Warm up with a winter weekend in Lake County!

December 20, 2022

Winters in Lake County are a little cooler, not colder, a little damper, never dreary, with plenty of sunshine to share, and friendly folks who are warm all year round! 

Feeling cooped up and cold in your big city pad? Hop over to Lake County, where the drive is short, the memories are long, and there’s plenty of fun to go around!

The Great Outdoors

Winter Wine Trip

Lajour Estate Winery Fire Pit
Fire Pits at Lajour Estate Winery

Warm up with wine? Yes, please! Sit by the firepit and sip a Cabernet Sauvignon as you toast to good times, including the ones you’re making right now. We’re wine country’s fastest-growing region for a reason. Not just for the quality of our wines (which are pretty great, if we may say so ourselves), but the quality of our company. Because every wine pairs best with friendly faces! 

Watch birds

Bird watching at Clear Lake State Park
Bird watching at Clear Lake State Park

People aren’t the only ones who love to visit Lake County. Clear Lake is a great nesting and vacation spot for waders and sea birds, including the great blue heron, double-crested cormorant, great egret, and several types of grebe. If you’re really looking for something special, you’ll also find plenty of raptors in Lake County, including..wait for it…nesting bald eagles in the Cache Creek Natural Area.

Catch (and release) fish

Bass fishing on Clear Lake
Bass fishing on Clear Lake

Nothing beats the simple pleasure of sitting on the water in the coolness of winter with a pole in your hand. If you know, you know. If you’re a member of this faithful guild of fishers, Lake County in the winter is a paradise. In addition to being smack dab in the middle of wine country’s fastest-growing region, Clear Lake is also “the bass capital of the west.” If you’re feeling competitive, we’ve got plenty of tournaments. If not, no worries. Fishing at your own pace is mighty nice too.

The Great Indoors

Winter Wellness

Spa days hit different in the winter. And a spa day in Lake County hits differently from anywhere. That’s not just bragging either. Harbin Hot Springs is one of the oldest hot springs in California and hasn’t missed a step. Decades since first opening its doors, it continues to offer one of the ten top massages in the U.S.! Granted, we haven’t been to the other nine, but we feel confident saying Harbin Hot Springs is the best. Stop by and see (or should be say “feel”) for yourself.

Gaming Entertainment

Slot machine gaming at Twin Pine Casino
Slot machine gaming at Twin Pine Casino

Want to get away from the big city’s bright lights for, well, even more bright lights? Lake County boasts 1,700 slot machines, plus plenty of poker rooms, bingo halls, and table games at our gaming facilities. If you feel like a round of blackjack before breakfast, many are open 24-hours a day. But the fun doesn’t stop on the gaming floor. Our tribal-owned gaming facilities offer spacious hotel rooms, multiple dining options and even live entertainment.

Shopping Trip

If you need to scratch your shopping itch, but don’t like the wet wintry weather where you live, Lake County has you covered. No, you won’t find a $10,000 purse or a car that costs more than most folks’ homes. What you will find are dozens of shops selling lovingly made items crafted by our local artisans. Also, we’re the peak for antiques, so if you’re looking for your next great find, start your journey in Lake County.

Arts & Entertainment

Lake County’s got talent! And culture. That too. The Soper Reese Theatre is the home of the Lake County Symphony, as well as film screenings, stage productions, and other professional and community arts events. The Gibson Museum and Cultural Center may be our newest museum, but it features some of our oldest history, going all the way back to our Native American prehistory, through the recent past and present day. And for a quirky quick trip, stop by Clarke’s Collectibles and Lunch Box Museum.

If you love the great indoors as well as the great outdoors, there’s no better place to spend your winter (or any season) than Lake County. 

Find a place to stay, and plan your next Clearly Different getaway.