steinbeck

Paso Robles is an agricultural community, a family community and a tourist community.  These segments drive our economy and make us who we are. All of this started with the discovery of natural hot mineral springs that flow beneath the city.

These next fascinating paragraphs about water in Paso Robles are taken from the City of Paso Robles website.  

As far back as 1795, Paso Robles has been spoken of and written about as “California’s oldest watering place”—the place to go for springs and mud baths. In 1864, a correspondent to the San Francisco Bulletin wrote that there was every prospect of the Paso Robles hot springs becoming the watering place of the state. By 1868 people were coming from as far away as Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and even Alabama. Besides the well-known mud baths, there were the Iron Spring and the Sand Spring, which bubbles through the sand and was said to produce delightful sensations.

Photo Credit: Maren Photography

In 1882, Drury James and the Blackburn brothers issued a pamphlet advertising “El Paso de Robles Hot and Cold Sulfur Springs and the Only Natural Mud Baths in the World.” By then there were first-class accommodations—a reading room, barber shop, and telegraph office; a general store, a top-of-the-line livery stable, and comfortably furnished cottages for families that preferred privacy to quarters in the hotel. Visitors could stay in touch with the rest of the world, as there were two daily mails, a Western Union telegraph office, and a Wells Fargo agency with special rates for guests. As the springs became more and more a destination of the well-to-do as a place to go to socialize, the original purpose of the springs—to heal—became peripheral.

The bathhouse was erected over the sulfur spring in 1888, with a plunge and thirty-seven bath rooms. In the following year, work began on the large Hot Springs Hotel, (today the Paso Robles Inn), which was completed in 1900 and burned down 40 years later. Since the privileges of using the baths were restricted to guests of the hotel and many sufferers of the ailments the baths cured could not pay the rates of the fashionable hotel, a few businessmen in Paso Robles made arrangements with Felix Liss for the right to bore for sulfur water on a lot which Liss owned. A sulfur well was reached, a bath house built and baths offered at an affordable rate of twenty-five cents. The establishment was later offered to the City and is currently the site of the Municipal Pool [530 Oak Street].

Understanding our rich history and our present provides an opportunity for a clearer vision for our future. Today Paso Robles is home for those who have fallen in love with our rich history and the culture of our community. We are still “a destination with first class accommodations” as well as an affordable community “to go to socialize.” The waters of Paso Robles still, today, have healing properties, I’m sure!

Cindy Steinbeck is the owner of Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery and serves as director of marketing and public relations.  Cindy serves on the Board of Regents for Concordia University Irvine and travels extensively as an inspirational public speaker.  Please visit www.steinbeckwines.com to see more of the Steinbeck story.

The Anatomy of a Tourism Destination - 1800's Version

Tents near bath house, pre-amenities

One of the reasons to love Paso Robles is that everywhere you go, you meet friendly people. Locals, shop owners, waiters, tasting room attendants, bartenders and hotel front desk clerks all exude warmth and a welcoming attitude that is hard to find in other regions.

While it’s easy to believe that it’s sort of a happy accident, it turns out that Paso Robles has gone above and beyond regular “hospitality” since the mid 1800′s.

Long before Highways 101 and 46, or even the railroads, brought visitors here for our wine, Paso Robles was a visitor destination for our healing hot mineral springs and mud baths.

As far back as the 1850’s, visitors were arriving via stagecoach, buckboard, on horseback and even on foot to find cures for their ailments that the hot springs would reportedly cure. And to show their appreciation for visitors, the town rolled out the red carpet, Paso Robles style.

The Paso Robles Inn uncapped the old hot mineral springs wells in 1999 and now select guest rooms have spa tubs on their balconies

Right smack dab in the middle of town, where our Library and the Paso Robles Inn currently sit, was an underground hot spring (you may have heard of its resurgence, as it were, after our 2003 earthquake, but that’s another story for another day). In short order, guest cabins were built around the spring, as well as the first iteration of the soon-to-be-world-famous Paso Robles Hot Springs Hotel, which would eventually be replaced by a large, resplendent version that would attract the likes of celebrities such as  Ignace Paderewski and The Pittsburgh Pirates, among others.

Streetcars were added to get people to the hot springs and mud baths more easily

There was also a taxi service to get folks from their hotel to the hot springs and as demand increased, a horse-drawn trolley on rails was installed to get more people to the hot springs and mud baths more easily.

Pretty impressive, big-city service for a town of less than 500 people.

