Thanks to the city's ambassadors rumbling along neighboring highway outlets -- big rigs overflowing with mounds of fresh, local garlic bound for the rest of the nation -- you can smell Gilroy, California, before you see it. Though the scent of the "stinking rose" welcomes you to this small city near the central coast, there's plenty to keep you coming back to the area.
Garlic Festival
- If there's anywhere in central California you're most likely to spot a celebrity, or a guy dressed like a giant clove, it's the annual Garlic Festival. This massive event that draws more than 100,000 people can be considered the toast of California's legendary agricultural fairs, and serves up 2 tons of local garlic in every creative way imaginable, from garlic-fried zucchini with garlic ranch to garlic ice cream. Go with an empty belly, because you'll pass several dozen food booths dishing out delicacies. In 2012, garlic lovers bought 12,262 servings of garlic bread, along with more than 4,000 serving of garlic calamari and nearly 10,000 garlicky pepper-steak sandwiches. You'll also be entertained by live music and stroll past more than 100 arts-and-crafts vendors. Breath mints are thankfully included with admission.
Outlet Shopping
- You've been on the road for a while, whether climbing up U.S. Highway 101 or crossing the Coast Ranges on State Route 152, and welcome a nice refuge to stretch your legs and shop. The Gilroy Premium Outlets greet weary travelers and area bargain hunters alike in an outdoor setting just east of the 101 in two segments north and south of Leavesley Road. Stroll around the 145 stores, ranging from Coach to the Disney Store, and enjoy a shop-and-stay package offered by most of the local inns. There are also plenty of places to eat nearby, from chains such as In-N-Out and Applebee's to local favorites such as the Black Bear Diner and Tasso's Old House Restaurant.
Casa de Fruta
- Just 14 miles east of Gilroy in the Pacheco Pass, you'll find a California road-trip institution -- the isolated but never empty Casa de Fruta. This roadside staple sprang up from a humble cherry stand on the highway in the 1940s, and now includes a farmer's market, a wine and cheese shop, a restaurant, a candy shop, and a motel along with an RV resort. For the kids, there's a carousel, a train and gold panning. Every shop and attraction is fittingly prefixed like the fruit stand -- the train, for example, is Casa de Choo Choo. If you get home and find you can't live without the pomegranate wine, habanero pistachios or chocolate-covered blueberries, you can shop online and have some of the Casa's delights shipped to your door.
Wine Tasting
- The Santa Cruz Mountains house a unique collection of wineries guaranteed to tempt the palate of any connoisseur. Wine-making is not just an art but a relaxing retreat at Gilroy's Fernwood Cellars, where guests are encouraged to bring a picnic to enjoy with the wine made only from grapes grown in its vineyards. Fernwood also hosts events at the historic Redwood Retreat Road location, including Oktoberfest and a lobster boil. Solis Winery in the picturesque Hecker Pass offers tastings and a tour of the of the vineyards as you're walked through the old-world wine-making process. Be an intimate part of the tradition as you chat with the family owners and enjoy gourmet food at one of Solis' events.
