This place blew me away. I had Rhanda (I think that's the spelling) as a guide and she was SO…read moreterrific. This is a historical landmark and she walked me through every room with great detail on the origin story and the rooms we were in. One of the best tour guides I've had. I have never experienced anything this - you have to really appreciate the amount of work, design and detail by Baldassare Forestiere - truly a feat! Very grateful the family makes this available for tours. Highly recommend if you appreciate gardening, architecture, art, engineering etc. They also did a great job of reminding me of my appointment and following up afterwards. If in Fresno area, this is a don't miss!!

My family along with our cousins and aunt decided to tour the Forestier Underground Gardens. It was…read moresuch a gem to visit. The gardens were built in an unexpected park of Fresno and these is a lot of history behind them. Parking was somewhat difficult but once you enter, the staff were very kind, organized, and positive. Our tour guide Raul was super sweet and provided a lot of history regarding the gardens and the family who built them. Raul had my 3 young boys engaged and interested. He answered all my questions and was so open to conversation. You could tell Raul was proud to be there telling all of us how the Gardens came to be. The Gardens are very interesting. I've never seen anything quite like these. The smell of all the citrus trees combine with the natural cooling underground was amazing and made the tour comfortable. If you have any time i do recommend visiting these secret gardens.

If you do one thing in Sequoia & Kings Canyon make it a tour with Krista at Sequoia Guides!…read more We experienced a snow shoeing tour and had a party of 5 ranging in age from 9 to 53. Krista was fantastic at making us feel confident in our abilities. She showed interest in each of us and answered every question we had. This was my 3rd time visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon and I learned things I never knew! She is exceptionally knowledgeable about Sequoia & Kings Canyon. This was the highlight of our trip! We will be back for a spring/summer tour before too long!

I was born in ND and lived near Redding, CA for 30 years. Now I live in Springville, CA and it's a…read moreshort 45 minute drive to the sequoia's. Beautiful drive...wonderful scenic area and my family will visit again and again!!

Right around the corner from where I live, Sierra cider is surrounded by the apple orchards, they…read moreused to make their sliders. A wide variety of sliders. You can have a flight of five and she's your favorite. There are lots of special events there. And they have an animal farm with goats and chickens and a potbelly pig and a beautiful white dog named Bella.

We stopped by Sierra Cider right at opening (12pm) as part of our day trip before heading into…read moreYosemite for my birthday, and it was such a fun and refreshing visit! The owner and staff were super welcoming and walked us through all their offerings, which made the experience even better. We kicked things off with a cider flight--our favorites were Early Harvest and Graveyard. Early Harvest was simple, crisp, and just sweet enough, while Graveyard reminded me of a Scottish smoky cider aged in whiskey barrels. I do wish there were a few more sweet options overall and possibly a current up to date list of what's on tap somewhere online, but everything was well-crafted and flavorful! To cool off, we grabbed a cider slushy (highly recommend!) and wandered the property. We visited the goats, strolled through the apple trees, and made friends with their big fluffy Pyrenees who was living his best life napping in the shade. I picked up a bottle of Early Harvest and a t-shirt to bring back to DFW. It was the perfect stop--relaxed, local, and a great way to start the afternoon before heading into Yosemite. After our tasting, we walked through some of the apple trees, visited the cutest goats, and made friends with their big, lazy Pyrenees dog who was living his best life soaking up attention. I picked up a bottle of Early Harvest and a t-shirt to bring back to DFW--both worth it! Such a charming little spot--relaxed, scenic, and just the right detour before Yosemite!

If you're visiting Sequoia, book the Big Trees Telescope Tour with Scott. It was one of the…read morehighlights of our trip. Scott is a former park ranger, and his knowledge is incredible. He shared fascinating stories and facts about the park (including black bears!), and you can tell he genuinely loves what he does. He's kind, patient, and made the whole experience feel personal and special. The telescope tour was amazing -- seeing the planets under Sequoia's dark skies was unforgettable. He explained everything in a way that was engaging and easy to understand. His company may be new, but it won't stay a hidden gem for long. Highly recommend.

