Theme Tours

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Today’s the traditional day to celebrate your Irish roots (real or imagined) alongside hundreds of thousands of Irish and Irish-at-heart who are doing the same.  Today started out as a religious celebration (and a celebration of Ireland itself) but got exported to the United States, where it became a big, drunken holiday and…

Happy Leap Day! This special day only comes around once every four years, and it originates from Roman times, when then-emperor Julius Caesar decided to add an extra day to the year periodically to make up for discrepancies in the calendar. The tradition started in 45 B.C.E., which means that leap days have been around even longer than…

Restaurant Week has arrived! It’s one of San Diego’s best events, now in its twelfth year: all over the county, restaurants of every stripe participate in prix-fixe menus and specials. That means that if you like to eat well (and who doesn’t?) you can not only get some of the best value for your dollar…

If you’re in San Diego, you probably have noticed the fact that it is raining.  Not just any rain, either — it’s a true-blue El Niño, one storm after another lined merrily up to dump some long-overdue moisture on our parched and cracking soil. While the rain is undeniably good for everyone in the region, it can put a damper (pun intended) on outdoor activities.   The animals are almost all in hiding at the San Diego Zoo, walking around Sea World is a chore, and hiking up a steep and muddy hill?  Forget about it. But, of course, that’s what we are here for.  Whether you’re visiting or you live here, we have delightful and delicious ideas for your activities, all of which, of course, involve wonderful wines, lip-smackingly delicious beers, and some of the best food you’ve ever had…

The season has begun! We’re not talking about springtime, although that came in last month with scattered showers and even a hint of some May flowers.  We’re not talking about sports, although there are various events and seasons going on there, too. No, what we’re  talking about is that most important of seasons in southern California: that of the craft beer festival.  It kicked off this year with the acclaimed Citybeat Festival of Beers, an afternoon fair that offered music and food as well as local beer that ranged from the mainstream to the obscure. Starting May 1st, and continuing through the 3rd, Temecula is hosting its annual Southern California Homebrewers’ Festival at Vail Lake. It ran into some problems last year because of legislative issues, but this year it’s going strong and promises to be a fun time, so…

Image Source: Flickr user Mark Gstohl Mardi Gras is almost here! This is one of the best times of year to be a lover of food and drink. It’s related to Carnaval, which comes from the phrase “carne vale,” or “farewell to the flesh,” and in the Christian calendar is the time of feasting before the self-deprivation of Lent begins. The Mardi Gras feasting and partying day is also known as Shrove Tuesday, the day that precedes Ash Wednesday. Both days are known as “moveable feast” days, which got their name because their dates move throughout the year in relation to Easter Sunday, which is always held on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox. That’s a mouthful, so to speak. But we love moveable feasts so much that’s what we do! Every…

  Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Saint Patrick's Day is a Christian feast day that is celebrated as a holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland.  It's also a special day in America, and around the world, for members of the Irish Diaspora. Oh, who are we kidding! It's one of the best days of the year for beer lovers. Especially since we now don't have to settle for green beer which, let's face it, isn't anywhere near as good coming up as it is going down.  But now that San Diego is truly a full fledged mecca for beer lovers, with a strong population of Irish people and Irish-Americans to boot, Saint Patty's is way more than just a day to imbibe. It's a day to savor!   Instead of going green this year, why not go red?  Red ales are…

San Diego Restaurant Week is almost here! It should go without saying that we love San Diego's food scene.  We may be San Diego Beer and Wine Tours, but tasting beer and wine without knowing what foods to pair them with takes at least half the joy out of the whole experience! That's why we always offer food on our beer and wine tours.  When you correctly pair, it brings out nuances and dimensions to your drink – and your food – that you never knew existed. It's like a voyage of discovery with every meal! San Diego's craft beer scene has been extolled and admired as one of the best on the planet for years, and with good reason.  Its wine scene is also gaining attention, too, as more people realize how wonderful it is.  But the food scene…

Heading to the racetrack doesn't always have to be a summertime affair. This year is an unusual one, because for the first time since an unsuccessful one-year run in the 1960s, the autumn horseracing circuit will be at Del Mar instead of Hollywood Park, whose racetrack closed down for good at the end of last year. You know what that means?  We get to wear our big hats and party like it's summertime for the next few weeks. The Bing Crosby Season lasts from November 7th until the 30th, and it promises to be an exciting time, just like always! But people don't just go to the races to watch the horses, although that's of course the main draw. The Del Mar racetrack is also home to great food and drink. There's something for everyone, whether you're looking for burgers…

It’s the spookiest time of the year! Halloween is on its way.  Kids are donning costumes, scary movies are all over Netflix, and ghosts are wailing in the trees (or is it just the Santa Ana?). But we haven’t forgotten about that other celebration of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day: Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  That’s the Mexican celebration of the dead, where you can go to the graveyards and talk to your loved ones who have passed on. We are so close to Mexico here in southern California that we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Baja California’s vibrant beer and wine scene.  But you shouldn’t have to cross any international borders to sample them, if you don’t want to! First up, let’s talk about the craft beer scene, which in no…