California Coast Trip: Malibu Farms & the Malibu Wine Safari
I know. I know what you’re thinking. This post is only ten months late, but I’m kind of happy I waited. I don’t have an excuse as to why I didn’t post the rest of my California trip other than the fact that I kept putting it off for so long that I basically forgot about it. The good news is that I’m finishing it now, which means I have one more post after this and it’s completed (well, two more if you want me to share our itinerary outline!) So why am I glad I waited? Well, it gives me something to write about and share during these crazy times. Looking back at these photos made me happy, and it was a nice distraction, and I’m hoping it does the same for you! 🦒
If you’re new here, last summer, my friend Caitlin and I traveled the coast of California together. It was a lifechanging experience, and I can’t wait to do it all over again. We started in Lake Tahoe, made our way down to Napa Valley, to San Francisco to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, Pismo, all the way to Los Angelos. It was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on, and I still can’t get over how gorgeous California truly is.
After leaving Pismo Beach, we headed to Malibu to spend our afternoon grabbing lunch at Malibu Farm, and then wine tasting at Malibu Wine Safari! After the past five days of driving and wild things happening to us, we were exhausted, and a fun day with animals and wine sounded like the best way to end the long drive!
While creating our itinerary, we knew Malibu farms had to be on the list. It’s exactly our vibe, and the food sounded fantastic. We made it there in the afternoon just in time to have lunch before our safari adventure.
The spot was lovely, and we could have sat there all day it was so peaceful. I started with the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, an almond milk cappuccino. It tasted as delicious as it looks.
I know it’s weird seeing me with blonde hair, I can’t believe that was ten months ago…
The menu changes a lot since the food is so fresh and seasonal, so I can’t wait to go back and try something new! The next time I visit my brother in L.A., I’ll make him take me here. I ordered the salmon with kale salad, and it came with potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, and green beans. Everything was tasty! Caitlin ordered the zucchini crust pizza, and it was also a big thumbs up. 
We walked the pier a bit after lunch, and then headed up to Malibu Farms for a fun day!
We signed up for the Giraffe tour, and a big thank you to Malibu Wine Safaris for the complimentary visit! We had the time of our life, and our tour guide had us cracking up the entire time. I never appreciated puns until our safari trip. 
The tour is a little over an hour and a half, and it’s filled with so many fun stops, plus tasty wine!
The giraffe tour is the most popular from the list because you get to meet and feed Stanley! Stanley is a retired Hollywood star, and he’s living a much more peaceful life here in Malibu.
I think feeding Stanley lettuce was the highlight of the tour!
You’ll get to drink wine with Amerian Bison, Zebra, Llamas, Alpacas, Scottish Highland Cows, and so many more! 
▫️
Our tour guide was an absolute comedian! He had all the right jokes and had everyone cracking up during our tour. You couldn’t tell that this was probably his 100th time guiding because he was having a blast with us as if this was his first tour. 
Each stop, we tried a new wine. We tried the Sauvignon Blanc, the Red Wine blend, Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Grigio, and Rose!
Now, that’s a solid wine tasting pour! 
I can get used to this! 
It’s entertaining because a lot of the locations are set up like movie scenes, which make the perfect photo opp! Check us out at camp cabernet 😂
Even the outside bathrooms were cute 😂
When the guide put all jokes aside, I loved how knowledgeable he was about the animals. They take all precautions to keep them safe, and some of the staff are vet students. It made me so happy knowing they were in the best hands. 
The guides will also teach you the proper way to feed the animals, and how to stay safe, because remember, they’re still wild animals and this is their sanctuary. 
We had the best time at Malibu Wine Safari! It’s such a perfect place to drink delicious wine, spend time with animals, and relax outside! I look forward to going back 😊
After taking a power nap and getting into our comfortable clothes, we headed to Hermosa beach to watch the sunset, and drink more wine 😂
It was only a few blocks from my brother’s place, so we knew it was where we wanted to end our evening. I love California, and sitting on the beach watching the dolphins and seals was a topper to the perfect day. 
We were like little kids practicing our handstands on the beach, and the wine made the handstands a little harder than I remembered lol.
