A Weekend in Big Bear: Enjoying the Snow without the Skis

Growing up in Ohio, the winter season always meant frosted windows, icy sidewalks, and plenty of snow days. Three years into our California adventure, I always find this season to be the most difficult. It just doesn’t feel like home without all the winter storm warnings, and although I don’t miss scraping the ice off my windshield before work in the mornings, I do miss seeing sparkly, white snow on every corner. It’s not quite realistic to fly home for the weekend just to enjoy the views, but even here in Southern California there's a place nearby that can offer exactly what I'm missing in these not-so-chilly winter months.

Big Bear Alpine Zoo

Leaving late Saturday morning, we made our way up the mountain into Big Bear, first stopping at Big Bear Alpine Zoo.

Now, I know what you picture when you hear the word "zoo" - sad, trapped animals without enough space to stretch out or run. But the animals here are rescued or held due to injuries and other conditions that make it dangerous for them to be out in the wild. Donations and entrance fees go towards their rehabilitation and re-release, if safe and possible for the animal. We arrived close to lunch time, and most of the animals were asleep at first, including the bears, foxes, and snow leopards. However, as the volunteers and workers started smearing peanut butter on logs and dropping full sweet potatoes into their enclosures, they started to roam around and enjoy the sun.

This was a fairly small “zoo”, which made it more personal to each animal's story. Many of the enclosures offered a QR code to scan and read about the animal, how they arrived to the zoo, and their plans for rehabilitation, medical treatment, and/or release. Although the screaming children around us would have probably preferred to see more movement from the animals, reading their stories made it much more enjoyable as it was encouraging to learn about the attempts to save our wild habitats in the L.A. area. By the time we finished watching the bears house entire sweet potatoes, we were feeling pretty hungry ourselves and made our way back towards civilization.

Tropicali

A place that kept popping up on social media and our "Big Bear restaurant" Google search roped us into their overpacked parking lot: Tropicali.

Deterred at first by the line wrapped out the door and through the parking lot, but encouraged by the Google reviews, we grabbed a granola bar and decided to try it out for our overdue lunch. We passed the time planning our activities for the weekend, and the hour flew by as we saw people leaving with delicious-smelling bowls and bright-colored smoothies. The workers were friendly, outgoing, and happy to make recommendations for all the first-timers as we waited in line. With options like smoked teriyaki chicken, Hawaiian pulled pork, and barbacoa beef, it was hard to make up my mind! They’re best known for their poke, which is fresh daily while supplies last. But, as a cooked meat kind of family, we ended up snatching a table and trying the Rastalavista bowl (with spicy Caribbean barbacoa beef, beans, bananas, rasta peppers and “Bob Gnarley Boss Sauce”) and the Tikijuana bowl (with smoked teriyaki BBQ chicken, rice, beans, onion, cilantro and “Cali Dream Boss Sauce”).

Both were delicious and paired nicely with our Blue Crush and Pina Coladidadi smoothies, which were so fresh we were tempted to get back in line for seconds! This place was definitely worth the wait. The atmosphere was so relaxed, the people were kind, and the food would hit the spot any day of the week. 10/10! 

The Historic Mountain Manor

Stuffed to the gills and ready to relax, we headed towards our home for the next two nights: The Historic Gold Mountain Manor.

Established in 1928 as a home for a Los Angeles movie investor and his family, the completed home had 10 bedrooms, two baths, maid’s quarters, a wine cellar, deluxe donkey stables, a carriage room and a tack room! The original family’s guest list often included Hollywood stars, making it the perfect place for celebrity hideaways. The home continued to change owners over the next few decades, first being used for church retreats by an owner during World War II, and then slowly adapting into a bed and breakfast after a family completed their use of the home in the early 70s. Movie stars and other celebrities stayed in the themed rooms, and commercials, photoshoots, and films were often shot in the home or on the grounds. The current owners, Darrin and Amy Odell, took over in 2020 and were extremely kind and welcoming. Along with Toni, this 3-person team helped make our stay as comfortable and charming as possible! Breakfast was always delicious, and the rooms offered everything extra cozy from fireplaces to bath salts and plush robes.

