Venturing to a new city can often be an exhilarating and memorable experience. As a resident of Fairfield for ten years, I have a few tips and tricks for navigating the town of over 100,000 residents. When people think of Fairfield, the first thought that usually comes to their minds is the Jelly Belly and Budweiser factories. While those two places are excellent locations to visit, they are often overcrowded and their gift shops overpriced.
There are a wide variety of local attractions in Fairfield. For the nature and hiking enthusiast, Rockville Hills Regional Park boasts 633 acres of trails and beautiful scenery. I have fond memories of visiting the lake to watch the frogs hop through the reeds and the two resident geese I call Chip and Dale honking their way around the ducks. While there is a small fee to enter the park, it is worth it to explore such a beautiful terrain.
Unfortunately, the amount of crime in downtown Fairfield has risen over the years, but there are still a few good places to eat while in the area as long as you are mindful of your belongings. North Texas street is a hot spot for all kinds of cuisine and the area I frequent most often. My favorite places are Hot Stone, Sushi King, and New York Pizza Express. Hot Stone has an excellent variety of Korean food and amazing appetizers. Sushi King is an excellent place to go for lunch and dinner (and they have never been packed when I’m there). New York Pizza Express has great deals on good pies and they’re very prompt with service. There’s only one place I really try to avoid and that is Texas Roadhouse due to the difficulty of finding parking and pest problems in the past.
While the mall may not be as well kept as some, it still has an excellent selection of stores and a movie theater on premises to boot. The kiosk people are notorious for harping walkers in the mall, but most malls I’ve gone to are, with the exception of the Stanford Shopping Center. Their arcade is fun to play a few games at, but if you’re used to Round One in the Concord mall, you’ll be sorely disappointed. If nothing else, walking around and window (and people) watching is great exercise.
If you find yourself in Fairfield during August, the Tomato Festival is a great event to check out. I have many interesting memories of working at the festival over the summer helping the vendors set up and slicing heirloom tomatoes for guests to try. As an avid gardener, I marvel at the quality and variation of this delicious and healthy fruit that many commonly confuse with a vegetable.
While most people think of Fairfield as the town that’s almost equally distant between Sacramento and San Francisco, the city itself has much to offer. Every city has gyms, but there’s nothing quite like getting exercise in the great outdoors at Rockville. Whether trying new cuisine for the first time or going with a time honored classic such as pizza, there is a wide variety of places to eat and enjoy as well.