Best Roadside Attractions on Northern California’s I-5 Corridor.
Here’s the list of the 5 must-sees for your next road trip along I-5.
California Central Valley, Interstate 5
Most of you probably already know that I live in Portland, Oregon. However, did you know that my daughter and her family live a short (ha!)12 hour car ride away? Yeah, she lives almost directly in the center of California, in the San Joaquin Valley. Yeah, this stretch of I-5 can be extremely barren and boring. If you know where to look you can find enjoyable places and I have found some wonderful gems in this vast agriculture oasis.
I try to go and see my daughter and grandchildren 3-4 times a year. Sometimes I fly but most of the time I drive to get to them. I usually leave directly from work and start the drive down and end up at a hotel in Ashland for the night before getting up early the next day to drive the rest of the way. Truth be told, I usually have purchased too many items for my grandies and daughter and wouldn’t have room for my personal effects if I was flying. You’re probably saying to yourself why do I do such a thing? All I can say is, if I see, say……...a Christmas salt & pepper set, I think the kids would love that. When I’m walking through Costco and I see oversized kid plush pillows I think the kids would love them. I once found a nice set of throw rugs and remembered my daughter didn’t have a rug at her backdoor, I thought she could use these. Or, Easter is coming and my adult daughter might like her very own Easter basket full of makeup and skincare items from the ‘Easter Bunny’…………..I’m too much, I get that, but I don’t even care. I don’t get to see them on a weekly basis but I think of them every single day. So when I see things that I assume they'll enjoy, I buy them. They don’t care if the items come from Goodwill or a department store. They don’t care if it’s a simple package of stickers or a whole new wardrobe. Maybe everything is given away after I leave their home, I don’t know.
This is how I cope with the distance between us.
This is why I drive the majority of the time to see them.
This is how I’ve come up with some of my favorite places for you to stop on your next I-5 road trip.
Becca’s Cafe
Becca’s Cafe sits approximately 2.5 hours south of Ashland, OR and it always seems to be the perfect time to stop and have breakfast by the time I reach Anderson, Ca. Becca’s is your typical greasy spoon restaurant and I mean that in all the best ways possible! The food here is gooo-oood. Wikipedia defines a greasy spoon as “.......a small, cheap eatery – either an American diner or coffee shop……… typically specializing in fried foods and/or home-cooked meals”. This definition describes this place perfectly. I look forward to Becca’s each and every time I travel by here. I always pick something from the “Early Bird Specials” menu, usually the #9. Don’t judge me on my breakfast choices. Try this little cafe and then let me know which Special you enjoyed.
Becca’s Cafe
2083 Balls Ferry Rd, Anderson, CA 96007
Old Town Sacramento
A few hours south of Becca’s you come into the Sacramento metro-area. By this time of the drive I’ve been bored to tears by the basic landscape along the highway. I’m wanting a place to get out of the car, see some sights, and stretch my legs with a walk. Old Town Sacramento is the ideal spot to fulfill all my wants. Sacramento typically has fabulous weather when I pass through and that allows me to consistently enjoy the river-walk here. At times when I stop the Sacramento River is alive with boats and people, while other times the river is smooth as glass. The Tower Bridge is a cool bridge to walk across and this bridge is the landmark of Sacramento itself. Also, I just like parking in the Old Town area. I don’t know why exactly, but I like the old wooden boardwalks that line the many restaurants and storefronts. It’s just an old cool vibe here. If you’re into old west history then this is your place. Everything from the Pony Express, trains, gold miners, and the California Capitol building are within walking distance of this area. You can make a whole day out of Old Town Sacramento if you choose, I simply like to walk the river's edge before continuing my drive to see my girl and her family.
Tower Bridge
Sacramento River
Old Town Sacramento
1150 Front Street Sacramento, CA 95814
Michael David Winery
Further south on I-5, about a 45 minute drive from Sacramento, you come to the city of Lodi. I don’t know very much about Lodi, let me just be honest. Really, all I know is that the Michael David Winery is off of I-5 in Lodi and I love the wine and the sandwiches here. This is my favorite lunch spot all along the entire central valley of California. The cafe and bakery always fills up my tummy. You can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. After I’m full and satisfied with my lunch, I like to walk the grounds. The grounds here are dotted with inviting sitting areas, wine tasting opportunities, workers are tending to the grape vines that surround, and there’s a small flower garden you may walk through.
Let me get this out there, I don’t drink wine with my lunch, I still have some driving to do. But……….I do like the wine here. A lot. I’m a fan of the Freakshow Cabernet. Everything about this wine is so good to me, even the bottle itself is great entertainment. I’m not sure why or how it started but in my house we call this our “camping” wine. We make sure to have enough bottles for all our camping trips throughout the summer. We are fancy that way (haha) and we enjoy camping any time we can get to it.
Camping
Camping
Michael David Winery
4580 CA-12, Lodi, CA 95242
Hotel Mission De Oro
I typically stay at my daughter’s place a few days before I whisk the kids away to some place we can be alone together. This is always good for all parties, I get one on one time with my grandies and my daughter’s house is a lot less hectic for just a few days. Win win for everyone.
During the summer I like to take the kids to Hotel Mission De Oro which sits right off the I-5 highway. This hotel sits almost in the dead center of California in the tiny town of Santa Nella and it’s a good place to stay if you are traveling from one end of California to the other along I-5. This is an older hotel that was built to feel and resemble an old church mission. There is a nice restaurant here and beautiful grounds to walk around. Really, this hotel is absolutely stunning. As a bonus the mission bell rings throughout the day to add to the charm and style of this hotel. The one and only thing the grandies care about though is the pool. Yup, we had to pick a hotel with a restaurant for me and a pool for them, everyone is happy here.
Now when I say I like to have one on one time with my grandchildren, that’s exactly what I mean. I don’t over pack an itinerary full of trips and or activities. So for the next few days here at the hotel we simply swim all day, and every morning my grandies made sure to be dressed, fed and sun screened before the 8 a.m. pool opening time. When they get hungry from all that swimming we simply walk over to the restaurant to eat then back to the pool we go. We all enjoy it here and can’t wait to do it all again next summer.
Hotel Mission De Orro
13070 CA-33, Santa Nella, CA 95322
So that’s it. These are the places I like and the places I frequent while on a I-5 road trip. Visiting any of these places I’ve shared signals to me that that I’ll be seeing my family soon and I love that feeling.
Bonus Stops
Any and all fruit and vegetable stands. The best fruit I’ve ever tasted has been grown in this valley. If you have never stopped at a roadside stand in California’s Central Valley you are missing out on a taste bud delight. A warm peach that was just picked can never be compared to one that you purchase in a grocery store. Do yourself a favor, and especially in the summer, stop and taste some of this food. It’s fantastic.
“According to the USGS website, more than 250 different crops are grown in the Central Valley, and it holds an estimated value of $17 billion per year.
The valley was almost made to become what it is today, one of the leading producers of various types of foods, with the world’s largest patch of Class 1 soil, the best there is.”
