Apple Days in Julian CA – An Annual Festival and Visit October 2011

We took our annual trip to Julian today – we actually go more than that but always make a journey at apple season. Having lived in New England for many years, picking apples became a huge tradition, and we have continued here in Southern California.

Today we picked Bartlett pears at O’Dell’s organic orchard in Julian, but by-passed the Apple Days Festival at Menghini Winery – what a mob scene THAT was. Laziness set in so we bought a bag of apples on the trip out of town.

Lunch was at a favorite and regular eatery, The Julian Bar and Grille in the heart of town across from the Julian Pie Company. The food is consistently good, at least when we have visited, and at this time of year it is crowded and required a wait.

The service was off this time, but there are fires burning east of Julian and a number of staff has to suddenly go back home during prime time service hours to check on their homes and prepare to evacuate. Once certainly has to understand!

There’s all sorts of shopping and dining (all casual) and it gets crowded on the weekends in September and October, but that’s part of the fun, in addition to the horse carriage rides, the street musicians, and the “old time melodrama” plays at the town hall theatre, among other sights and events on main street.

Julian is about 60 miles from the Southern California coast and a beautiful drive through the country and mountains (and at 5000 feet above sea level offers a difference environment that closer to the coast). It’s well worth a visit any time of year – check out the old mines in this former gold rush town!

Enjoy the sights and scenes of Julian California.

A Visit to Julian CA in Apple Season

For those of us living in Southern California along the course, Julian and other inland mountain communities are a world apart. Perhaps that part of the appeal. 

We have beaches, sand and palm trees - they have pine trees, mountains and more leaves that turn colors. 

Part of the draw is the history - Julian was a gold mining town in the late 1800s and there are still mines to explore. And you will see all sorts of reminders of that history in the buildings, signage, and the names of places to shop, eat and sleep. 

Julian is worth a visit any time, although more shops and restaurants are closed in the winter. Fall, especially September and October, is super for a visit because of the weather, apples, and lots of stuff to do and see - craft fairs, picking apples, a parade, retail sales and more. 

Be aware that it can get quite crowded on the weekends and parking can be a challenge, as are lines for the favorite place to go for apple pies. The most popular place had at least 50 people in line at one point. Not me! We bought our apples and took them home to make our own. 

Enjoy our afternoon in Julian!

A Visit to the Julian Pie Factory in Julian CA

On a recent day trip to Julian California, a former Gold Rush town about 50 miles inland, we stopped in to buy a pie at the famed Julian Pie Factory after enjoying lunch at our fave place, the Julian Grille.

Julian has been a popular apple destination for years, with their well-known Julian Apple Days Festival in the fall, and the Julian Pie Factory is a must-stop if you like apple pie, although they offer many others as well. The apple peach crumb is probably my favorite.

While you can buy Julian Pies at many local stores in our area (watch, because they vary in price from place to place) where it may be more convenient than a pie run out to the mountains, the Julian Pie Factory offers great local color and people watching, with outdoor seating to enjoy the scenery in this quaint mountain town.

Check out the Julian Pie Factory the next time you are in the area.

Or plan a day trip to enjoy all that Julian has to offer in teh mountain of San Diego County.

We took part of the day on Friday (on one of the most beautiful afternoons we have seen in a while, with temps in the low 90s due to the Santa Ana winds) to visit Julian California, about 50+ miles from Carlsbad in the mountains just outside the Cleveland National Forest.

Julian is an old gold rush mining town (there are still mines you can visit) and it retains much of the charm, the old homes and buildings, and the atmosphere of those times (there's even a couple of horse drawn buggies to enjoy).

At the same time, however, it has also become quite the tourist attraction for folks from all over Southern California.

At 5000 feet above sea level, Julian feels dramatically different from coastal Southern California, with lots of pine trees, and the town is known for its apples and the famed Julian Apple Pie Company, with multiple orchards and a popular winery.

There is the Main Street, and a number of side streets which offer an array of shops (e.g., Mustang Sally's), eateries (The Julian Grille is a favorite) and services, along with the famous pie company outlet, and the town is small enough to easily walk in its entirety in 1 day.

There are several charming and popular hotels and B and Bs which make a stay in Julian overnight well worth the trip through the mountains. Know that it can get quite warm in the summer but during the winter temps can get cool enough for snow and frost.

October is the busiest time, especially on weekends because of the Apple Days Festival and other events (the high school homecoming and parade was happening when we were there), and it can take time to get into the heart of town and park at peak tourist times.

Being a REALTOR, I couldn't help but stop by the windows of some of the local brokerages to check out the real estate - prices are better than at the coast, but not actually inexpensive, depending on what you want. There is quite an array of property for sale in the area, from cabins to luxury homes with dramatic mountain views, ranging in price from about $45,000 up to almost $3 million.

If you are looking for a fun place to visit and explore in the mountains, or have a hankerin' to buy (or picl) apples, head for Julian California.

Dining out is a favorite activity of mine. And of the Julian restaurants The Julian Grille in Julian CA is the best, in my opinion.

We take an annual trip (and sometimes more) to Julian CA to enjoy the town, the quaint shops, and of course the apples and apple pie for which Julian is famous.

We always take time to have lunch at The Julian Grille in the heart of town on Main Street. Taking a trip to Julian is a fun thing to do for a day or overnight and a beautilful drive through the mountains from Carlsbad. 

