Tag: California

The past couple years have taught me to slow down and enjoy more of my beautiful home state, and showed me that California has more to offer than I could’ve ever imagined. Towering redwood trees, unparalleled coastlines, otherworldly desert landscapes, magical spring florals and fabulous cities full of vibrant culture and delicious food. As one of the few places you can snowboard and surf in the same day (we’ll have to try this sometime!) we have come to love traveling to places like Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree and Carlsbad/La Jolla/San Diego within days of each other.

Of course, doing any of these trips would take several hours of driving. California is a vast state, so embarking on a road trip can take anywhere from a three to twelve hour drive. A good rest stop is a must for any epic road trip, and we’ve recently discovered The Oasis on I-5 as our new favorite place to take a break on a long drive to refuel our car and refuel ourselves before continuing on our journey!  

Conveniently situated between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, California’s premier travel stop on I-5, the Outlets at Tejon, have tons of options for food, fuel, fashion, hotels, art galleries, open areas for pets and more!  We have stopped at the outlets on our way to several local adventures: taking photos at the almond blossoms in Bakersfield, visiting family and friends in the bay area and on our way to different national parks like Yosemite and Sequoia.  It’s even served as a great stop for those last-minute gifts you might need to purchase for family or friends (or yourself—I won’t judge!).

Shopping
The award-winning Outlets at Tejon feature more than 40 stores and brands with deals up to 65% off.  From clothing and jewelry to home goods and sports supplies, there’s something for everyone here. With great deals and a good variety of recognizable brands, we were able to quickly shop for clothing for upcoming birthdays for a few family members, as well as find things for ourselves.

By making these purchases, we later found out that we could show our receipts at Guest Services to receive $15 gift cards which we were able to use to buy lunch later, and also enter into the monthly sweepstakes (more on that below!).  During this month’s sweepstakes (March 2022) for example, you can win a $500 Airbnb gift card or a $200 gas card.  We also received coupons from Guest Services which we could use at these stores so it ended up being a fantastic, high-value shopping experience.

Stores Options Include:

• Adidas
• Aerie
• Aeropostale
• American Eagle Outfitters
• Auntie Anne’s
• Banana Republic Factory Store
• Bath & Body Works
• Bird Dog Arts
• Calvin Klein
• Carter’s
• China Max
• Cinnabon
• Coach
• Columbia Sportswear
• Cosmetics Company Store
• Cotton On
• Express Factory Outlets
• Famous Footwear Outlet
• Fragrance Outlet
• Gap Outlet
• Guess Factory Store
• H&M
• Hot Topic
• Journeys
• Kate Spade
• Kevin Jewelers
• LE Creuset
• Levi’s Outlet Store
• Lids
• Lucky Brand Jeans Outlet Store
• Michael Kors
• Nike Factory Store
• Old Navy Outlet
• Oshkosh B’gosh
• Perfumes-4-U
• Polo Ralph Lauren
• Puma
• Rack Room Shoes
• Skechers
• Sunglass Hut
• The Children’s Place
• Tilly’s
• Tommy Hilfiger Company Store
• Zumiez

Fuel & Electric Charging
In addition to 100+ fuel pumps and dozens of EV chargers, did you know that Tejon Ranch features the 2^nd biggest Tesla charging station in the world?  We didn’t, but using the Tesla Supercharger gave us a much quicker charge than a normal charging station, taking the car from a low 8% charge to a full charge in less than 30 minutes.  Not even enough time for us to eat and shop, so if we were really in a rush this would have been extremely convenient!  The area also felt extremely clean and safe, so if we had to charge a car late at night on a drive home, we absolutely would not hesitate to stop here.

Food & Drink
There are more than 30 restaurants and food options to choose from here, from sit-down restaurants to drive-thrus, dessert and casual cafes.  Lots of options for different dietary restrictions.  There are even some awesome food trucks and stalls here.  The first time we visited Tejon Ranch, we found a delicious Mediterranean food truck and devoured our meals before we remembered to get a photo.  And the last time we were here on our way to check out the almond blossoms in Bakersfield, we swung by the Starbucks drive-thru and grabbed a quick pick-me-up before continuing on our way. My husband is always happy to stop for In-N-Out though seeing a place to get a good Philly Cheesesteak sandwich made him reconsider and get that instead, and we got some donuts for my father while I grabbed a smoothie.  With this range of options, there’s really something for everyone.

Food Options Include:

• Arby’s
• Auntie Anne’s
• Baja Fresh
• Baskin Robbins
• Black Bear Diner
• Burger King
• Carl’s Jr
• Charley’s Philly Steak
• Chipotle
• Denny’s
• Dunkin’ Donuts
• Firehouse Subs
• The Habit Burger & Grill
• In-N-Out Burger
• Iron Skillet Restaurant
• Jamba Juice
• McDonald’s
• Panda Express
• Pieology
• Pizza Hut
• Popeyes
• Starbucks
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Wendy’s

Art Museum
One of my favorite things about Tejon Ranch is a hidden gem—an art gallery called Bird Dog Arts that features original contemporary artwork from more than 85 California artists.  Not only do they sell artwork and feature receptions, lectures, artist demonstrations and performances, but they also have the cutest local cat named Turkey.  Turkey’s backstory is he was rescued from a tree on the premises, and now he lives a cushy life offering a-meow-zing tours to visitors and encouraging folks to support local artists.  This is one of the more fun and colorful spots in the area and provides a great chance to take things slow and relax as well as an opportunity to browse.

Exciting Rotating Offers
The Outlets at Tejon also have promotions and events that always keep things new and exciting.  Stop by Guest Services when you arrive and see what offers they have going on.  Currently there is a monthly sweepstakes for travel prizes ranging from Disneyland passes, hotel stays, Airbnb or Gas gift cards, or other special deals, usually for hotels and activities in different cities such as Paso Robles, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa, Ojai, Anaheim and more.

