Add Murrieta, California, to Your Travel List

Forego California’s crowded (and expensive) cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco for family travel and opt for a smaller city with just as much charm and adventure, but none of the crowds or high prices. The best part? You don’t have to travel far from a large city to reach one. Murrieta, California, lies just 80 miles from Los Angeles and 65 miles from San Diego, making for the perfect detour for an escape from big cities.

What can a day or weekend family trip to Murrieta look like?

© Explore Murrieta

With 275 days of sunshine per year, Murrieta is great for outdoor activities, and its vast network of hiking trails through meadows, woodlands, waterfalls and historic sites is perfect to introduce little ones to the area and local flora and fauna.

Murrieta is also a good spot to get in some time on the water, whether boating, fishing, swimming, kayaking, jet skiing or sailing. The destination boasts four freshwater lakes and reservoirs, all within a 20-minute drive from town. Did you know one of these lakes, Lake Elsinore, is the self-proclaimed Action Sports Capital of the World?

© Explore Murrieta

Take the family to Murrieta’s Mulligan Family Center for a day of endless attractions like laser tag, miniature golf, go-karts, an arcade, climbing wall, batting cages and water slides.

There’s also plenty of lodging options in Murrieta, from Murrieta Hot Springs Resort to two Marriott properties. And adults and older families aged 21 and up won’t want to miss spending time in one of Murrieta’s locally owned craft breweries. Try more than 32 different styles of fresh craft beer on tap from Garage Brewing Co., and pay homage to the 1980s era of video games with quirkly named brews at 8 Bit Brewing Company.