Discover Savings, Events & What's New in California

. September 30, 2010

September 29, 2010 - Summer is winding down, but deals in California are still in full swing, as are a variety of events and festivals. September is officially California Wine Month, with great deals available throughout the state on wine-themed accommodation packages, making it an ideal time for a wine country getaway.

What's New in California

For a complete list of what's new and news in California, visit the California Travel and Tourism Commission'sofficial media page:
http://tourism.visitcalifornia.com/Industry/PressRoom/WhatsNew

A selection of what's new in California includes:

In the Shasta Cascade Region, Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding sports a brand new water feature, thanks to months of hard work from Turtle Bay's exhibits team and generous donor support. Visitors can also join the many GPS and geocaching enthusiasts celebrating the opening of the new GPS Adventure exhibition. Earlier this year, the Chico area welcomed the Gateway Science Museum, located in a chic modern building, which is surrounded by an unique landscape. Visitors will find five separate eco-regions, including a paleo flora area, riparian zone, buffer zone, delta and northern lower mountain region.

In the North Coast Region, there's wine tasting in unusual places - including Safari West in Santa Rosa. The new Wines over Watusi program launches in October to coincide with the grape harvest in Sonoma and Napa Valley. This unique offer includes a private safari for 10 people with one of Safari West's knowledgeable guides, touring their 400-acre Sonoma County preserve, with the addition of a private wine tasting somewhere along the trail. Famed vintner Mike Draxton, who has produced wines for a number of labels including El Roy, Heliodoro and Henry Bronson, is opening a tasting room in Geyserville's Alexander Valley. All of his wines are made from estate-grown or purchased grapes from the Alexander Valley.

In the San Francisco Bay Area Region, travelers coming to Oakland for business or pleasure now have even more options for downtown accommodations. The newly-opened Clarion Hotel Oakland, located at13th Street and Franklin, offers easy access to BART, the Fox Oakland and Paramount Theatres, the Oakland Museum of California, Old Oakland Chinatown and the many fine restaurants in the area. Two consecutive special exhibitions, "Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee d'OrsayVan Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne" and "Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay" are at the de Young Museum in San Francisco through January 2011.

Delta Discovery Cruises, a family-owned business, has expanded its operations to include the City of Stockton in the Central Valley Region. Their newly acquired vessel, Island Girl, is a luxurious 149-passenger motor yacht based out of the Stockton Waterfront Marina. Hyatt Place UC Davis recently opened, conveniently situated on the beautiful University of California, Davis college campus.

In the Gold Country Region, Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" short story catapulted Twain and Calaveras County into fame. Today, Mark Twain is celebrated in Angels Camp, where there are numerous sculptures, statues and events honoring the author. The most recent tribute to Twain is a new permanent exhibit at the Angels Camp Museum.

It's pure luxury in the High Sierra Region, as the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite National Park recently opened the 10,000-square-foot Ascent Spa, as well as 15,000-square-foot enhanced comprehensive conference facility. The new spa increases the AAA four-diamond resort's wellness offerings with new treatment rooms, dry saunas, steam rooms and health classes for guests to enjoy. After much anticipation, the Truckee Railroad Museum opened its doors May 8, on National Train Day. Situated right next to the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks and the downtown train depot, the museum is housed in a caboose and features displays of models, historic photographs and artifacts representing the area's rich railroad heritage.

In the Central Coast Region, Santa Barbara Adventure Company paired two favorite treats to create a new, mouthwatering adventure: the Tasty Cupcake & Wine Tour. Guests tour the Santa Ynez Valley tasting wine and learning the difference between a pinot blanc and a pinot gris, as on a typical wine tour. But the icing on the cake is a stop at Enjoy Cupcakes in Solvang, where guests sample six miniature wine-infused cupcakes with incredible flavors, such as Pomegranate Mango Chardonnay and Chocolate Blackberry Syrah. Situated on Moonstone Beach in Cambria, the Blue Dolphin Inn offers 20 newly designed guestrooms, including six specialty hotel rooms inspired by locales from all over the world that are home to dolphins, the results of an extensive $1.2 million renovation.

