Our Stay in Visalia, CA

California

Visalia, Our Central Valley Home Base

We chose charming Visalia, California, the oldest town in the San Joaquin Valley, as our home base for exploring Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Our Airbnb was on the edge of town, surrounded by crop fields and fruit trees. This was no surprise since Visalia is America’s top agricultural producer with an enormous variety of crops and vegetables, from citrus trees to bell peppers.

Because it was almost Halloween, our neighbor transformed his field into a playground for kids with pumpkins, straw mazes, and apple bobbing equipment.

Mooney Grove Park, A Glimpse into the Past

On the days we weren’t exploring the national parks, we loved walking from our Airbnb to the oldest county park in the state, Mooney Grove Park. The park preserves the region’s original natural beauty with stunning oak trees that are only cut down when they are sick or dead.

I couldn’t help but imagine how much more beautiful this area must have been when only Native Americans roamed here. Sadly, their way of life ended because of the westward expansion. The expressive “End of the Trail” statue perfectly depicts that sentiment: it shows a Native American man with his exhausted horse, signifying his way of life coming to an end.

A Walk Along Visalia's St. Johns River

Since it would rain (or possibly snow in the mountains), we stayed in the area and drove to the St. Johns Riverwalk Trailhead in Visalia, CA. We followed the well-maintained paved trail and enjoyed a leisurely walk with beautiful views of the St. Johns River, the golden foothills, and some beautiful native valley oaks.

From Visalia's Valley Hospitality to Thousand Oaks

We said goodbye to our beautiful Airbnb in Visalia, CA, at the rural edge of town. For the last week, we loved the convenience of this family house and felt the hospitality of the Valley. This was the perfect place to come home after visiting the area’s national parks.

After a short morning walk, packing the car, and thanking this top-notch Airbnb, we drove to our next destination in Thousand Oaks, CA.