Paso Robles celebrates California Wine Month

The fall is an great time to visit Paso Robles. Warm, sunny
days unfold into crisp, clear nights. Long windy roads are lined with
brilliantly colored trees and the fresh air smells of earth and wine during the
thriving harvest season.

The area comes alive with fall celebrations – from premier wine and beer
tasting events to cowboy shows and the renowned Paderewski classical music
festival.

Paso Robles will celebrate California Wine Month in September.

Ideal winegrowing
conditions and proximity to the Pacific Ocean
make Paso Robles a perfect place for the production of top quality wines. It is one of the nation’s fastest
growing wine regions, with more than 200.

Throughout the entire month of September, visitors will
have the opportunity to enjoy educational winery tours and tastings, release
parties, food pairing seminars and much more. For more information, visit www.pasowine.com.


Nestled in the coastal
mountain range of central California mid-way
between Los Angeles and San
Francisco, Paso Robles is a
centrally located respite for families, couples and groups of friends longing
to enjoy a relaxing getaway. Boasting a vast wine region with more than 200
vintners, farm-fresh cuisine, a quaint downtown filled with local artisan shops
and galleries and a wide selection of accommodations, Paso Robles offers
something for everyone.

 For more information on attractions, dining
and lodging in Paso Robles, visit www.travelpaso.com.
For the latest news, visit http://blog.travelpaso.com.

Campgrounds still have room this Labor Day

There are still campsites and rental
accommodations available at campgrounds, RV parks and resorts throughout
California. But they’re filling up quickly.

Camp-California.com has identified 34 campgrounds that still had vacancies as of Friday.

“The best thing to do is check Camp-California.com to see which
campgrounds are located in the areas you’d like to visit, and call them
to see if they still have space available,” said Debbie Sipe, executive
director of the California Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds,
which operates Camp-California.com.

Aviara Resort in Carlsbad offers Park Hyatt masters series

This September the Park Hyatt hotel brand begins the transformation of its acclaimed Masters of Food & Wine event into the new Park Hyatt ‘masters’, a global series of seasonally- and locally-inspired culinary weekend workshops
that will take place four times per year at the change of the seasons.

Through engaging and interactive programming, both resident and visiting
gourmands and oenophiles can become ‘masters’ of regional cuisine. The
new Park Hyatt ‘masterswill preview its
fresh philosophy and lighter programming across 16 Park Hyatt hotels
internationally during the weekend of Sept. 23.

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad will start the
day with a farmer’s breakfast, then a visit Carlsbad Aquafarm where
participants will meet the resort’s seafood purveyor, followed by a
local wine and cheese tasting.

The official
launch of Park Hyatt masters in January 2012, and all future quarterly Park Hyatt masters programs, will take place on the same date at all Park Hyatt hotels worldwide.

Led
by Park Hyatt chefs and sommeliers, masters-in-training will learn
about top-notch, seasonal cuisine in three hands-on ‘courses’ on the
designated day:

Enjoy Paul Bunyan Days, habor festival this Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend kicks off the Fall season with two family-friendly events:  the first of which, is Paul Bunyan Days (Sept. 3-5)
in Fort Bragg; the oldest small town event on the coast.  This year’s
theme is “Into the Redwoods with Paul & Babe.”  Festival highlights
include a tri-county logging show with a forestland expo, a community
& kiddy parade, the internationally renowned Ugly Dog Contest, a
craft and food fair and the Blue Ox beer festival.  Admission is FREE! http://www.paulbunyandays.com/ or (707) 964-1228

The second on Sept. 3 is the Point Arena Seafood & Harbor Festival,
where fishermen, surfers, rockhounds, birdwatchers, abalone divers,
seafood lovers, and visitors alike unite to nosh on such delights as
albacore kabobs, abalone chowder, rock shrimp gazpacho, and local
Mendocino beer and wine on what’s been called “the prettiest little
cove on the Northern California coast.” 12-6PM.  Admission is FREE!
http://www.harborfest.net/ or (707) 882-1639

The Art by the Sea/Sea Ranch Art Tour
is the newest art event on California’s Sonoma-Mendocino Coast. This
free, self-guided tour will take place Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 3-5
and the following weekend, Sept.10, 11, from 10 AM to 5 PM. The
Tour offers art lovers the opportunity to meet and talk with eighteen
professional and emerging artists in their home or studio, view their
work, and purchase art directly from the artists that created it.

The
tour also includes award winning guest artists from San Francisco,
Marin, Oregon and artist-owned galleries in Gualala. To receive a
complimentary printed Collector’s Guide, stop by Studio 391 in Gualala’s
Cypress Village Gallery. The Collector’s Guide includes a map and
directions, which are essential for the tour http://www.searancharttour.com/ or (707) 884-9065

Crystal Cruises offers Pacific Sunset cruise from Los Angeles

Looking for a quick cruise without having to fly somewhere? LA’s own luxury cruiseline Crystal Cruises is offering a Pacific Sunset cruise from Dec. 4 to 11.

