Lodinews.com Visitors Guide 2003

Visitors Guide 2003

Visit Lodi and you’ll want to return


	JENNIFER M. HOWELL/News-Sentinel Lodi’s historic mission-style arch stands as a gateway greeting to the thousands of visitors who come to the city each year.

By Layla Bohm
News-Sentinel staff writer

Between the bustle of California’s state capital, the farmlands of the Central Valley and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 58,000 people call Lodi home.

Seen by many passers-by as simply another Valley city, Lodi actually has more than meets the eye — and visitors soon realize that once they stop to see it.

“It’s pretty. ... I didn’t even know there was wine here,” said Patty Navarro, who recently drove about two hours from San Jose to attend a weekend wedding.

She and her husband arrived early, so they spent time at the Wine and Visitors Center, where they tasted wine, looked at postcards and learned a little more about Lodi. Until that day, she never even knew that Lodi is surrounded by vineyards and has countless wine events throughout the year.

From summer jazz music at Jessie’s Grove Winery to a fall pumpkin patch at Phillips Farms, visitors to Lodi are often surprised by what the city has to offer.

“We’ll show people maps, and they don’t realize how many wineries we have,” said Katie Rauser, who works at the Visitors Center on Turner Road.

She and several co-workers were born and raised in Lodi, and they’re surprised to see the number of first-time visitors coming through the town.

Though some have never been to Lodi, others return once they’ve seen Lodi the first time.

Herald resident Janet Castech has only been to Lodi twice, but she already knows that she likes shopping in the downtown streets of Lodi.

On her most recent trip, she brought a friend to share lunch, and the two then browsed through items at the Visitors Center, stopping to purchase a T-shirt.

“(Lodi) is quiet and not too congested,” said her friend, Elk Grove resident Pat Booth.

Herald and Elk Grove are less than an hour away, but tourists and visitors come from everywhere, including Texas, Wisconsin and even Japan, Rauser said.

Some look at model homes in and around Lodi, while others look for antiques at Downtown stores, said Michele Weeks, who works at the Visitors Center.

Castech’s uncle lives in the Bay Area, but he is now thinking of moving to Lodi when he retires.

“He likes the area and the environment, and it’s not that congested,” she said.

For now, though, he just visits from time to time, and is one of the many people to pass through the Visitors Center.

Karen Scoggins, who lives near the Bay Area, sometimes drives by Lodi, but on a recent trip, she and her husband stopped. Her daughter chose to get married in Lodi, so Scoggins and her husband wandered through the Visitors Center while waiting for the rehearsal to start nearby.

The two were fascinated by the amount of time that goes into making wine, and the fact that Lodi has such a stronghold in the business. It was a new experience for the couple, and they enjoyed learning about the wine industry, she said.

While wine is one of Lodi’s anchors, it’s not the only thing, and people are surprised to learn about other attractions, Weeks said.

Micke Grove Zoo caters to visitors young and old, and for those who want more adventure than wine or animals, skydiving at Lodi’s small airport is mere minutes away.

With ski resorts and casinos to the east, the ocean to the west, and professional sports teams to the north and south, Lodi is the midway point for many events.

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Visit Lodi and you’ll want to return