This past weekend we decided last minute to pack up and head to the local mountains. Southern California has some great little mountain towns including where we ended up, Idyllwild. If you haven't been, you really should try and plan a weekend soon.
The town is quaint but full of charm. The village is full of restaurants, antiques, arts and crafts. All kinds of HAPPY!
The last time we had been up to Idyllwild before this weekend was about 5 years ago. It was my birthday and Made with Happy Girl was about 6 months old. We had stayed in the cutest little cabins that time around that barely fit two adults, a baby in a pack-n-play and our doggy. It was small, but was all we needed. This time around, we've added a babe but knew that we certainly didn't need much. Both times we stayed in cabins owned by the Fireside Inn.
We were lucky enough to snag the last of their available cabins for this trip and can I tell you how happy we were for that. 
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We spent some time exploring the grounds when we got there. 
We collected sticks, rocks, and played hide and seek.
From there it was just a short walk into the village.
Here we grabbed some hot chocolate, and walked the town. We had our Caddie Girl with us and I can't even tell you how dog friendly the whole community. So AWESOME!
After some time around town shopping and perusing, we made our way back to the cabin to clean up for dinner.
For dinner we had reservations at one of our favorite restaurants from our last visit, Cafe Aroma. The cafe gets its name from the amount of garlic they use in their meals. One Word --- DELICIOUS!!!
Okay, how many American Idol fans are out there? Who watched Season 10 with Casey Abrams? Well both MWH Dad and I were big fans and where both pumped when we heard he was from Idyllwild and at some point during the season had mentioned Cafe Aroma which we loved, so he was our pick that year hands down. Total side note, but they now have a dish named after him. 🙂 FUN!
After a fabulous night of great food, great atmosphere it was time to turn in for the night. The next day was about exploring and hiking. Idyllwild had a ton of different hiking trails that vary in length and difficulty. Its a great place for hikers, runners, and even mountain bikers of all different levels.
We took a great 2.5 mile scenic hike with the kids. 
The views are amazing, and I even spotted some super interesting trees. 
The trail was great and well kept. There were great views and awesome places to explore like this huge tree that had fallen.
Although we didn't make it the full 2.6 miles down and back, we had a great time walking and exploring.
Our trip was quick, but it was so full of great memories and felt much longer which was fabulous. I highly recommend the Fireside Inn if they have an availability and if you're looking to get away and disconnect, definitely try Idyllwild out.
