Fall Festivals – Sip And Savor San Diego

With coastal daily temperatures in the 70’s and summer crowds back in school, fall is one of the best times to visit San Diego.  An even more compelling reason to visit is to sample the region’s special events that celebrate the fruits of the vine and best local brews.        
San Diego boasts an International reputation for top-notch craft beer with area breweries earning more medals at the 2010 World Beer Cup than those in England, Germany and Belgium combined.  During the fall, the region offers a bumper crop of festivals for thirsty travelers that celebrate award-winning brews, dining and wines.  
Happy happens in San Diego.  For more information on San Diego offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Web site, www.sandiego.org, or call 619-236-1212.  In San Diego, visit the International Visitor Information Center, located along the Embarcadero at the corner of West Broadway and Harbor Drive in downtown; the La Jolla Visitor Center, located at the corner of Herschel Avenue and Prospect Street in La Jolla; or the California Welcome Center, located at the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine.

Arts & Culture Picks
•   The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park is presenting Toulouse-Lautrec’s Paris through Dec. 12, 2010. The exhibit offers the first look at the museum’s collection of nearly 100 Lautrec paintings, drawings, prints and posters in more than 20 years and the last before curators begin to conserve and digitize these important works. www.sdmart.org
•   The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is presenting Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape through Jan. 2, 2011.  The first-ever U.S. exhibition of international street art, has works on display in the museum’s downtown galleries and in locations throughout downtown San Diego by artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more.  www.mcasd.org
•      The Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park will present Zandra Rhodes – A Lifelong Love Affair With Textiles, October 3, 2010 – April 3, 2011.  The exhibition will present 47 high fashion costumes in distinctive printed textiles created by San Diego-resident Rhodes, who began her career in the 1960s.  www.mingei.org

Featured Tour
•   Brew Hop custom-designed private brewery tours which allow visitors to relax in luxury as they are chauffeured to their choice of local breweries.  The 5-hour “Beer Connoisseur” tour includes samples, behind-the-scenes tours at four breweries and a meal.  The 2.5-hour “Beer Tasters” tour stops at two or three breweries and includes samples and tours.  www.brewhop.com

Hotel & Festival Packages
When The Lodge at Torrey Pines holds their Celebrate the Craft event on October 31, guests can stay at the hotel, a masterpiece of Craftsman-style architecture perched on the 18th hole of the famed Torrey Pines golf course, for $345 per night, plus tax.  That price includes two tickets to the festivities.  www.lodgetorreypines.com.

During the opening weekend of San Diego Beer Week, November 5-7, reserve the “Beer for Breakfast” package at the downtown Hilton San Diego Bayfront and enjoy a two-night stay, tickets for two to the official kick-off party, the San Diego Guild Fest, commemorative San Diego Beer Week pint glasses and a beer-inspired room service breakfast for two featuring “nut brown” Belgian waffles and porter-poached smoked sausage.  www.hiltonsandiegobayfront.com

Visit for the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival and choose from a several area hotels with the “Grape Escape” package that includes a two-night stay, tickets for two to the Reserve Tasting on November 18 and the Grand Event on November 19 and two collector’s edition Riedel wine glasses (rates start at $652-794 and vary based on hotel selection).  Or upgrade to the VIP package which includes all of the above plus four wine tasting or cooking class tickets, VIP gift bags and a bottle of collector’s edition festival wine (rates start at $1,068 and vary by hotel). www.worldofwineevents.com

October
Bratwurst, beer gardens and oompapa bands can only mean one thing—Oktoberfest!  More than 200,000 revelers are expected to turn out for the annual Oktoberfest in La Mesa, October 1 – 3, 2010, making it the largest festival of its kind West of the Mississippi.  Enjoy dancing, traditional German food, Bavarian bands and 300 crafts and commercial booths laid out along six blocks of La Mesa Boulevard.  www.lmvma.com

The La Jolla Art & Wine Festival will unite high art and refined libations during two days of festivities occurring 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 9-10, 2010.  More than 20,000 guests are expected to turn out to peruse more than 100 booths from artists around the world.  Browse and purchase while enjoying a beer and wine.  www.lajollaartandwinefestival.com

On October 31, 2010, artisans and gourmets will gather at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla for a unique celebration of California’s indigenous ingredients, innovative cooking and winemaking during the 8th Annual Celebrate the Craft.  San Diego’s top chefs will offer a full day of cooking demonstrations, and growers, vintners and culinary artisans from some of California’s most renowned farms, bakeries, wineries and confectioners will be on hand for a picnic on the resort’s Arroyo Terrace.  Tickets cost $75 per person.  www.celebratethecraft.com

November
San Diego Beer Week returns November 5-14, 2010 for a 10-day celebration of local craft beer and San Diego’s thriving brewing culture.  Festivities kick off with a Brewers Guild Festival and conclude with a Chef Celebration of San Diego Beer, a gourmet beer and food pairing event.  Last year’s inaugural San Diego Beer Week boasted an estimated 20,000 attendees and more than 300 events, ranging from beer dinners to meet and greats with local brewers.  2010 San Diego Beer Week events will be posted online.  www.SDBW.org

The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, the largest wine and food festival in Southern California, returns November 17-21, 2010 for five days of epicurean fun along San Diego Bay in downtown San Diego. The 7th annual event will feature cuisine from San Diego’s best chefs and nearly 1,000 wines from around the world during a celebration that includes wine tasting seminars and cooking classes, a WineRave, elegant Reserve & New Release Tasting, wine dinners, an AIWF Big Bottle Auction & Celebrity Chef Luncheon, Tommy Bahama Rum VIP Party, a $50,000 “Chef of the Fest” Competition and star-studded Grand Tasting Event. The 2010 festival is expected to draw a crowd of over 10,000 over the five-day event. www.worldofwineevents.com