My friend and I went for a birthday celebration. It was just the two of us. On March 14, it was a…read morefine spring day. Perfect to be on a mountain top in the sunshine sifting through rocks and hunting for gems. The Oceanview mine works in finding a number of different quartz, Tourmoline, and other gems. Take a look at their website. For $75 for an adult, you get all the equipment that you need to sift through rock and gravel piles which they set out for you. There are a big tables, the two grades of sorters, a bucket, trowel, and toothbrush to clean off rocks. Also a big tray of water to rinse your rocks in and clean them off. There were igneous rocks with black tourmaline and tiny pieces of garnet. It was a lot of fun. You have to get there promptly at the opening time in order to get situated and the digging/sorting/sifting begins sharp at 10 AM. You have three hours and 45 minutes to go through all the rocks that you want. Bring your own gloves! They also have shaded umbrellas, and 5 gallon buckets to purchase that you can load up with rocks to sift through on your own at home. While it was a fun adventure, and I've never been to a quarry mine that you could actually look for your own gems, the staff did leave a little to training, although they were very good about going around and assisting you. However, I think if you really want to find something, you need to educate yourself ahead of time as to what you are looking for and what is available. Five minute presentation to 50 people wouldn't you can't even really look at the rocks and no handout or guide sheet for reference was a drawback. They don't take credit cards for the entrance. You have to pay cash. Children are a lower price. But they do take credit cards for memorabilia, gemstones that they have turned into jewelry and other items. And also for the rentals. I thought the purchasing of a 5 gallon bucket for $10 was too much. They don't make it clear that if you want to take home a 5 gallon bucket of extra stones to sort through then you can bring your own. I thought for the price of $75 a 5 gallon bucket would be included. They are not. There are picnic tables in the shade where you can have your own lunch, there is a grill you can use if you want to utilize that. Bring all of your own beverages, water, and snacks and meal. There is a short tour that you can take of the areas that they mine on this mountain. You load up on a four wheel vehicle that holds six people and spin around the mountainside, stopping at the entrance of three of the mine shafts. This is only about a 5 to 7 minute tour. They don't allow you to stop get out and take pictures in front of the mine openings. This was certainly a drawback. They could've extended the "tour" to let you get out and take pictures in front of the mine shafts. Perhaps it is a liability issue I don't know. I would not do this for a second time since I've already done it, without further educating myself about gem hunting and what exactly I was looking for. But for a one time adventure, it was fun and we had a beautiful spring day. Don't forget your sunblock and sunglasses and hat!

It's All Mine You…read moreever see the meme about how the children yearn for the mines? Yeah, well, turns out it's really true. My son is a rock hound, and the idea of being able to mine your own gems here at Oceanview Mines has been on his lips for a few years now. So, we finally decided that for his Xmas gift last year, we'd make his dreams come true with a trip to SD and a visit to the mines. Most kids want Disneyland, but mine wants to mine, which, oddly enough, sounds about right. :0) The Good: *Reservations are mandatory and made easily thru the website. They'll keep you informed and reminded of your apt both thru email and text message. *Staff is very friendly and helpful. *Store that sells swag as well as gems and other rocks to take home and pretend you mined yourself. They do take CC at the store fyi. *Very clean and hospitable restrooms. *Shaded/covered areas w/ picnic tables to rest and grab a nosh at. *Even if you're not really into it (aka moi), you kinda get the fever of what's next as you sift thru each load. Kinda like playing the slot machines at the casino kinda rush. You could definitely see how someone can get addicted to this. *Fun for the whole family. The Meh: *Must bring cash for your entrance fee to the mine, which is strange considering that they take CC at the store. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *The drive up to the mine was a bit harry, but nothing too bad. If you're coming after a big rain, it might be better if you had some kinda AWD SuV, tho. The Ugly: *Kinda pricey for what it is imo @$75/ea (12-××) & $60/ea (5-11 yrs old) w/ no option to just come along for the ride and not actively mine. *Their rules about paying ahead of time seem a bit "Soup N@zi"-ish, but it's nowhere near as bad as it sounds. Just make sure you have your waiver printed and signed, and your cash in hand (bring exact change don't assume they're gonna make change). Conclusion: Pricey but fun and 100% worth it if you're into gems and such. My son would do this every day if he could. Tips: *If you arrive early, they you have the opportunity to walk around the property and search for stuff that's laying about. Can't access the pile until it's time, tho. *Definitely bring a hat (wide-brimmed preferable), because even in the winter the sun can be brutal. It is still SoCal, after all. *Bring gloves because you're hands will get tore up sifting thru all that rock. A pair of those nitrile dipped ones (±$3-5) from the hardware store should suffice. *A bucket to carry your haul and any other equipment you bring. Doesn't need to be a huge bucket but at least a 2-gallon. *An umbrella or one of those covered structures you take to the beach would be great, if you have it. They do have umbrellas to rent for $15. *Bring snacks and drinks. They do sell some stuff if you forget or would rather not be bothered, but then you can't complain about what they have. ;) *Bring spare clothes, because you will get wet and dirty. There's just no avoiding it. *Get ready for a workout, as it's pretty hard work doing this for four hours. Disclaimer: This really isn't my thing, as I could care less about rocks, gems, and mining. So the rating would most likely be higher if I did, so take that FWIW.