That spirit of hospitality is still alive and well today. Paso Robles residents are some of the warmest, most welcoming people you will ever meet, to friends and strangers alike. Our wineries, restaurants and hotels are happy to give visitors suggestions on making the most of their visit to Paso Robles, and there is a pretty good chance that if you walk around our downtown, more than one friendly stranger will give you a warm smile and greeting.

If you’d like to experience “taking the cure” in Paso Robles, there are three places to still experience hot mineral springs baths – the Paso Robles Inn, River Oaks Hot Springs Spa and Franklin Hot Springs.

And you don’t have to pitch a tent either, we have 20 hotels, numerous bed and breakfast inns and vacation rentals to choose from.

We’re good like that, our history is hospitality.

Why Holiday Shopping in Paso Robles is Good for Humanity

by Shonna Howenstine

Over the course of the past few years, many of us have scaled back our holiday celebrations and gift giving. With more and more people concentrating on the joy of being with family and friends during the holidays, a heartwarming trend is emerging...

Thoughtfulness is back in style.

And Paso Robles, in all its authenticity, is a great place to find gifts with meaning and purpose that suit each recipient, all made right here in Paso. Many products are made by hand, and all have a terrific story to go with them.

Does your mother-in-law love to cook? How about a bottle of your neighbor's olive oil and a copy of your favorite local caterer's cookbook?

Does your best friend love wine? Sneak out to your favorite boutique winery and grab a bottle of something that can't be found outside of their walls.

Got a beer lover in the family? Firestone Walker Brewery is right down the street and their 805 Ale is only available in the 805. Pick up a gift certificate for FW t-shirts, tap handles and.... cornhole??  

If you are shopping for someone who has everything, here is a list of unique, Paso-made items to choose from that will make the recipient feel special, keep small business owners in business and keep the thoughtfulness trend going strong:

Paso-Made Goods:

• Art, Sculpture, Pottery, Handmade Jewelry, Fine Crafts: www.studiosonthepark.org, www.piercemodern.com, www.valefineart.com, www.daleeversstudio.com or www.thefireflygallery.com 
• Balsamic Vinegar: www.weolive.com
• Beer www.firestonewalker.com
• Body Care Products made with local olive oil: www.pasolivo.com or www.oluvskin.com
• Books by Local Authors: http://bit.ly/FriendsPasoLibrary
• Cheese or a Cheese Club Membership: www.vivantfinecheese.com
• Cooking Spices and Gourmet Provisions: www.pasospices.com or www.pithywine.com
• Honey www.ntnah.com
• Italian Soda: www.pithywine.com
• Olive oil www.weolive.com
• Walnut Oil www.limerockorchards.com
• Wine, Champagne, Port and Handcrafted Spirits: www.pasowine.com

Paso Robles Experiences:

• Art classes, seminars and workshops www.studiosonthepark.org
• Cooking Class at Dining with Andre www.diningwithandre.com
• Lodging or Dining Gift Certificates www.travelpaso.com
• Hunter Ranch Golf Course www.hunterranchgolf.com
• Massage/Facial/Spa Day www.replenishmassage.com, www.twistway.com and www.travelpaso.com or www.riveroakshotsprings.com
• River Oaks Hot Springs Spa www.riveroakshotsprings.com
• Steinbeck Vineyards Crash Course www.steinbeckvineyards.com
• Wine Tours www.travelpaso.com

The recipients of these thoughtful gifts will be thrilled by the human touch that went to each of them and the heartwarming stories behind each one. Support small business and give thoughful gifts, it's good for humanity!

Here is a quick video about shopping in downtown Paso Robles. 

 

Shonna Howenstine is the Tourism Coordinator for the City of Paso Robles and vows to shop thoughtfully and locally this holiday season. If you have an item that you think should be on this list, she can be reached at [email protected].

 

Paso Robles - by Zane, 4th Grade, Manhattan Beach

We were recently contacted by Zane T. of Manhattan Beach who was preparing a report on Paso Robles for his 4th grade persuasive speech project. He needed to know the Top 10 things to do in Paso Robles. 

After doing deep tourism research and receiving suggestions from Mr. Berry's 4th Grade class at Kermit King Elementary, Zane's report scored an A! Here is the speech that did it (we believe that Zane has a brilliant future in tourism promotion):

If you like to boat, hike, and be adventurous, Paso Robles is the place for you! Over the summer instead of playing (hold up wii remote) those lame video games, you should get outside and hit the road to Paso!

