Discover: Julian, San Diego

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 I still can’t get over how close Julian is to San Diego metro. After just an hour and fifteen minutes on the I-8 and 79, my fiancé and I arrived in San Diego’s illustrious Apple Country. Our weekend was a sunny swirl of mountains, forests, pastureland, past-blasting architecture lining tidy, apple-sweet streets, fresh air . . . and potbellied pigs.

Angel’s Landing Country Inn & Resort

In a word: stunning. The Angel’s Landing ranch includes 53 rolling, tree-studded acres, with a sprawling view which, on clear days, includes a bright shimmer of ocean. In warm months, weddings are hosted nearly every weekend.

We booked the angel-themed Celestial Suite. From our deck, we could watch blue jays darting through the treetops. Though the bathrooms and bedding were spotlessly clean, Angel’s Landing’s rustic cabins aren’t for the luxury traveler. In fact, the whole of Julian isn’t for the luxury traveler. It’s for the hiker, the horse-lover, the wholesome biker with a gingham handkerchief in the pocket of his leather jacket—and because of Angel’s Landing, the family.

“Julian also needed a place for families,” Dan Manley told me. He owns the Angel’s Landing with his wife, Theresa.

“Theresa wanted to build the ultimate wedding facility. When we found this property, it seemed too good to be true.” He swept his arm over the ranch’s panoramic vistas. “This is our dream."

The expansive property also boasts a farm sanctuary, home to a gaggle of goats, horses, chickens, ducks, an elderly, pointy-eared pig named Spock, and an affable donkey named Eeyore. The owners provide guests with an unlimited supply of carrots for wooing the animals.

Insider’s Tip: Bring your shovel! Dan says gold was first discovered (unofficially)at the Angel’s Landing ranch in the 1860s, launching Julian’s miniature gold rush and placing the town on the map.

Soups & Such Cafe

It doesn’t get any better than Peet’s coffee, fresh tomato soup, and avocado-red pepper sandwiches on homemade whole wheat bread. Soups & Such also sells all sorts of homestyle knick-knacks, a welcome break from the sappily western souvenirs available at Julian’s other shops. In particular, an eclectic collection of colorful teapots inspires cravings for earl grey.

Margarita’s

At Margarita’s, we learned there’s no need to travel all the way to Apple Country for Mexican food. We opted for the patio of this Julian favorite on Saturday night, despite the cold mountain air and lack of heaters, and dined on fish tacos, chicken burritos, and (because they sounded good at the time) onion rings. While our margaritas were decent at best, I’m pretty sure our tequila shots were only $2.

Miner’s Diner

Call us culinary non-conformists. We ate three meals in Julian without a single slice of apple pie, and lunched at the historic Miner’s Diner without a single milkshake. We did enjoy our fries, grilled cheese sandwich, ortega chile gardenburger, and the bag of assorted sweets from the candy store downstairs. But don’t eat at Miner’s Diner if you have a headache; noisy children, close quarters, you get the idea.

Stonewall Peak

The next day, we strapped on our hikin’ shoes and conquered the summit of Stonewall Peak, a mountain overlooking nearby Lake Cuyamaca. The national parks around Julian offer numerous hiking trails, from easy to strenuous. This moderate two-mile trail was bordered by wildflowers, vast boulders, and greenery regaining its bushiness prior to 2003’s devastating cedar fire. In the afternoon light, even the fire-damaged trees seemed romantic, painting the trail with blue shadows.

Although I was intrigued by signs from a local winery featuring “grape-stomping”—something I’ve always wanted to do—it was time to trek back to the bustling world of San Diego metro. But we couldn’t leave without purchasing apple-cherry and strawberry-rhubarb pies from Mom’s Pies Etc. for the road.

There’s no turning back: I’m a Julian-lover for life.