The Julian Grille is in a quaint old home and offers a number of individual dining rooms - the enclosed porch is the best, offering views of the street so you can take in Main Street while dining.

There is a miniscule bar (room for 3-4) plus plenty of outdoor dining on the cover patio under the trees in warmer weather.

Being at about 5000 feet above sea level, Julian gets cold enough for snow in the winter, which can be a great time to enjoy visiting without the hoards of tourists (and a treat for us Californians who want a taste of snow) during apple season on the weekends. 

The place gets jammed when there is a big event in town, especially the Apple Days Festival, but otherwise is not to hard to get seated in for lunch. Dinner on weekends in the summer and fall are more crowded - I suggest reservations to be sure. 

The lunch menu offers a wide range of salads (my spinach salad with grilled salmon was excellent), among other things, and dinner might consist of beef, fish, chicken, pasta and other creative offerings. They have a respectable wine list with reasonable prices for lunch and dinner. With linens and old silverware, you can't help but feel the history of this old house in the heart of one of the early California mining towns. Well worth a drive (less than 1.5 hours) from the coast. 

The Julian Grille is located at 2224 Main Street in Julian.

You can make reservations and other inquiries at (760) 765-0173.

If you are up for learning more about the Southern California area and things to do on a beautiful fall day...read on. If not, well you know where the delete key is by now.

Fall is here in Carlsbad, and despite what those of you in colder climes think, we DO have a change of seasons. It is NOT always sunny and 80 degrees in San Diego. Indeed, we are having dinner in front of the first fire of the season in the living room (yes, it's gas).

READ MORE: Fall is in the Air in Carlsbad, California

Yesterday was a spectacular day and time for our annual jaunt to Julian, California for fresh apples (if you know anything about New England, or live there, you know the passion we New Englanders have for everything apple in the fall and getting them from an orchard is part of life in New England in October). As a transplant from New England, the need for apples from an orchard in fall doesn't go away, and Julian is THE PLACE for apples. The trip is always fun and we get to enjoy the inland empire and different sights and topography than we are accustomed to here along the Carlsbad coast (and I get to take a few hours off from work...well, not totally since I get emails on my Blackberry).

I always discover something new, and you might too...so let's go

The route from Carlsbad to Julian is state route 78, heading east from the coast into Escondido. The road becomes a bit more rural once you leave Escondido (lots of fast food, apartments, rural housing, car dealerships, orchards along the way). The mountains and valleys are dramatic, with a few good sized orchards along the way, past the San Diego Wild Animal Park (great place to visit BTW) and into the San Pasqual Valley. You climb into the hills with terrific views of the barren mountains and the valleys far below on a winding 2-lane road until you reach Ramona.

READ MORE: The Original Old Town Ramona Antique Fair

After leaving Ramona you drive for a number of miles through some gorgeous countryside with ranches, orchards, a large egg farm and other interesting sights. The road also wends its way through the Witch Creek area where we had the devastating fires, which is not so pleasant, and sobering reminder of last year's disaster.

The next real town is Santa Ysabel (population 430). There is a cool art gallery here, a great antique shop, a Julian Pie Factory and Store, a wonderful hand-loomed gifts store, and if you head left you reach Mt. Palomar in about 20 minutes (you will pass, just past the heart of this tiny town, the Santa Ysabel Asistencia, a small mission that is worth stopping by.

About 7 miles past Santa Ysabel up the mountain to about 5000 feet you hit Julian. Before the town center you will come across a retail area, with a wine tasting place, some markets, and touristy stuff. About 1 mile from town we ran into traffic backed-up, not a big surprise given the Julian Apple Days Festival which runs from September 15 through November 15. LOTS of folks in town, so be prepared if you decide to go on the weekend.

Before reaching town we took a side road to go grab some apples - we were lazy so we just handpicked from the bins rather than opting to pick from the trees as a bunch of other folks were doing. I've done enough apple picking in my life with the kids that it didn't matter.

Lunch was at The Julian Grille, just to the left of the town center. Definitely worth a visit (we have been there several times, both lunch and dinner) - there is indoor and outdoor seating - and the menu is admirable. It was really crowded, as were all the food places, with waiting lines everyone we went (especially at the Julian Pie Store and Mom's where folks waited for pie).

After waiting 25 minutes the couple at the miniscule bar left and we secured a seat there (it seats 4) and had a good chat with Michael, the bartender, some terrific fall salads and enjoyed the people watching.

There are some fun shops in this ex-gold-rush town, a bunch of eateries, some popular B and Bs, and it's a pleasant place to spend the afternoon. If you have time tour the nearby mines. The weather was chilly and they were expecting temps in the 30s that night...just like New England in October. Across the street from The Julian Grille is a very cool shop with home made candles (one of our annual holiday gifts) and soaps, some antiques, and other collectibles - a constant flow of folks was testimony to the popularity of this small but eclectic shop. The owner has now turned part of her home into a gallery, Julian Images, which was an impressive collection of small paintings, and photographs by Graham Wilder.

Despite the traffic and waiting for lunch it was a fun day, with some memorable sights and time to enjoy some of what Southern California has to offer from the mountains on a fall afternoon.

Enjoy the tour!

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or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

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