Wow! Look over there - it's the Ravine Waterpark. You should definitely visit the amazing Ravine Waterpark.  The park is filled with many wacky rides such as “The Toilet Bowl”. (hold up picture) This fun, fast, mind blowing adventure swirls around a toilet-shaped bowl.

Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Paso Robles is located in the central coast region.  It has a mild and dry coastal climate.  It has flat land for agriculture and beautiful rolling hills with lots of oak trees.    It is the perfect place to grow grapes - their number 1 crop.  It is also known for producing nuts such as walnuts and almonds. (show can of nuts)  

Paso Robles wineries attract people from all over the country.Some of them are family-friendly. Your parents could stop by to taste some wine (hold up wine bottle) while you play bocce ball outside or even taste fresh grape juice.

(Put on helmet) Do you like riding bikes? Because on Memorial Day weekend, families gather at the Great Western Bicycle Rally.Families camp at the Paso Robles Event Center and spend most of the weekend riding bikes and having contests.

Another fun event on Memorial Day is the Paso Robles Festival of Arts.  It is a live art show where you can see people dance and hear musicians play.  The festival is held in Paso’s City Park -  otherwise known as the heart of the city.  Paso’s city park is an extraordinary place to go.  Every Friday the park has a farmer’s market where you can buy fresh produce (hold up a piece of fruit) from local farmers.

Back in the days when Paso was first founded, it was known for it’s mineral hot springs.  Travelers along the El Camino Real would stop for relaxation in the hot springs.  And up to this day, Paso Robles is still famous for its hot springs. 

If you want to learn about more of Paso Robles’ history, go to the Pioneer Museum. There you can see lots of artifacts from the olden days when the Salinan Indians and  Franciscan Missionaries lived in Paso.  (hold up book)

If you get hot you should cool off in the sparkling waters of Lake Nacimiento! (pick up fishing pole) From swimming, water skiing, boating, hiking and fishing, Lake Nacimiento has great activities for adventurous people.

Do you guys like the Hometown Fair? If you do, then you’ll LOVE  the Mid-State Fair because it is 10 times bigger and better! There are a lot of fun activities such as carnival rides, big name concerts like Selena Gomez and Justin Beiber, and even pig races!

Well, I better get going - I hope I see you in Paso Robles over the summer!  Maybe we can race down the toilet bowl together.

Zane plans to return to Paso Robles this summer to experience The Ravine Waterpark, (and the Toilet Bowl) for himself.

 

Manly Vacations in Wine Country? Heck yeah.

Art of Manliness

It seems that when some men hear “wine country” they think “romantic vacation on my best behavior”.  Which may be fun for some people, but we're guessing the average Joe prefers to relax while on vacation.

Did you know that Paso Robles is a killer relaxation and adventure destination?

Yep.

Manly men everywhere should breathe a sigh of relief and pack their Bug Out bags to head for Paso.  

Introducing Paso Robles’ “Friday Giveaways”

by Shonna Howenstine

It was recently brought to our attention that everybody loves Fridays. And free stuff. And Paso Robles.

So, with us being the progressive tourism office that we are, we’ve decided to combine these three things and conquer the world. Well, maybe “conquer” is the wrong word. Perhaps “enliven” or “enhance” or “improve” would be better in this instance.  We have SUCH a cool program that we’re calling Friday Giveaways. And it’s legit - we officially launched it last week and gave away two tickets to the 20th Annual Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival!

Valentine’s Day in Paso Robles

by Shonna Howenstine

While the exact origins of Valentine’s Day are hazy, the current manner of celebrating the holiday in Paso Robles is clear – it’s all about love, romance, and…food. 

That’s right, food. Valentine’s Day is the second busiest day of the year for most restaurants (right
behind New Year’s Eve) and this is great news for lovebirds AND foodies. If the way to a lover’s heart is through the stomach, then Paso Robles is the place to be for Valentine's Day. Our restaurants and wineries pull out all the stops with their Valentine’s Day menus.

Here are a few examples:

Give the Gift of Rest, Relaxation and Pampering in Paso Robles

by Tina Swithin, Travel Paso Robles Alliance

Are you still seeking that special gift for the one you love?  Luckily, I’ve done the work so you can rest assured that you’ll have the best gift under the tree.  I happily continue on my quest to bring you the very best gift ideas in Paso Robles. The theme for this series is quite simple: Rest, Relation and Pampering in Paso Robles.