Source: Wikipedia.
Living in Fresno you’ll find there’s plenty enough to keep you occupied on evenings and weekends. The city has several museums if you enjoy culture, and there’s performing arts in the shape of theaters, including some nice historic ones. Fresno has larger venues too where you could catch a band or a show, and there’s a good selection of parks and open spaces if you want to get away from it all for a while. Fresno is also in a great central location for exploring some of California’s most popular national parks including Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia, and it’s close to the Sierra National Forest.
Restaurants and Cuisine in Fresno
Among the 700 or so restaurants in Fresno the most popular cuisines appear to be Mexican/Southwestern, Chinese, American, Japanese, and Pizza, though you’ll find a much broader selection of cuisines than just these! Even before the city of Fresno was founded there was a Chinatown here – it was founded in 1872 and grew around the Central Pacific Railroad station that had been built in what’s now called Fresno, so this is one reasons why there’s an abundance of Chinese restaurants in the city.
The top rated restaurant in Fresno isn’t Chinese though. Yosemite Ranch actually specializes in seafood, steak and roasts and it’s the most popular restaurant in the city according to TripAdvisor reviews. Ranked number 2 is the Mediterranean Grill and Café, and no prizes for guessing what type of cuisine they specialize in!
Attractions in Fresno
Fresno doesn’t have heaps of attractions but there’s certainly enough to make this an interesting city to visit, or to live in. There are several museums that are a good starting point – Fresno Art Museum is the premier museum of the city and it’s set a little north east of Central Fresno. They have a permanent collection and feature traveling, temporary exhibits too.
The Discovery Center will be more appealing to families as it has many things to keep young minds interested, focusing on science and the earth, and another family-friendly place to visit is the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, set within Roeding Park. Roeding Park is itself one of the city’s popular attractions – as well as the trails, lake, picnic areas and horseshoe pits it has a small amusement park, called Storyland, that’s aimed at younger children.
Fresno is also home to a slightly more unusual tourist attraction called the Forestiere Underground Gardens. These gardens were constructed underground by a Sicilian immigrant who came to Fresno in the early 1900s and spent the next forty years creating the attraction. It’s now one of the city’s popular spots, and loved by kids because of the fact that it is underground!
Festivals in Fresno
Every year Fresno holds a couple different festivals. The Rogue Festival is similar to the big Fringe Festivals featuring arts, music, dance, comedy, film, and more from both local and national artists. Reel Pride is another big festival – it’s one of the oldest gay and lesbian film festivals in the country.