My wife and I recently decided a great way to spend a holiday Saturday with our son, his wife, and…read moretheir daughter, would be to spend some time on Lake San Marcos - and what better way to do that then a gondola? After some quick research on Yelp, we made our reservations (VERY easy to do) and met everyone on said Saturday at the Black Swan dock. (side note - they want you there 20 minutes early...this does NOT mean you can check in 20 minutes early...chances are very high that the person checking you in is your gondolier, and he/she will be on the water at that moment). We had Conner (VERY traditional Italian name....cough) - and he was awesome. He shared some great details as we made our way along the shoreline, including some of the local nicknames for the houses on the water. He was VERY knowledgeable about when the lake was created, the various depths, and gave us tips on when to avoid being on the water (July 4th was high on that). We brought along our own drinks and snacks, and thoroughly enjoyed our ride. Highly recommended!

What a great experience. Drew was very good. I highly recommend this service. We did the sunset…read morecruise, and was fun for everyone. Thanks again Drew!

I recently took an introductory beekeeping class, and it was an outstanding experience. The class…read morewas extremely well prepared and very organized. The instructor was easy to follow and clearly very knowledgeable about beekeeping. You can tell she has a deep understanding of the subject and a real passion for teaching it. The class was very informative but also easy to understand, even for complete beginners. There were people of all ages there--even kids--and everyone seemed engaged and able to follow along. The class was held at her home, which made for a very comfortable and welcoming classroom environment. She also had a great amount of personal learning materials and examples that really helped bring the information to life. I honestly can't say enough good things about the experience. She clearly has built a strong following over the years, and after attending the class it's easy to see why. She's friendly, helpful, and a true wealth of information. If you're interested in learning about beekeeping, I highly recommend taking one of her classes.

The class was so much fun! Hilary has a plethora of knowledge and explained things very clearly…read more Would highly recommend her to anyone who wants to start beekeeping or anyone who just wants to learn about bees! She is clearly passionate about beekeeping and the honey she sells is fantastic.

This is a bit of an overdue review, but I had such an amazing time horseback riding! I hadn't…read moreridden since I was about 5 years old, so I was definitely a little nervous going into it. I'm not sure it's exactly like riding a bike--but Karen made me feel completely at ease from the start. Kiwi, my horse, was incredibly patient and gentle with me. I swear she knew I needed a little extra TLC! It made the whole experience so enjoyable and stress-free. I even got to do a tiny bit of trotting, which was such a fun bonus. Overall, it was such a great experience, and I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking to try horseback riding or get back into it!

We've been here a few different occasions already, and each time has been a special experience! My…read moredaughter first visited when she was 3 years old, and now she is 6, and still loves it. Susie is always very kind and welcoming, and patient with our daughter. She even let us visit the chicken coop, let my daughter pick a few eggs and feed the chickens just for fun. The animals on the farm are all so sweet and calm too. We're very thankful for this business, great memories made here!

This was a phenomenal tour! My boyfriend turned 30 on the day of our tour and they showed up…read morechanting his name. It was super special. Alanah, our host, was an icon!!!! My only wish was that we had longer at the wineries! Would definite recommend this to anyone visiting Temecula!

Purrfect end to a beautiful day. We were picked up at our hotel after our Hot air balloon ride…read more Itacia (host)and Rolando (driver) were awesome! Both were very pleasant and professional. With that being said we also had a fun! They adapted to our riders on the tour. It was a mix of what we thought were quiet reserved personalities, friends, couples and families. They kept our purchases and personal items safe so we didn't have to carry them around all day. Gathered the forgetful and happy tourist back to bus to keep us on time. The music on trolley had variety of range for everyone. During the trolley tour all had bonded and became very comfortable with each other. On the way back to hotel everyone feeling happy and relaxed enjoyed themselves bobbing our heads and dancing to the mix of music provided. Although I may never see our group. I enjoyed bonding, sharing and learning about their lives if just for that day. We visited three wineries all a different vibe. One small family owned gave a traditional tour (saw where they processed wine appreciated that because the others didn't) loved the drunk bunny story!!! Second modern & trendy (they served beer and had a very nice outdoors area). The third, larger more commercial and served food. Large selection of wine.

Ambiance: laid back, inviting, nature, comforting Service:…read moreImpeccable Wine: outstanding Cannot wait to come back!

Another wonderful visit to Fallbrook Winery this past weekend. This winery offers seating on an…read moreoutdoor patio and deck with beautiful views, or cozy tastings in the main tasting room, as well as deeper into the "cave" which has bar height tables. They don't sell food, but they often have pop-up vendors visiting, or you're welcome to bring your own munchies. Autumn, the Tasting Room Manager, is usually pouring their wines which are well made, balanced, and offer something for everyone. Their tasting menu always offers choices of slightly dryer, acidic white wines, or medium and full bodies reds. We were wine club members for a couple years and love the benefits of free tastings and 20% off their already reasonable bottle prices. They're also very flexible with the requirements of the club shipments, allowing you to skip as necessary. I highly recommend you visit this winery and experience their wines and hospitality for yourselves. TIP: You can reach out to them and set up a tasting in the back of the "cave's" private room, which will probably accommodate a group of 15-20 friends.

We took a private carriage ride to celebrate two great dads on Father's Day. The ride was…read morebeautiful, our driver was knowledgeable, and our experience was exceptional. Kerry K-W.

The location was nice. The driver was great! Horse and carriage beautiful…read more I do think for just 1 hour ride for 3 people the price is too high!! That is the only negative review.