Rancho Bernardo History Museum
Bernardo Winery
August 21, 2016
Meredith met up with some girlfriends for a wine tasting at the Bernardo Winery. She arrived before her friends and had some time to kill, so looked through the History Museum which is located at the entrance to the winery complex. It is a simple one room museum, run by the Rancho Bernardo Historical Society and dedicated to local history. It has been at that location since 2013. The exhibits are not extensive, but they are well laid out and informative. The centerpiece is the newly built “mud wagon,” a replica of the wagons which ran daily on the stage route from Escondido to downtown San Diego and back, from 1887 to 1912. A map of the stage route is displayed in front of the wagon. Stages left at 8:00 a.m., one southbound and one northbound. They stopped midway for lunch and to change horses, then arrived at their respective destinations around 4:00 p.m.
Entry to the museum is free. It is open Tuesday 9-12; Friday 10-3; Saturday 1-4; Sunday 2-4; and by appointment.
The winery itself is fun to see. It bills itself as the oldest winery in Southern California, established 1889. (The friars who brought wine grapes to the California missions might quibble about that!) In addition to the tasting room, there are event rooms, a restaurant and a coffee shop, and a number of small shops. On Fridays there is a farmers market on the grounds.