The Los Angeles County Region is packed with new developments, including Santa Monica Place, where SoHo meets South Beach, featuring Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Hugo Boss, Burberry and Kitson. These famous retailers and others highlight the brand new Santa Monica Place Mall, which opened August 6, an outdoor shopping haven with a beachside setting and ocean breezes, unique meetings and event space, stellar ocean-view dining on a rooftop deck, and more. King Kong 360 3D, a new attraction based on the Oscar®-winning 2005 Peter Jackson film, is Universal Studios Hollywood's new signature attraction. Riders on the Studio Tour tram are transported, via a darkened soundstage, back to King Kong's home - Skull Island. The action, which takes place before King Kong ever makes his way to the modern world, culminates in a ferocious battle between the world's most famous ape and a 35-foot dinosaur.

In the Orange County Region, the Discovery Science Center's newest permanent exhibit, "Rocket Lab," launched in July in Santa Ana. Located inside the museum's famous cube, this Lab highlights the history and science behind rocket travel. Experience a rocket launch by surrounding yourself by video screens, blasts of fog and state-of-the-art sound effects. "World of Color" debuted earlier this summer as the first major milestone in the expansion of Disney's California Adventure Park in Anaheim. "World of Color" brings Disney animation to life with powerful fountains that become stars of the show as they create the world's largest projected water screen by combining hundreds of magnificent fountains, dazzling colors and an all-new kaleidoscope of audio and visual effects.

Two new boutique hotels have opened in Palm Springs in the Deserts Region. The Pool House is a mid-century boutique hotel that opened in May. The intimate six-room property is embraced with stunning mountain views, and rooms that open onto the pool deck with plush cabanas. Its onsite restaurant, The Blue Pear, features a full-service menu. Another recently-opened boutique hotel is POSH Palm Springs. The 1930s Art Deco architectural gem is an 11-room property that offers all-inclusive complimentary three-course gourmet breakfast, light poolside lunches and evening happy hours with appetizer.

In the Inland Empire Region, Lorimar Winery has announced the grand opening of its tasting room in Old Town Temecula next to the Old Town Temecula Community Theater. It offers a relaxing atmosphere with premium wines and a friendly, well-trained staff. While a Tuscan-style winery is being built a few miles away in Temecula Valley wine country, the tasting room is open and bursting with activity in a charming brick building located in the center of Old Town Temecula at Front & Main Street.

In the San Diego County Region, the three-year, multimillion-dollar restoration of Old Town San Diego's Cosmopolitan Hotel has been completed; the "crown jewel of the State Park system" is now open. The Cosmo enjoys a prime location in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, surrounded by museums, historic landmarks and quaint shops, overlooking a grassy plaza. The Cosmopolitan includes an indoor and outdoor restaurant by the same name, boutique hotel with 10 rooms on the second level, along with private dining rooms for special occasions. Paradise Point Resort & Spa along Mission Bay is also open, with a fresh new look to its 462 bungalow-style guestrooms and expansive bay front meeting facilities following a $20-million renovation. Featuring an exotic South Pacific motif, guestrooms were transformed into airy and sophisticated retreats with sleek hardwoods, handcrafted Batik-style bed throws, expansive windows, and contemporary artworks and furnishings.

September 2010 California Wine Month Accommodation Deals - Save up to 35% on Wine Country Escapes and Wine-Themed Packages

Late summer and early fall is harvest time in California's wine regions. To celebrate the bounty, September has been proclaimed California Wine Month by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. To amplify the celebration, the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC) has developed almost 100 wine accommodation packages from across the Golden State at www.visitcalifornia.com/winemonth, providing a one-stop shop to book a wine country escape. Wine lovers can access savings up to 35% on overnight packages in California's premier wine regions of Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara; on city wine escapes from San Francisco to San Diego; or enjoy value offerings in the state's up-and-coming wine growing areas including Southern California's Temecula Valley.

Deals from across California include:

Northern California

Napa: River Terrace Inn - Save 20%
The "Grgich's Bottle Shock Package" starts at $195 per night, and includes a Village or River guest room, full American breakfast buffet, a bottle of Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay, complimentary wine tasting at Grgich Hills Estate and a DVD of "Bottle Shock" - the movie that chronicles the legendary 1976 Paris wine competition win by a non-French (California!) winery, a story based on Mike Grgich, who was part of the team that produced the winning wine.

