Inside Paso Robles

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.  

Car-Free in Paso Robles

By Shonna Howenstine

A Facebook Fan of ours recently asked us for recommendations on what she could experience in Paso Robles car-free as she was planning a mini vacation by train.   The answer is: pretty much everything.

You can be both car-free and carefree in Paso Robles, with a train ride and a bit of planning ahead.

You can easily spend an entire weekend walking around Paso Robles and take in some of the best food, wine and art our area has to offer.

The Paso Robles train station is a charming building that is walking distance from numerous hotels and vacation rentals, 20+ restaurants, 15 wine tasting rooms, cheese tasting, olive oil tasting, 4 art galleries, fun shopping and more. 

Here is a sample itinerary of what you might do for a weekend in Paso Robles without a car:

Friday
4:00pm – Arrive in Paso Robles via the Amtrak Coast Starlight, walk to your hotel

5:30pm – Walk to the free Concerts in the Park (mid-June through late August) in our downtown city park.

7:00pm – Stroll to dinner at any of our famous downtown restaurants

Saturday
9:00am – Have a leisurely breakfast downtown; walk to the local favorite Amsterdam Coffee Shop; or just enjoy coffee outside in the square

11:00am – Enjoy one of our free events in the Downtown City Park such as the Lavender Festival on July 14th or the Olive Festival on August 18th. Time your visit during the California Mid-State Fair (July 18-29) and you can take a free shuttle to the fairgrounds and take in an amazing concert, wine tasting, exhibits, funnel cakes, pig races, and more.

5:00pm – Stop into any of our 4 downtown art galleries to take in some beautiful, interesting art

7:00pm – Stroll to dinner at another of our famous downtown restaurants

Sunday
9:00am - Sunday brunch at Artisan or the Paso Robles Inn is a must

11:00am – Arrange for a wine tour with vineyard picnic lunch from any of our fabulous wine tour companies

3:00 pm - Depart for home, happy and relaxed. Maybe sneak in a nap.

There are a number of ways to see the sights outside of Paso Robles should you so desire. You can rent or hire a bike, car, van, limo, Jeep, trolley and even a horse-drawn carriage to get around and see the gorgeous scenery. 

There are daily trains to Paso Robles from Southern California, Northern California and the Central Valley, making our charming little town an attractive option for those wishing to travel without a car. Go to www.amtrak.com for train schedules and remember, getting here is half the fun.

Shonna Howenstine is the tourism coordinator for the City of Paso Robles and loves train rides, Sunday brunches and naps. She can be reached at [email protected] or 888.988.PASO (7276).

Paso Robles Train Station: National Train Day

by Coy Barnes

Have you ever travelled by train? It’s a fascinating and inexpensive way to travel, offering a relaxed pace along with spectacular views of the countryside not accessible by any other means.  Amtrak ridership is up as more and more people “ride the rails” in search of a slower pace, scenic beauty and new experiences.

We think Paso Robles has one of the quaintest and friendliest train stations this side of the Rockies on the Amtrak network.  Where else can you pick-up some local merchandise, visit three tasting rooms, have sushi, or enjoy a glass of Paso Robles wine or beer?   

There are daily trains that come to Paso Robles from Southern California and the Bay Area and two upcoming events offer great opportunities to get to know wine country via train:

• The Paso Robles Wine Festival May 19, 2012 is the perfect introduction for people from the Bay  area interested in visiting us for an afternoon of wine tasting.  You can take the Coast Starlight with a scheduled arrival in Paso Robles at 1:38pm and depart back at 4:45pm the same day!  Our station is literally just three short blocks from the Festival and our downtown. 

• National Train Day is the perfect time to inform travelers from both the Bay Area and Southern California area about travel to Paso Robles.  Every day customers and tourists to Paso Robles walk through the door of our shop and tasting room at the Paso Robles Train Station.  They all seem to say the same thing.  “This is sooo cute.  Does the train stop here?”  The answer is yes!  Not many people know that the train stops here twice per day; once going south and once going north. 

Arriving in Paso Robles and depending on where you stay, you won’t need a car while visiting our area, making the Amtrak the green way to go and it’s cheaper than a tank of gas!  Some of the local lodgings will even offer free transfers to their hotel, just ask.  Downtown Paso Robles has everything you need: 20+ great restaurants and at least 13 different wineries all within walking distance of the train station. 

So, if you are looking for stress-free travel without paying the high price of gas, Amtrak is the way to go and Paso Robles makes the ideal destination for a train trip. 
Call us for hotel and tour packages:  866-238-6400

Coy Barnes is the owner of the Paso Robles Wine Club, a wine club that sends an assortment of Paso Robles wines; and The Wine Wrangler, Paso Robles’ longest running wine tour service. Both businesses are located at the Paso Robles Train Station.

Friday Giveaway - Train Rides at Santa Margarita Ranch

This week's Friday Giveaway is 2 passes to "Disney Train Rides & More at Santa Margarita Ranch".

  This event offers one of a very few opportunities this year for the general public to ride the special Disney train housed at the Santa Margarita Ranch.

There will be food, wine beer, live entertainment, train rides and more fun for the entire family.

This community event will take place on Saturday, April 14th from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and is limited to 260 attendees. Further information and tickets ($40.00 each - all ages) are now available online at www.slorrm.com

 

Q:  What was the name of the first railroad company to provide passenger and freight service to the Paso Robles area?