I had the pleasure of two private tours with Scott, one focused on hiking in the Sequoias and one…read morefocused on his astronomy tours. Both experiences far exceeded what I thought we were going to experience! On the hike, Scott was so knowledgeable about the park, its history, the trees, and the unique facts + areas that most don't know about. We also booked a photography session with him that was the PERFECT way to capture our time there! We'll be framing a few of the shots for our home. We also had the astronomy tour at night, where Scott walked us through the different constellations in the sky and the varying origin stories for them - from Greek, to Roman, to Viking. It was so mind-blowing to really stare at the stars and learn their stories. Thank you, Scott, for such a great first experience out in Sequoia National Park!! We can't wait to come back.

This company was the only bus tour to come up on my Google search other than the free shuttles…read moreavailable in Yosemite Park. We wanted to avoid driving to the Park because of the rainy winter conditions. I called the company 3x and each time a woman answered and said she would call me back when she was in the office. Twice she called back and was not able to give me a specific date for a tour but wanted to take my credit card info. When we arrived at our Bass Lake destination there were glitzy brochures from this touring group. We called and got a slightly better response with a specific date that was available; we booked a full-day tour. The tour guide was punctual. Another couple at our hotel was also on the tour. The guide was pleasant but lacked a certain exuberance and historical/local lore knowledge that I associate with great tour guides. This beckons the question -- why go with a tour company? It's often more relaxing to let someone else do the driving, someone who knows the area and where to park. But, tour buses are more than taxi services. You expect them to "entertain" you with information tidbits. Our guide wasn't bad...but she was so tentative and seemed mostly to recite dates and little factoids. I was surprised to learn that she was leading bus tours for 12 or so years. But I ask a lot of questions...I'm inquisitive. The couple from Sacramento asked virtually no questions during the tour. We had asked ahead of time if we could dine at the Ahwahnee Hotel for lunch and the tour bus confirmed we'd stop there. The other couple was unfamiliar with the Ahwahnee but agreed to eat there after I told them about its historical significance compared to the "Food Court." The guide called to make reservations and asked if we wanted to sit together which made for some awkward silence until I said "two tables." How many people would want to spend $100 on lunch and sit with strangers? When the guide dropped us off at the restaurant she said she'd give us 30-45 minutes. Again, does it make sense to go to an expensive restaurant for a lovely lunch and leave within 30-minutes. I felt rushed. The tour consisted of driving around and looking out the van windows at lovely mountains and waterfalls. It was cold and wet and no one wanted to go hiking. I regret having to rush through the Ahwahnee Hotel and I never got to go to a Yosemite store or visitor station. Our tour would have ended about 2 hours earlier than usual if I'd not requested that we stop at a museum in Mariposa. The guide obliged but it was apparent she was interested in ending the tour early. I've had some terrific tours and a lot of it has to do with the personality of the tour guide -- their passion about the place, their willingness to go beyond and treat their guests to interesting experiences. Yosemite & Beyond is not there yet.

From the owner: Yosemite and Beyond Tours goes beyond any other company does. We specialize in Yosemite tours, Wine…read moreTours, Agriculture Tours and provide shuttle services to and from Airports, Train Stations and Bus Stations

Pani was our guide for our visit to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in June of 2025. It was…read moreour first visit to the area, and we wanted a guide to help us experience the parks in the most fun and educational way, so we could get the most out of our time. Pani was incredibly communicative and was flexible with us when we decided to split our visit across two days instead of just one. Pani was easy to talk with, knowledgeable about the parks, and passionate about the history and ecology. We learned so much on our adventure, and Pani was always willing to take pics for us everywhere we went. Thank you Pani for making our vacation so special and memorable!

An awesome family tour of Sequoia National Park enriched with an excellent tour guide, Pani of…read moremountain trekking adventures! We all learned so much about the history and geology of this vast Park. Having a knowledgeable tour guide really eliminates any stress of searching for features you want to see! Our party of 10 agreed we had the best park trip ever with Pani guiding us through the exceptional features of Sequoia national park. We are spoiled now and highly recommend mountain trekking adventures for anyone going to the Sequoia national Park or Kings Canyon national parks.

An excellent place to volunteer!…read more This is a review of Coexist with Wildlife Day, which was awesome: a bio blitz, some volunteer work and tacos from a food truck with a band. Also free Otter Pops!

I really enjoyed visiting the River Pky. We gathered for a meeting and for some attendees, it was…read moretheir first visit and the atmosphere was amazing for all. I have been back just to enjoy the grounds. So pretty!