Lots of things to see and I love reading about the historical background that is our Lake Arrowhead…read more& her neighbors. Cool photos and nice little ginger shop. Old skool post cards: 25 cents for one or 10 for a dollar. You decide.

Stopped by before lunch, spent about 45 minutes here. We could've spent a lot longer, though,…read morebecause there is a lot of information (and a small gift shop). The volunteers that maintain the museum say they change the information and displays annually. The volunteers were so welcoming and informative. One drives from Huntington Beach just to volunteer at the museum, which is insane. There are interactive displays and a projector room. They even put a display in the bathroom because they have so much stuff. Tip: if you go in the side room, there's free candy.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the High Desert Event Center (formerly known as Victorville…read moreFairgrounds), temperatures soared close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. We decided to wait in the air conditioned car until the gates opened for the High Desert Music Festival & BBQ Showdown and until the line of music and BBQ fans died down in the high noon sunshine. Once we opened the car doors, the aroma of smoked barbeque meat permeated the air. As we entered the BBQ Village, you could see all of the Teams working their magic as the Kansas City BBQ Society sanctioned competition was well underway. Teams had timetables to turn in their chicken, pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. Unfortunately, nothing would be served to the public until after 2pm so that the teams could concentrate completely on their entries. There were a few outside vendors that were selling food which was a good thing. Heavenly Delights gave out samples of their pipin' hot cobblers. We sampled the Peach Delight with Pecans. It was definitely pipin' hot and right out of the oven. The peaches were baked perfectly so they were not too mushy and held a familiar peach texture so you knew what kind of fruit was being used. It had just the right amount of sweetness. The pecans added a crunchy texture to the mix. I can imagine that it tasted really good with a scoop vanilla ice cream on top. Pig on a Twig amped up our appetite with fresh smoked turkey legs. All the barbeque competitors' smoking & grilling made us crave meat and a turkey leg was the closest we could get to it. The skin was smoky and crispy. The meat was tender and had an excellent smoky flavor. The turkey had a great amount of flavor so I assume it was marinated or brined before smoking and cooking. It definitely hit the spot for lunch! Lemonade Shakers also helped with the heat of the day with flavored lemonade and iced teas. They had a great deal that if you kept your cup, you would save $2 on refills. It was well worth it as we drank 6 between the two of us. The lemonade was fresh lemon juice squeezed, shaken with the lemon peels, sugar, ice, and your choice of flavor: plain, cherry, mango, or strawberry. They were fantastic! It would have been great to have a sugar-free option of Splenda or stevia as an alternative. After feeding our appetite, we walked over to the Car & Bike Show presented by All N All Car Club (SoCal Chapter). Atomic Orange Metallic Corvette, 1938 Chevrolet Master 4-Door Touring Sedan, and tricked out kitted roadster (straight out of a ZZ Top video) were among the cars on display. I thought to myself, "My Camaro would have made great addition." Uncle Tim's Best West Barbecue Sauce gave out samples of their line of barbecue sauces. Depending on your spicy level, there is Mild, Medium, and Habañero. The Habañero was actually not all that spicy, but you did feel the heat in the back of your throat after eating. But it was not uncomfortable so you could actually taste the flavor of the habañero pepper which goes really nice with the barbecue sauce itself. We actually got to meet Uncle Tim and he's great guy who loves BBQ. What a better place to be than at a BBQ Showdown! At 2pm, we started our sampling of BBQ that some of the competitors were giving out. All samples were given out with tickets purchased at the gate at $2 each. The first place we tried was Real Texas Style BBQ showcasing their pork ribs. The ribs had an excellent bark on the outside with beautiful dark pink smoked meat. The ribs were a little on the dry side, but flavorful. I'm not sure how they scored as "Real Texas Style BBQ" was not their competition name. Tropical Heat BBQ from Ventura County, CA entered all of the competition categories. We tried their brisket and requested the fatty end. The outside had a caramelized bark. The meat had a thick, dark pink smoke ring and was succulently tender. The marbling of this cut helped to keep it tender and juicy throughout the cooking process. They came in #13 out of 29 competitors with a score of 162.8228 in the brisket category. Master of Disaster "A Completely Unprofessional BBQ Team" from Santa Ana, CA provided samples of their pulled pork. It tasted more like carnitas with a little bit of smoky flavor. I'm not sure if they entered this into the competition unless they had a different competition name. They were also selling a bunch of different BBQ plates for pretty good prices. We decided to hide out in the shade for a while to check out the music festival. Tessie and the Calico Cats from Victorville, CA got our toes tapping to some classic country music. Tessie's father, Frankie Flash, is an awesome harmonica player and also won The Gong Show in 1988 (the show came back from hiatus from 1976-1978). Their music whisked us back to days of Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. Imagine yourself on a horse in cowboy attire with Dale and Roy singing on either side of you.