Last month in February for example, the prize was a vacation on Mammoth Mountain, covering a 2-night stay at The Village Lodge and two ski equipment rentals.  My husband and I have yet to go on a winter vacation together where we’ve done activities in the snow like skiing or snowboarding, so I know we would have loved to win that prize!  Other upcoming prizes are also tied into local vacations: April will feature a 2-night stay at The Ojai Valley Inn and 2 vouchers for golf, May winners will receive a 2-night stay at The Archer Hotel in Napa along with two wine tastings at the hotel’s winery, and June’s prize is four Disneyland tickets and a gas card.  We definitely miss our Disneyland passes so will make sure we’re entered into June’s sweepstakes.  Just looking at the list of future prizes gets us excited about other California destinations! J

Currently, there’s also a deal where you can bring your receipts to Guest Services and get a $15 gift card* to spend at Tejon Ranch for every $50 purchase (that includes any combination of gas/food/convenience store purchases).  We did some shopping for my sister’s birthday, and were able to bring our receipts and pay for our lunch that day.  Pretty great deal!

Guest Services also offers Travel Tejon Passports, which you can get stamped per receipt from shopping, dining, refueling or hotel stays.  For each stamp, you’ll get entered into the monthly sweepstakes.  Up to three stamps per category (shopping, hotels, dining and gas/convenience).  No minimum dollar amount for these entries. 

*Limit 1 per person, receipt(s) must be from the same day to be eligible, supplies on a first come first serve basis. Visit TejonOutlets.com/contests-sweepstakes for full terms and conditions.

Nearby Getaways
As we mentioned up top, the I-5 freeway is a long, connective highway that can take you from San Diego in the southernmost areas of California (or even down to Mexico if you like!) all the way north through the Shasta-Trinity Forest and into Oregon.  Lots of major cities exist near the 5, and other major freeways and highways connect to it, taking you to a huge variety of beautiful cities and environments.  There is so much more to California than just the great coastal cities, and taking the 5 allows you to see how much this state really has to offer!  And of course, you can always get to Nevada (Las Vegas/Lake Tahoe/Valley of Fire State Park) from here relatively easy as well.

If you need some ideas of places to explore from Tejon Ranch, here’s a variety of suggestions ranging from a short hop to a trip you’ll definitely want to grab some snacks and supplies for:

• Bakersfield (30 miles / 30m drive)
• Angeles National Forest (32 miles / 35m drive)
• Los Angeles (84 miles / 1hr 30m drive)
• Santa Barbara (120 miles / 2hr drive)
• Sequoia National Park (122 miles / 2hr drive)
• Pismo Beach (122 miles / 2hr 10m drive)
• San Luis Obispo (135 miles / 2hr 20m drive)
• Fresno (140 miles / 2hr 30m drive)
• King Canyon National Park (160 miles / 3hr drive)
• Lone Pine / Alabama Hills (177 miles / 3hr drive)
• Palm Springs (190 miles / 3hr drive)
• San Diego (204 miles / 3h 10m drive)
• Death Valley National Park (182 miles / 3hr 15m drive)
• Yosemite National Park (200 miles / 3hr 20m drive)
• Joshua Tree National Park (215 miles / 3hr 27m drive)
• Anza Borrego State Park (233 miles / 4hr drive)
• Monterey (237 miles / 4hr drive)
• San Jose (258 miles / 4hr 3m drive)
• Big Sur (227 miles / 4hr 15m drive)
• Mammoth Lakes (277 miles / 4hr 40m drive)
• San Francisco (300 miles / 4hr 45m drive)
• Las Vegas (300 miles / 5hr drive)
• Lake Tahoe (400 miles / 7hr drive)

Hotels
If your journey has led you to Tejon in the evening and you’re looking to spend the night near the Outlets, there are four reasonable hotels to choose from that all seem great for families.  In the visitor center we also saw nature photographs of the Tejon area so if we spend the night here in the future, there definitely seemed to be nice spots nearby for exploration and to watch the sunset or sunrise.

• Best Western Liberty Inn

Eco-Friendly Property, Free Parking, Breakfast, WiFi, Accessible, Indoor Pool
Phone: (661) 858-7777

• Day’s Inn

Free Parking, Outdoor Pool, Breakfast, Pet-Friendly, Fitness Center, WiFi
Phone: (661) 248-1530

• Hampton Inn

Free Parking, Indoor Pool, Breakfast, Accessible, Pet-Friendly, Business Center, WFI
Phone: (661) 241-7100

• Microtel Inn & Suites

Free Parking, WiFi, Breakfast, Business Center, Accessible
Phone: (661) 241-6666

A Pet-Friendly Haven
The Outlets at Tejon also have a lot of open space and are a great place to take your pets out for some fresh air.  Dogs can get weary on long road trips too, so of course we let took our Golden Retriever-Great Pyrenees mix out to enjoy the grass, the sun, and friendly people who wanted to pet her.  We saw a number of other dogs stretching their legs and enjoying themselves as well.  She was thrilled!

Outlets at Tejon Information

• Open Daily: 10:00am – 8:00pm
• Guest Services Daily Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm
• Phone: 661-858-2155
• Address: 5701 Outlets at Tejon Pkwy, Arvin, CA 93203
• Located off I-5 and Highway 99 just south of Bakersfield

In Summary
The Outlets at Tejon have become an essential part of our road trips that we look forward to—a rest stop where we can get gasoline, coffee, In-N-Out, see our favorite art gallery cat and maybe even get some shopping done before resuming our journey.  It’s a fun, clean, safe and welcoming space that always has fun surprises to offer, and is a perfect stop on anyone’s California road trip up the I-5.