I will work on putting together the photos from the rest of our visit to L.A.! I hope you all enjoyed looking at the pictures and taking time out from stressful thoughts. It’s taking a hit on all of us, but we have to be there for one another! xo ♥️ 
Questions for you!
- Where do you want to visit as soon as the conditions are safe again?
- Tell me something positive about your week!
- Have you ever been to California?
Hope you all have a great weekend, hang in there 🙏
Mark and I are trying to decide what to do when it’s safe to travel again- it honestly depends on the time of year! He wants to go to New Orleans, but I still want to visit Asheville/Biltmore and tons of other places. I think the northeast region of the country would be amazing in the fall!
Positive from this week was I finally got to see Mark after a full week! I sound weak but I like him 😂😂
I have! I visited San Francisco in 2014. After seeing your road trip it’s now on my bucket list! I have a friend in LA and it would be fun to see her too. Also – how is your brother doing out there? I hope he’s okay!
Hi, Jennifer!
Both places sound amazing ♥️ It’s exciting to plan, especially during these times.
That is so adorable! LOVE THAT!
L.a. is a great place I hope you visit your friend soon! My brother is doing well! He’s in military so he’s home working and staying busy!
Your hair looks so good! Do you curl it with a straightener? <3
I usually do, but during the trip, I used a $19 wand from TjMaxx!!
What an amazing trip. The pictures are gorgeous! I agree that a trip with animals and wine would be a great way to spend a day. I love the sandals you were wearing at the safari. Any chance you could share a link to them? Thanks for this post, it really did brighten my day.
Thanks so much, Julie!!
I got them from Versona! 😊 They don’t have the same but some similar!!
https://www.shopversona.com/all-products/browse/keyword/sandals
Hi Taralynn! Thank you SO much for posting this today. I was really feeling down in the dump and this definitely cheered me up 🙂 I wound up having to cancel my 30th birthday trip to Sedona in 2 weeks, so that’s been taking it’s toll on me–I had planned it for months and picked out some really wonderful Airbnbs! I decided to move my vacation week to October and we will make the drive down from Maryland to South Carolina to visit family, spend most of our days on the coast, and spend a couple of days in Charleston. Do you have any upcoming Charleston trips planned? BTW–did you hear the owner of Boone Hall Plantation passed away yesterday? So sad! I’ve been to southern California a handful of times and lived there for a bit in Redondo Beach. It’s such a different way of life compared to life here on the east coast, it’s definitely a nice change of pace. One positive thing about this week is that my cat is SUPER pumped that I’m home every day! She barely leaves my lap and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy–like her! I hope you have a great weekend 🙂 xo Kelsey
Hi, Kelsey!
I feel ya, I’m feeling so weird today and things are all kinds of out of place. I think so many people are right there too. Definitely not alone in all of this. I’m happy you stopped by to read 😊 I’m so sorry you had to cancel your plans 😔 I really hope you get to get out to Sedona soon.
I didn’t hear about that, but that’s so sad! I am traveling to Charleston in late May for an engagement session with a photographer, but other than that i didn’t make any travel plans this spring because of the house thank goodness.
YAY for all the animals that get to hang out with their owners! That’s definitely a positive!!
Those bathrooms are adorable haha.
So a wine safari sounds like the best way to spend a day! Those giraffes are so cute. Feeding them must have been amazing.
I don’t even eat salmon but your meal looked so fresh and delicious!
http://Www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Hi, Brooklyn!
It was definitely an incredible experience ♥️
& yes, their food is so great!
Love this!! I went to college in Malibu and seeing your post was a fun walk down memory lane 🙂 You definitely hit the best spots—I’ve done the Malibu Wines hike for a friend’s birthday, and this made me want to check out the safari too! Next time, be sure to stop by Sunlife Organics for the best açaí bowls. In the meantime, hope you’re staying safe and healthy!
Hi, Nicole!
Wow, what an amazing place to spend your college years! I’ll definitely put that on my list for next time!
xo
Hi Taralynn!
1) We can’t wait to return to Italy and tour some new cities
2) I am SO grateful for all the amazing appliances I have that make cleaning so much better during these times and keep our house clean, safe and comfy to live in. (Also for the new yankee candle I cracked open today and absolutely love smelling flowers in every room tonight!)
