With nearly 50 wineries, you would think Temecula was a destination designed more for adults.
There are, however, plenty of activities for families to enjoy, including the youngest members of your family.
While some of the wineries do allow kids, it might be best to leave the wine tasting for a special evening out with your partner and enjoy some of the following activities with the whole family.
13 Things to Do in Temecula With Kids
1. The Craft House
The Craft House is a unique experience in that it allows your whole family to indulge their inner artist.
They do offer classes and have many workshops and special events, but what makes them stand out is their open studio.
You pick a project from the numerous ones available.
These include wood decare, string art, macramé, and painting. When you take your purchase to the counter, the cost includes all the supplies you need to complete the project.
This is done either indoors or on the patio if you prefer. Instructors are always available to help.
Kids often love the numbered painting projects that allow them to leave with a masterpiece they created on their own.
2. Harveston Lake Park
For a relaxing day that allows the adults to relax if they want and still allows kids to get their excess energy out, you might want to stop by Harveston Lake Park.
This 17-acre park offers a fairly easy hiking trail of less than a mile, which is doable for most kids.
Turtles abound, giving the kids a glimpse into their world.
There are also picnic pavilions should you want to make it a longer day and grill up something good.
What sets this park apart from the numerous parks in the area is the ability to rent pedal boats.
The calm lake water is safe for all ages and a ride in a pedal boat can make the day especially memorable.
3. Mulligan Family Fun Center
You could easily spend an entire day at the Mulligan Family Fun Center.
They offer laser tag and go-karts as well as batting cages and awesome slides.
The two 18-hole miniature golf courses offer a waterfall on one and an adventure through an old mining town on the other.
There is also an arcade for those who want a slightly more calm experience.
The center doesn’t forget about the little ones.
There are Kiddie Go-karts and several kiddie rides for the youngest members of your family.
4. Mind Trap Escape Rooms
Mindtrap Escape Rooms offers two ways the family can have fun.
You can choose from one of nine indoor escape room experiences.
These include Area 51, Gold Rush, Winnie the Pooh, 40 Thieves, and Excalibur, as well as a couple intended only for adults.
Let your whole family feel challenged as you spend between an hour and 1.5 hours, depending upon the adventure you choose, trying to escape.
When you leave, ask about their Scavenger Hunt outdoor experience, which is free.
The kids will receive a packet with clues that will allow them to tour Old Town, looking for the next clue, while learning about the history of the area.
5. Sugarplum Zoo and Chocolates
Sugarplum Zoo and Chocolates is a unique experience that includes animals, chocolate, and wine.
There is truly something for everyone.
Take time to visit the fifty rescue animals, which include a zebra, alpacas, goats a tortoise, and many more.
Stop by the chocolate shop for samples and a treat to take home.
You’ll have a difficult time choosing between the handmade candies.
For the adults, there is a wine-tasting room where you can sample some of the area’s best wines, and maybe take a bottle or two home.
They also offer special experiences for an added fee.
The Premium Tour gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the farm animals.
The Goat Encounter allows you to interact with goats, sheep, alpacas, and llamas.
There is an Educational Encounter to learn about all the animals and a Tortoise Encounter that allows you to feed the tortoise.
Other encounters include donkeys and mini horses.
6. The Alpaca Hacienda
The Alpaca Hacienda offers private tours of their alpaca ranch.
You get a tour for up to five people at the base price, more can be added for an additional per-person fee, that includes an informational seminar and tour of the facilities.
A bag of treats is included, so you can feed the alpaca.
The tour takes between an hour and an hour and a half, giving you plenty of time to interact with the gentle animals.
You can also bring a lunch and enjoy it while you are there.
7. Painted Earth Pottery
At Painted Earth Pottery, your family gets a chance to feel like an artist. Pick out a piece of pottery and they will provide the paint, brushes, and glaze.
When you have finished your work of art, they also include the firing necessary to keep your artwork looking beautiful for a long time. Kids will love the chance to work with their hands.
You may also be able to catch one of the special workshops they offer in other crafts.
8. The Haunt
The Haunt offers kid-friendly ghost tours that go a step further than most other tours.
These nightly walking tours have you meeting in Old Town, where you are provided with a guide who can tell you all about the verified haunting and true-crime stories of the places you visit.
Everyone is given an EMF reader to allow them to conduct their investigations.
You also get a collectible pin for a souvenir.
The highlight of the tour is the 1800s wooden architecture of the area.
9. Temecula Valley Museum
Kids and museums may not always mix, but this one includes a Children’s Touch History Exhibit that allows the kids to play at running a store, learning how to start a fire the old way, and using a Native American grinding stone.
They can also put on their puppet show.
Adults will enjoy exploring the replica of the office of the Perry Mason series or wandering through the special exhibits that are always changing.
10. Pennypickle’s Workshop
This Children’s Museum will also have the adults entranced.
Throughout the eleven rooms, science is taught through play.
Some of the special rooms you can explore are the secret passage in the library that leads to a blacklight maze and the music room has a piano that plays several other instruments.
Lessons learned include time and travel, power and electricity, sound, chemistry, and physics.
It can take several hours to get through all eleven areas of this hands-on experience so make sure you plan accordingly.
11. Get Air
This trampoline park has the adults in mind as well as the kids, even the youngest ones.
Adults can relax in massage chairs as their kids experience such activities as freestyle trampoline, dodgeball, the Ninja course, or the foam pit.
They might also want to try their hand at making a slam dunk, practicing their tightrope walking, or navigating the room from a rope ladder.
All are safe with the trampolines below.
The little ones can play in the special area made just for them.
12. Sunrise Balloons
A hot air balloon ride across the sky, anywhere from treetop to 5,000 feet high, at sunrise is an experience that won’t be forgotten easily.
These sunrise adventures are guaranteed to last from 45-60 minutes, but some have lasted up to three hours.
The price includes your ride, champagne or bottled water, and a limousine or party bus ride back to your car from the landing zone.
A photographer goes on each ride, and you have the option of purchasing the photographs, or accessing them free on Facebook, to record your adventure.
13. Uptown Jungle
Rainy days don’t have to stop the fun at Uptown Jungle.
This indoor playground offers a trampoline area, rock climbing walls, a mini hipline, and a Ninja course.
The kids will enjoy the Ball Blaster game or flying down the super, slides, or navigating the jungle gym.
There is a toddler area and adults can relax in the Adult Lounge, which offers free Wi-Fi.
Temecula Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Temecula Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days should I plan for thoroughly exploring Temecula?
You should plan on spending anywhere between three and five days exploring all the activities in Temecula.
How close is Temecula to the beach?
Temecula is only 22 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The ocean breeze regularly blows through town, making the air quality better than most places in the area.
Are there any areas in Temecula to enjoy nature?
There are small and large parks throughout town.
Two of the best places to spend time in nature are at Lake Skinner and visiting Santa Rosa Plateau Wildlife Preserve.
Is there any one area in Temecula I should make a point of visiting?
Old Town is the heart of the city.
You can find everything from farm-to-table restaurants to entertainment and the Temecula Farmer’s Market.
This area of town has many historical buildings and wooden boardwalks that make you feel like you have traveled back in time to the 1800s Old West.
What is the weather like in Temecula?
August is the hottest month with average daily temperatures being 88 degrees Fahrenheit and nights averaging 63 degrees.
The coldest month is December when the daily highs average 66 degrees and the nightly lows average 42 degrees.
Temecula has seen snow but it does not accumulate.
