In Julian, What’s Theirs Is a Mine

Pumpkin pie may be a Thanksgiving tradition, but you can’t convince the townsfolk here to give up their favorite dessert--apple pie.

Although it has a population of only 2,500, this mountain community boasts three shops where apple pies are baked fresh daily.

You can order a slice of apple pie in all of the town’s restaurants, except one. There, a sign warns diners at the door: “No Pie.”

Besides being the apple pie capital of San Diego County, this historic mining town is a back-country haven for bed and breakfast inns. At last count the area had 38 B&Bs.;

Visitors also are attracted to Julian by its year-round calendar of events, including a Christmas Arts and Crafts Show during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. You can shop for original gifts this Friday through next Sunday in the Town Hall.

Go for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Also tour the Eagle Mine, which helped establish this gold-rush town in 1870, and see more mementos of the past in the renovated Julian Pioneer Museum.

Begin your journey from Los Angeles by going east on the Pomona Freeway (California 60) to join Interstate 215 south at Riverside and merge with Interstate 15. At Temecula, exit onto California 79, which heads southeast into rural San Diego County.

Before the junction with California 78, look left for the 1818 Mission Santa Ysabel, a small asistencia , or branch, of the mother mission in San Diego. Pause to visit the reconstructed church and small museum in the back. Open every day until dusk.

At the highway junction a crowd of bread lovers will probably be gathered at the rural Dudley’s Bakery, where 21 kinds of fresh bread are sold daily except Mondays and Tuesdays.

Continue east on California 78 to a roadside produce stand, Farmer’s Mountain Vale Ranch, your first opportunity to buy home-baked apple pie. Made from the Farmer family recipe, a slice costs $1.50, an entire pie $6.50. Other fruit pies are served, as well as apple cider.

At the hamlet of Wynola, just past a popular cafe called Tom’s Chicken Shack, turn left on Wynola Road, a short but scenic country road that winds its way to Farmer Road just north of Julian.

Turn left for wine tasting and a guided tour at Menghini Winery, a family-run winery that offers five vintages, including a gamay variety called Julian Blossom.

Get to town by going south on Farmer Road, a tree-shaded route that’s also taken by two horse-drawn carriages that make two-mile tours from Julian. The leisurely rides operate daily and some evenings, weather permitting. Couples pay $15, families $20.

Park where you can and stroll around town. Most action is on four-block-long Main Street, but there also are shops and restaurants on Julian’s few side streets. They are conveniently named A, B, C, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and Washington.

Walk south on Washington Street to the Julian Pioneer Museum, housed in a former brewery built in 1875. Two new wings on the building make it easier to view the exhibits, which range from Indian artifacts to firearms, china and farm tools.

Among the period clothing is a brown wedding dress. Also look for the century-old square grand piano, and a 1920s permanent wave machine that children sometimes refer to as the electric chair. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through the end of this month. After that, it’s weekends only.

On a hill behind the museum you’ll see the 1880 Witch Creek schoolhouse that’s been converted to Julian’s library.

At the top of C Street a private road continues to the old Eagle Mine, where you’ll be guided into tunnels that have yielded millions in gold during the past century. These days, more money is earned from showing visitors around the diggings than from ore that is still being mined. Adults pay $6, children $3 for the one-hour tours. Best tour times are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Your sightseeing may be interrupted by apple pie, especially if you watch it being made in the window of Mom’s Pie Shop on Main Street. Owners Anita and Greg Nichols have baked and sold as many as 800 pies in a single day.

Other busy pie shops are the Julian Pie Company and Mrs. Glad’s Bakery. Restaurants such as Bailey Barbecue and the Julian Cafe serve excellent homemade apple pie, too.

One of the nicest dining spots is the newly opened Julian Grille. Or try the longtime favorite for Italian fare, Romano’s Dodge House, which has a small bar and stays open later (10 p.m.) than other restaurants in town. It’s also the place that doesn’t serve apple pie.

If you want to spend the night in Julian, make reservations well in advance. Popular with frequent visitors is Julian Farms Lodging--four cozy antique-decorated cottages across from the museum. Call (619) 765-0250 for rates and reservations.

The largest and most modern accommodation in town is the 24-room Julian Lodge; call (619) 765-1420 for reservations.

Across the street is another two-story inn, the Julian Hotel, a renovated turn-of-the-century lodging with 17 cozy rooms, most with baths down the hall. Call (619) 765-0201 to book a room.

Two other B&Bs; in town are the two-room Old Julian Parsonage that dates to 1896, and Villa Idaleen, with three rooms. Call (619) 765-0827 and (619) 765-1252.

You have a choice of more than 30 other bed and breakfast lodgings scattered in the hills that surround Julian. They are in private homes or cottages, with one to four rooms to rent. Brief descriptions are in a brochure available from the Julian Chamber of Commerce, which runs a courtesy referral service.

Call (619) 765-1857 or visit the chamber office in the Town Hall. Hours are 11 am. to 4 p.m. on weekends, to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Return to Los Angeles by following California 78 west to the coast and joining Interstate 5 north. Round trip is 298 miles.