Top Ten Places to go in Bakersfield

1. The Kern River Canyon. This is a beautiful area and a great place to get away for a relaxing picnic. There are even natural hot springs if you know how to find them. But, don’t even think about swimming in the river.

2. CALM. The California Living Museum is really cool. They have a lot of information about local plants and wildlife, a small zoo full of animals found regionally and an awesome aviary. It’s really neat to see the birds of prey up close. The spring and fall are the best seasons to visit.

3. Pioneer Village. Going to Pioneer Village makes you feel like a kid all over again. I have probably been there 50 times, but I never get tired of walking in and out of those old houses to gawk at the mannequins in their antique clothing. They have made a lot of improvements in the past few years, so if you haven’t been in a while you need to soon. And check out the Kern County Museum while you’re there.

4. Downtown. Like I said before, I love the trees, I love the houses, and I love the shops. Downtown is a great place to do everything. There are restaurants, exclusive dress shops, theaters, art galleries, antique stores, coffeehouses, and much, much more. Downtown is an excellent place to take a walk.

5. The Marketplace. Developers really did a nice job with this shopping mall. The shops are centered around an attractive and pleasant fountain and the walkways are dotted with bistro style tables and chairs that invite you to sit and people watch. There is a movie theater and several chain restaurants and many other locally owned businesses. The only drawback is it has turned into a hangout for the kids and sometimes they run wild.

6. A Basque Restaurant. If you really want the "family style" experience Noriega’s is the best, followed closely by Pyrenees. If you want to have a good time and see everybody in town, go to Woolgrowers and if you want to eat some really great food, go to Benji’s. Basque food is good all the time, but with the soup and all the food, it is especially good in the winter.

7. Go to a show. There are numerous bands playing all over town every weekend. Check them out and help support the local music scene. There are also numerous theaters such as The Empty Space and Stars. Friday night is Flicks night at the Fox where they feature independent and foreign films.

8. The Bluffs. There have many improvements to this area including grass, walkways and benches. A very romantic place to go at night.

9. Local sports. Personally I love going to the Blaze games. True Sam Lynn is not the finest ball park in the world, but it’s so small town it’s fun! Of course, there’s also Hockey and Arena Football at Centennial Garden. (Ooops – I mean Rabobank Arena.) Even the local college and high school games are fun to go to sometimes and bring back a lot of great memories.

10. The bike path. Take a walk or go for a ride along the Kern River. Just get off your butt and do something!