San Francisco: Clift Hotel - Save 35%
The "Experience Wine Country in the Heart of San Francisco" package offers 35 percent off all room types and includes two complimentary wine tastings at a local tasting room and a keepsake wine key, starting at $185 per night.

Sonoma County: Applewood Inn, Restaurant & Spa - Save 25%
The Sublime Russian River Appellation Fine Wine & Dine Package, starting at $495. includes a one-night stay in an Applewood Inn Suite (Tuesday to Friday) and a five-course, exclusively Russian River Wine Appellation food and wine pairing dinner for two, created by Applewood Inn Restaurant's Executive Chef and the restaurant's sommelier.

Central California

Monterey County: Asilomar Conference Grounds - Save 25%
The Celebrate California Wine Month at Asilomar Package, starting at $199 per night, includes standard guestroom for two, one bottle each of red and white Monterey County wines, two Asilomar-etched wine glasses, breakfast and box lunch for two, and all applicable fees and taxes.

Los Olivos: Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa - Save 20%
The Wine Appreciation Hotel Package starts at $395 per night, featuring a 1.5-hour class at their BiN 2860 International Wine Shop and one night in deluxe accommodation with fireplace, wine class for two and breakfast at Petros Los Olivos. Also includes wine tasting at Fess Parker Winery, Epiphany Cellars and BiN 2860 and two wine tasting books.

Southern California

Laguna Beach: La Casa del Camino - Save 15%
The Sip, Sand and Save Package package, starting at $269 per night, includes a suite from the renowned Casa Surf Project and a special California wine-themed dinner for two featuring carefully selected California wines paired with delicious entrees from Chef Craig (voted Top Chef in Orange County 2010) at the hotel's famed K'ya Bistro.

Temecula Valley: South Coast Winery (SCW) Resort & Spa - Save 30%
The Sip & Stay Package starts at just $269 per night for two (Sunday - Thursday), including an overnight stay in a luxury deluxe villa with Jacuzzi and fireplace, two TVWGA Tasting Passport Tickets, complimentary bottle of pre-selected award winning SCW wine in-room, an SCW welcome gift upon arrival and two SCW tasting flights. Also includes a discount booklet filled with SCW freebies and discounts.

For information on more wine country escape deals for California Wine Month, visit www.visitcalifornia.com/winemonth.

Sampling of Signature Events September through October 2010

The Taste of Beverly Hills, presented by Food & Wine magazine, September 2-5, will showcase top chefs and restaurateurs from throughout the area, including "Top Chef" season six winner Michael Voltaggio.
http://thetasteofbeverlyhills.com/

Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week puts the spotlight on High Sierra fine dining, giving local food aficionados and visitors an opportunity to enjoy three-course, prix fixe menus at participating restaurants for $20, $30 or $40 per person during September 5-12.
www.tahoerestaurantweek.com/

In Dana Point, the Italian Opera Festival, September 10-19, offers 10 days of opera productions and concerts under the stars at Lantern Bay Park.
www.iaof.org/Italian-Opera-Festival.html

Experience Sunset magazine'sSavor the Central Coast Weekend September 30 to October 3 in San Luis Obispo, when Food Network chef Tyler Florence will charm his way into the hearts of foodies as the official celebrity chef of the event, providing cooking demonstrations and hosting book signings.
www.savorcentralcoast.com/

Fort Bragg hosts the scrumptious Abalone Cook-Off & Festival October 2 with wine tasting, clam chowder and live music.
www.mendoparks.org/Abalone/

The inaugural Anaheim International Film Festival (AIFF) will debut October 13-17, marking the addition of a world-class cultural event to Orange County and showcasing the latest independent feature and student films. www.anaheimfilm.org/

Head to www.visitcalifornia.com/events to search California's diverse range of events from art and film to outdoors, performances, sports, and wine and dine celebrations.

CTTC is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs - in partnership with the state's travel industry - that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to CTTC, travel and tourism expenditures total $87.7 billion annually in California, support jobs for 881,000 Californians and generate $5.3 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about the CTTC and for a free California Visitor's Guide and California Road Trips 2010, go to www.VisitCalifornia.com.

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