Most of the food offerings packed up before 4. A lot of money to spent on entrance tickets and…read moresamples but not a lot to show for it (and left with an empty stomach)

What a cool little museum! Love checking out the historical items and displays, and reading some of…read morethe stories. It's free admission to visit, and they do have a donation box at the front entrance. Every little donation helps! There was a kind staff member on duty to answer any questions. You can probably get through this museum in an hour or less. There are two levels, with the second floor being a recreation of a firefighter's living and work quarters. It even smells historic. You'll have a treat seeing all the vintage decor and tools the firefighters used back in the day. The first level has plenty of displays to look through. The history of Wrightwood, the tribes that lived in the area, and more! If you make your way towards the back and outside, there are more cool things to discover. I'll let you experience that for yourselves. If you love history, this is a great stop if you're in the area.

What an adorable museum! Small but cute - they turned the original fire station in to a museum…read more Love it! Free admission & 2 stories. Information about the original Serrano Indian tribe living in this area and Wrightwood family that eventually founded the city. Definitely worth a walk thru!

My sister in law stayed in the Airstream a few years back with her family. She asked me a few weeks…read moreago if I wanted to do a New Year's Day hike with her. I agreed and had no idea it was going to be this amazing. High today was 40. With no signs of snow, but we got snow on our hike and it was epic. The quiet meditative hike with the pups and goats was exactly what we needed to start our new year on the right foot. They had hot tea and coffee along with a yummy vegetarian lentil stew following the hike. Next time I want to stay overnight. Thank you Christian, Gloria and the animals for making today so special. Love these memories I'll have for a lifetime. See y'all again soon.

Gloria and Christian are super great hosts. Friendly and professional. Super speedy in responding…read moreto messages. If you need to get away from city life for a few days, come stay at one of their Airbnbs, go for a hike and hang out with the goats and dogs.

A very cool and quaint museum located at the base of "Newt's Paradise" also known as "Hilltop…read moreHouse" in Apple Valley, CA. In the museum, you can check out loads of memorabilia and artifacts from Apple Valley's heydey when celebrities and political figures (think Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, John Wayne, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, Dean Martin, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz- Classics!), used to come out to visit the Apple Valley Inn and other areas around town to film and get away from the crowds of LA by a short flight. I, personally, enjoyed speaking with Roger, the museum's guide, most; he is full of knowledge and was a pleasure to speak with and meet. Make sure to ask about the past and recent filming history that has taken place around town. - Mank, an upcoming American biographical drama film about the battles over the screenplay credit for Citizen Kane (1941), is just one of the many films that you can learn about. Overall, it was a very educational and insightful experience. If you have time, also try and hike up to the Hilltop House as well for good views of the city and to check out the remains of an architectural wonder of the past. Check out these great articles for more info: https://paradiseleased.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/high-glamour-in-the-high-desert-the-apple-valley-inn/ https://paradiseleased.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/newts-paradise-apple-valleys-spectacular-hilltop-house/

We hosted a bridal shower at the Wrightwood Country Club Clubhouse, and it was the perfect venue…read more From booking to execution, Sue and Susan made everything easy. The Clubhouse and porch were clean and well organized, so setup was a breeze. We're also learning pickleball, and several members have kindly shared tips along the way.