Beautiful beaches and a climate that is often described as Mediterranean
has earned the Pacific Coast the nickname of
“America’s Riviera.”  

Enjoy spectacular
sunsets from the deck of their beautiful ship. Then try seaside horseback riding, wine tasting at some of California’s
finest wineries, and an overnight in the City by the Bay.

All this makes the seven-day round-trip Los Angeles voyage feel like an enchanting foreign escape. Fares
start at $2,400.

Ports: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco
(overnight), Ensenada, and San Diego.

Prince Kuhio Ho’olaule’a Festival coming to Henderson, Nevada

Travel
to Henderson, Nevada, to experience island fever during the annual
Prince Kuhio Ho’olaule’a Festival, one of Southern Nevada’s largest
Hawaiian and Pacific Islander celebrations, Saturday, Sept.
10 to Sunday, Sept. 11. Located just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip
and McCarran International Airport, several Henderson resorts and hotels
offer affordable accommodations associated with this
event that showcases a fusion of Hawaiian, Polynesian and Tahitian
culture, music and food.

 

Now
in its 21st year, Ho’olaule’a has grown into a big event. In
fact, more than 40,000 people are expected to attend, with many
traveling from other states and countries, including the Philippines and
Tahiti, to experience the sights, sounds and smells of home.

 

Guests
will enjoy a variety of top island entertainment such as the festival’s
headliner Holunape, an award-winning trio known for amazing audiences
with their traditional and contemporary Hawaiian tunes.


In addition,
Ho’olaule’a will incorporate Hawaiian hula dancing and Japanese drumming
demonstrations. Other highlights of the event include a mixture of ‘ono
(delicious) delicacies, Healthy Living Pavilion and Na Mea Village,
where natives and islanders-at-heart will have a chance to learn how to
make crafts such as a haku lei, ribbon leis, kukui nut key chains, lei
hulu and kapa stamping.

 

To make a reservation at one of Henderson’s many luxurious properties, refer to VisitHenderson.com or call (877) 775-5252.

Inter-Continental offers fitness class on 18th floor helipad

Want to dance on the rooftop of a towering skyscraper? Guests do it daily at the Inter-Continental Los Angeles Century City,
during Zumba fitness classes held outdoors on the 18th floor rooftop
helipad. The breathtaking 360-views of soaring high-rises, including
20th Century Fox Studios, make this a heart-throbbing workout. Helipad
yoga is also offered.

LAX prepares for Airbus 380 jumbo jets

Singapore Airlines has selected Los Angeles International Airport as
the first North American destination in its network to receive the
superjumbo A380s. The inaugural flight, which operates as SQ12 landed at
LAX in early July with 444 customers on board. LAX also services A380s
through Qantas Airlines and will also be receiving A380s from Air China
later this year.

LAX is in the midst of a multi-billion dollar development program,
which will ultimately allow nine A380 aircraft to park simultaneously at
Tom Bradley International Terminal. The construction’s centerpiece is
the Bradley West Project, which includes new gate and concourse areas at
the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The project also
includes the addition of nearly 540,000 square feet of space, to include
passenger services, retail/food service concessions and airline
lounges.

Enjoy the mud at Mammoth Mud Run on Aug. 27

Stomp through mud pits! Crawl on your hand and knees underneath
obstacles! Haul your body up and over walls! And that’s just a
partial listing of what you’ll have to do!

The first Mammoth Mud Run on Aug. 27 will test your endurance and
strength in a series of obstacles, mud pits and more over a span
of 6 kilometers (approx 4 miles). 

It’s fun.  It’s dirty.  It
will leave you breathless.  Join us for a muddy
good time in Mammoth!

Check out their web site at Mud.

Show how you Palm Springs and win a trip for two

Share a photo of ‘How You Palm Springs’ and you could win a trip for two to Southern California’s legendary desert getaway. You don’t need to send a picture of yourself in
Palm Springs, it can be anywhere in the world – whether it is indeed in
Palm Springs, Burbank, Walla Walla, or your favorite hometown. Palm Springs is a state of mind – a lifestyle.

 

Visit www.PalmSpringsUSA.com and click on the ‘How You Palm Springs’ banner to submit a photo that reflects how you perceive the ‘Palm Springs Lifestyle,’ and you could win: 

  • A 2 night stay at the stylish Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa;
  • One spa treatment per night at the luxurious Spa Esmeralda;
  • Dinner for two at a delicious and fabulous Palm Springs area restaurant, hand selected for you based on your winning submission;
  • A too-hip-for-your-friends Schwag Bag full of cool stuff;
  • $500 in fun money

Entries
will be judged based on originality and creativity. Photo quality will
also be taken into account, but entrants do not need to be professional
photographers or use expensive equipment to win.

Entries are due by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26. The
winner will be announced Oct. 10.