3) We drove up the coast from LA to SF and it was wonderful. I can’t wait to go back and see more missions there, spend a week in San Diego, and hit up Paso Robles again and maybe napa for long weekends.
Hi, Jenny!
I bet! ♥️ So sad what’s happening in Italy and all over the world right now 😞
Sounds like you are making the best of this situation and staying cozy in your home! So important! ♥️ What a beautiful road trip!!
XO
California Native here! I loved this post because I literally only leave my house to go to work ( I work at a children’s hospital) the hubs and I walked around the beach (we’re only a few blocks away) the other day and it was so depressing just seeing everything closed off. I miss just wandering around the main area in Seal Beach and Trader Joes, I think we may head to Vegas or one of the national parks when this is all over. I also have never been to Malibu Wine safari so once that opens up again I’ll be heading there!
Hi, Ashton!
😊 I can’t imagine how that feels! ♥️ thank you for all that you do working in the hospital! I’m sure it’s such a scary time, but what you do is so important!
Vegas sounds like a great time right about now! 😊
Hang in there & stay safe! xo xo
I also just wanted to add I love your blonde hair!
Thank you! I’ll never go back 😆 tooooo much damage and maintenance!
Looks like you had an amazing time, Taralynn! I’m jealous! This makes me wish we weren’t stuck at home right now! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Agreed, Charmaine! xo hang in there!
It’s SO nice to see these gorgeous, beachy pictures right now! Thanks so much for holding off because I think we need this more than ever now, with being stuck inside.
Hope you have a fantastic weekend, friend!
Make Life Marvelous
Thank you, Ashley! 💜 Hang in there girl
Wow, Malibu farms and the wine tour look incredible, would love to visit there one day, the animals are all so cute. I haven’t been to California yet, but it’s definitely on the travel list. When it’s safe to travel again, I have decided with everything going on in the world I want to travel around New Zealand (my home country) to give back to the communities and the first trip will be up north to the bay of islands in my kombi van. Something positive from my week is we got 3/4 of the exterior of our house painted!
Hope you have a great weekend!
I hope you get to visit soon, Harriet!
Wow! great job on your hard work!! I bet your exterior is looking great!
Hi Taralynn!
it’s so great to see summer on your pictures! It was a good idea to publish this post 🙂 For a moment I forgot about being stuck at home. Thank you!
As soon as the conditions are safe I wanna go to Poland and visit my family. I really miss them, and in this situation I miss them even more.
My boyfriend and I were planning a road trip in US, including California, for the second part of this year but we are not sure if it will be possible considering the circumstances right now. But if we can’t go this year, we will definitely go next year because we both dream about this trip 😉
Something positive from my week is the fact that in Spain the numbers of victims started to slowly decrease. Let’s hope it continues decreasing and the situation gets more and more stable! Apart from that, I spent last Sunday learning photo editing again and I really enjoyed it 🙂
Kisses from Barcelona! :*
Hi, Milena!
♥️ Thanks for stopping by!
I bet you do, and what a great place to visit and spend time with them.
Oh, I hope you do get to do the Cali road trip! It’s incredible.
Love hearing that, and it’s great to see the numbers decrease and see light at the end of the tunnel.
xo xo
Hi Taralynn!
Aaaw this post was just the little escape I needed today, thank you!
I have been having the travel bug so badly lately and I can’t go anywhere! 🙁 My friend and I had a trip to Savannah planned for next week that we had to cancel which was hard. But that is one place that is definitely on the top of my ever-growing travel bucket list. I haven’t been to CA in about 8 years but I really want to plan a trip out there for my 30th birthday and run a marathon where I can drink wine with my friends afterwards 😉
One positive thing about my week was making paper palms with my roommates for Palm Sunday since we couldn’t get them at church like usual.
Thank you for your post, they always put a smile on my face. I pray you all have an amazing week!
Kelly
Hi, Kelly!
😊 thanks for stopping by to read!
I hope you and your friends get to travel a ton when all of this is over 😔
♥️ keep your head up! xo