I really do not want to do this BUT... I know i should. My husband and I have a vacation cabin in…read moreWrightwood . We love the quaint and friendly city. Last year we became a member of the country club and I remember at one point dealing with a Sue Wilcox because she had a lasting impression RUDE! I thought maybe she was just having a bad day. Fast forward a year later July 4th, 2026 I am checking in my guest that are presently there at that moment and waiting for others to come (mind you we pay for each guest) we were already being helped with one of the sweet people who work there and there was nobody else waiting to be helped or in line. Sue out of nowhere starts asking if I am a member to which i said Yes and she goes on to say "well haven't you done this before?" and i said no. my husband and I usually come alone so it is my first time bringing guests. So Sue goes on to look at my guest list asking which person is present (now mind you I was already being helped by another employee) so there was no need for her to even be talking to us. She seems to be on some power trip. It was quite embarrassing in front of my guest as they noticed her rudeness as well. I always say first impressions are important and can make a lasting impact. Well I wasn't wrong with my first impression of her a year ago! It made us all uncomfortable and it was an embarrassment because sue being the "MANAGER" she seems to think she is above all others. Ill be honest if i met her before buying property in Wrightwood, I probably would not have because one person like her could even ruin the look of the whole city.. I don't think we will be renewing our membership next year especially with someone like her being in charge. My question is why would she still be there? Hmm? Maybe she is related to someone? To all reading this Remember to make a good first impression!

The Harrison Exhibit Center was donated to the District by the Harrison Family in 2001. Over the…read moreyears, it has housed a number of displays showcasing the history of the High Desert, as well as collections from the Hesperia Old Town Museum. It also is the former home of the International Banana Museum, which moved out in 2010 and relocated to Mecca.

Flashback to 2000 and a Vans Warped Tour type of festival that you'd never think would happen again…read moreand this was it! Unbelievable right? This event was beyond amazing from the line up to the classic Warped Tour feel to the insanely hot day of being outside breathing in all the wonderful dust kicked up by the circle pits! Overall we couldn't have asked for a more amazing day sure minus the dust and all that but if ya can't help it just endure it and have a few more drinks and you won't even notice a thing! A festival of this many amazing artists it's really hard for me to say who I liked the most as a lot of these bands are some of my favorites that I listen to on a daily basis diving to wherever I gotta go! After wondering from stage to stage to catch whoever next was on our list to see we met up with many many friends and fellow band mates who all were on the grounds enjoying this awesome event as much as we all were as it felt like a big party where we kinda knew everyone! Some of the highlights of the day in no particular order had to be seeing Pulley play with Matt Riddle as that is just super awesome old school right there! Seeing the always awesome TSOL play code blue to all the happy people in the circle pit! So after a few long heated hours it really set the mood for the night as each band that would be playing last was determined by the spinning of a wheel because there is no headliners in Punk Rock as we feel everyone is equal to contributing to the community. Descendants were the first of the headliners to rock the stage and one of the only bands here I haven't seen before and wow they killed it playing all the wonderful classics and some of the newer stuff as well! Lagwagon also fell into play at some point keeping the punk spirit alive and moshing to the favorites of May 16th and Cog In The Wheel! NOFX played pretty much as the sun fell down and the crowd got incased in a sea of darkness and mosh pits that really set for the punk rock party to be kicked into hi gear as we found ourselves moshing and skanking away to all those awesome NOFX songs! Bad Religion came out with a bang as everything erupted into Total Chaos " who also played" by playing their classics like American Jesus, and some of the newer songs that fit just as well with their awesome punk rock style! To close out the show after a few difficulties of the stage turntable being broken Pennywise came out to set everyone off for a good time of those classic punk songs that we all love to chat and be a part of especially the ending song Bro Hymn that is always an essential part of any Pennywise show that's sure to give you a big smile as well as make your ear drums happy! This was without a doubt one of the best festivals I have been to in many years as the lineup was completely insane to where there was always good bands playing throughout the day I really hope that this becomes a regular festival as it was an epic time that made me feel like I relived the awesomeness that once was The Vans Warped tour! A huge thank you goes out to Kevin Lyman the founder of The Warped Tour for bringing us the awesomeness that was It's Not Dead I know I'm not the only one who's going to say this but I really hope to see an awesome festival of this magnitude again very soon as the only words that can describe how truly awesome this day was you had to be here to experience it! See you in the Circle Pit!

Kevin Lyman must keep this going. I love the Ska too. Was a nice change up. I went to the first 2…read moreyrs ago and while I loved seeing those bands, this year's was amazing. This was the warped tour I grew up with. Hey Kev! Us older folks have money. Cater to us too. :)