FALLBROOK

How far is it?

Fallbrook is 1 hour and 45 minutes away from LA, whether you take the I.5 or the I.15.
It is halfway between Temecula and Oceanside (25 minutes away from each).
It is also about 40 minutes away from Legoland and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, so super easy to pair with another family activity to build out your multi day family getaway.
Fallbrook is a cute town surrounded by green rolling hills, ranches, citrus groves, and a few vineyards that is just waiting for you to discover it.

Note: if you are planning a longer road trip, you could also consider a stop in Fallbrook before heading south to Rancho Cuyamaca State Park for instance, check out our article about that state park here

Best activities in Fallbrook

Santa Margarita River Preserve

One of the last free-flowing rivers in southern California, this little river is a hidden gem, especially in warm weather months. Of all the rivers in Southern California, only the Santa Margarita River remains undiverted, unchanneled, and un-dammed.
Access is completely safe and easy, you can walk on the river banks, cross with water at calf level if you want, find little beaches, let the kids splash around. It is beautiful and relaxing. Access to the preserve is free of charge and you will find 18 miles of equestrian and hiking trails there. This is the preserve’s official website:
https://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/SantaMargarita.html

You can hike for as long as you want and turn back, or just pack your picnic and find a nice spot in the shade to enjoy the water and rest.

If you want more guidance on exact trails, you can use these 2 helpful articles:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/santa-margarita-river-trail https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-the-santa-margarita-river/

North of Santa Margarita River Preserve

If you continue driving north on De Luz Road, you will enjoy a ride on a hilly, twisting and turning road that approaches the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness.
Tenaja Falls is a short but beautiful 1.5 mile hike you can consider in that area:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/tenaja-falls–4
If you are looking for horse riding opportunities, this area is home to many ranches and equestrian centers as well.

As you keep driving De Luz Road and Rancho California Road, you will also find yourself close to Sunmist Tangerine Farm, where you can pick lemons and tangerines yourself. Fruit picking is always a great experience with the entire family! (they are open from April to October)
https://www.sunmistfruit.com/u-pick.html

Strawberry picking

Another farm I really wanted to try but was not yet open for picking when we went is Kenny Strawberry Farm, very close to the I.15 and right before you exit it to go to Fallbrook.
They are open for Pumpkin Season, but you have to wait until March or April for strawberries to be in season.  I recommend following them on Facebook for the last updates before heading that way.
https://kennysstrawberryfarm.com/hours-and-locations

Live Oak County Park

This beautiful park is an oak tree forest that invites visitors to enjoy its beauty and is also packed with activities!
2 extensive playgrounds for the kids, a workout station, basketball and volleyball courts, a soccer field, picnic tables and grills.. it has everything!
At the corner of Reche Rd. and Gird Rd. the 3,000-square-foot park is open Thursday through Tuesday from 8 a.m. to sunset and you will have to pay a $3-per-vehicle day-use fee.
Interesting fact: this park is an ancient Native American village. For thousands of years, the Luiseños called this place home.

Where to stay in Fallbrook?

The highlight of our week end in Fallbrook was the Airbnb we stayed in.
Owned by Nina, our little cottage was on her farm and we were greeted by her 2 friendly dogs.
The farm is also home to 2 donkeys, a tortoise, an enormous and lazy pig, goats, chickens and more.
Nina is a super friendly host and totally deserves her 4,96 star rating on Airbnb!
The cottage was super comfortable although only worked for us when our son was 18 months old because the cottage has only one bed (and we brought our pack & play for the baby).
But if you are a family with 1 infant or a couple, then this is the perfect place for you! Our son was so happy to feed all the animals, Nina even left carrots in our fridge so we could go feed them and let our son give chickens their grains too.
Here you will find Nina’s cottage information:
https://www.facebook.com/minifarms/

If you are a larger family, I had also considered the Morning Song Farm in Fallbrook, which has great ratings.
It is overall a bit more expensive but they have many animals your little ones can observe and interact with, including alpacas. Their “whimsical escape” cottage starts at $137 an night and can sleep 4.
https://www.facebook.com/MorningSongFarm/morningsongfarm.com