After settling in, we took a walk down the street and found ourselves on a beautiful hiking path, scattered with snow and offering gorgeous views of the lake and mountains.

Heading back "home" we explored the garden and used the game room to play one of Noah’s beloved board games (he never travels without at least three for “vacation downtime”) before heading to The Village at Big Bear Lake for dinner.

The Village at Big Bear Lake

Staying in Big Bear over a holiday weekend, in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best planning on our end. The restaurants and shops in The Village were packed. Constantly. So although we were ready to eat, any restaurant had over an hour wait and there were people everywhere. Luckily, there were plenty of shops open to help pass the time, and we found ourselves looking for some souvenirs while our table was prepared at Fire Rock Burgers & Brews. Unfortunately, we were too hungry for this one to be photographed, but I would definitely recommend the Jalapeno Wonton Bombs and Bat Country Burger (with smoked gouda, mushrooms, red onion, Applewood smoked bacon, arugula, and garlic herb aioli). They offered recommended beer pairings for each burger, but I went with the strawberry milkshake since we were already getting tired from our full day and I didn’t think we’d be up for standing in line again for dessert.

We wrapped up, enjoyed the lights, and drove back to our beautiful bed and breakfast to start a fire. Even though it was already January, the manor still had all of their Christmas trees up, making me feel like the protagonist of a Hallmark movie with my hot chocolate, blanket, and book by the fire. Oh, and my cute husband of course. 

Breakfast the next day was a crust-less quiche, sausage and potatoes (served after a fresh yogurt parfait, coffee, and orange juice). Our fellow guests were kind and talkative, and the morning passed quickly as we discussed our hometowns and plans for the day.

My husband and I were the only ones not in Big Bear for the snowboarding it seemed, but we were happy to wrap up breakfast and head back out to the nearby trails for a few hours, starting the walk bundled up against the wind and finishing it having stripped off a few layers as the sun warmed everything up.

Heading back to the coziness of our bed and breakfast, we grabbed some tea from the kitchen and enjoyed having the place all to ourselves for a few more games, even meeting the Odell pups as they ran inside for a quick hello. Lunch time crept up on us, and it was back to the (slightly less packed) Village. Again, no pictures this time but we would definitely recommend Big Bear’s Himalayan Restaurant. Quiet and warm, we got a table immediately and ordered plates to share: Chicken Mo-Mo, Butter Chicken, Rice, and Garlic Naan. As we do with all our travels, we spent some time looking for the perfect magnet to memorialize our weekend getaway, and then settled for dessert at the infamous (cash-only), Teddy Bear Restaurant. 

Teddy Bear Restaurant

Fresh-baked daily, we enjoyed a big 'ole slice of blueberry pie a la mode with a cup of hot coffee. The day was quickly wrapping up as the sun started to set before 5pm, and the tired skiers, snowboarders, and other winter sports fanatics started rolling into town. Taking that as our cue to exit, we made our way back to the manor for another cozy night of reading by the fire.

The next morning, we had stuffed French toast, bacon, and excellent company once again!

Already, it was time to pack up and say our goodbyes. The weekend had passed so quickly and we were sad to leave, but luckily had a couple more stops along the way home.

Stanfield Marsh Wildlife Boardwalk

Finally making our way to the lake for which this area is known, we stretched our legs and breathed in the fresh air at Stanfield Marsh. The boardwalk took us out over the icy water and offered 360-degree views of the mountains, and we could even spot small specks of skiers making their way down the snowy slopes.

Magic Mountain's Mine Shaft Coaster

Hopping back in the car for a short drive, we headed to Magic Mountain, which was already overrun with families and visitors by the time we searched for parking. More lines awaited us as we signed waivers and got our tickets to take a trip down the Mine Shaft Coaster. 

All strapped in and practicing the levers that controlled my downhill speed (I was very stressed and read the instructions about 40 times while in line), I flew down the mile-long track, trying to catch glimpses of the snowy mountain that we were leaving behind. Maybe next time we visit, I’ll be flying down on skis…doubt it, but a girl can dream.

Thanks for a much-needed, snowy getaway. Until next time, Big Bear!