August comes to a close and with it, Nora Ephron season is upon us, aka Autumn. The end of a season demands a recap and if you are like me and love to learn new places to check out, look no further. Here are some of my favorite places in California I visited this summer, and which ones you should totally check out too!

South Lake Tahoe

I know I talk about it every year but Tahoe is too magical not to get a moment’s recognition annually.

Magic Carpet Mini Golf

One of my absolute favorite things to do every time I am in South Lake is go to Magic Carpet Mini Golf. Their three courses are so cute, a fairytale theme, dinosaurs, and the castle, which is a 28-hole course. Magic Carpet has gotten a facelift this year and looks better than ever. Many fixed greens and everything has a fresh coat of paint and looks so welcoming. If you ever try it out and win a free game on the 19th hole, let me know. We have been going for like 15 years and have only managed to do it once.

Alex Ramon Magic

Alex Ramon has a residency at the Harvey’s in South Lake. I originally saw him maybe 10 years ago when he first did shows in Tahoe and when we saw he was back, we knew we had to go again.

It is a show perfect for the whole family. My brother and my grandfather enjoyed it, so age means nothing. We sat right in front and tried the entire time to figure out how he did everything. No, we have absolutely no clue. Funny and extravagant, highly recommend it for a night out.

Jet Ski Tours

We have gone jet skiing a handful of times but my dad has always been searching for a jet ski place where we could drive more than in a circle. Well this year, we found it. It was 2 hours of zooming around the lake. A tour to Emerald Bay, the prettiest portion of the whole lake, and then crossing the lake to Cake Rock, to see ‘ the Lady’. Which is a portion of the mountain that has the side profile of a lady’s face. We got to jump off and see Vikingsholm Castle in Emerald Bay, a beautiful Norse-inspired home, with a GRASS roof. Yes, it does get watered. We then had about 30 minutes to just zoom around as we pleased. It was AWESOME!

SoCal

Coming back down to SoCal, I explored two places I had never been to before. I love getting to be a tourist of where I live, and when my friend flies out to visit, that is exactly what we do. This year we went on a Historical Adventure.

Mission Inn

First to the Mission Inn in Riverside. Not a real Mission, but is built in the style of one. There were several presidents who came to visit, and stay at the inn, that they have a restaurant called the Presidential Lounge, with a drinks menu inspired by the presidents. The original owner had macaws named Joseph and Napoleon and the hotel still houses two macaws with the same names. (Though Joseph is currently a Josephine). We took the tour and it was really cool to get to walk around the whole inn and hear how everything came to be.

The Mission Inn is also famous for its yearly Festival of Lights and is a perfect reason to go check it out during the holiday season.

Kimberly Crest House and Gardens

We also headed out to Redlands to visit the Kimberly Crest Mansion. Ever only owned by three women, this Victorian-era house is beautiful! It was given to the people of Redlands upon the death of the last owner and is now open to tours and also hosts some special events. The French chateau is furnished almost entirely with items original to the house and the Italian Renaissance-styled gardens really make you feel you aren’t in SoCal. I love to visit historic houses and this was a fun find. I definitely would love to go back and retake the tour, just maybe on a day that is NOT 100+ degrees. Historic Homes don’t have A/C. HA