Our Family Trip to Big Bear

Hey hey! Last month, Martin and I took our boy, Nacho, on his first family trip to Big Bear, CA. This place is so special to Martin and I because it was the place where we got engaged just last November. For his birthday this year, he said he wanted to take a mini trip out there but had one request - we had to take the dog. Obviously that's not a problem to me at all because Martin and I love Nacho more than we love each other (lol), the only issue was actually having to browse dog-friendly places in Big Bear! A quick search was all we needed to pull this off but actually being there helped a lot, so, I figured I'd put together a list of where we stayed, where we walked and where we dined in Big Bear as a family of three. K let's do this!

Where We Stayed

We found the cutest little Airbnb that was dog-friendly, super cozy and in a quiet town called Sugarloaf. This little town is just down Big Bear Blvd about ten minutes away from all the fun. We had never been there before or really knew exactly where it was and even if at times felt far from the main Big Bear area, it actually wasn't! It really just felt like we were going back and fourth because we couldn't leave or trust Nacho to stay at our Airbnb alone. Still, this place was SO cute and pretty spacious! To our surprise, it had three large rooms (one downstairs and two upstairs). We didn't need all the space and just chose to stay downstairs. I think coming 'home' at night was my favorite part because it was so crisp out and super dark! The stars were GORGEOUS and it just added to the Big Bear magic of having a cup of cocoa and binge watching a Netflix series. To check out the Airbnb we stayed at all weekend, scroll through this post for pictures and to book, head to THIS link.

Where We Dined

So the first time we went to Big Bear, we couldn't stop going to this Mexican food spot called The Hacienda. It was SO good that we knew we just had to head there first. I feel like they must have been having a night or something because we placed an order for pick-up, headed home, ate our food but were unfortunately disappointed with what we ordered haha. I don't really love chicken and I don't know why I did this, but I ended up ordering chicken enchiladas and of course didn't end up liking them. That was entirely my fault, but the platter Martin ordered kind of blew too! I really think it might just be the items we received because everything we had previously was amazing. 

Anyway, we didn't take Nacho there, but we did go have some beer at a local brewery called Big Bear Mountain Brewery and were able to chill outside on the patio with him. This spot was definitely dog-friendly and loved that the patio had two huge bowls of water for dogs. Big Bear Mountain Brewery is family owned, so it's super cute with a home feel! Martin and I ordered flights of their beer and loved every single one of them.

Later that evening, we went out to Pine Knot Avenue, which is home to a lot of restaurants and I believe where all the fun is?! There are a few ice cream parlors, bars, a movie theater and boutiques on this street so definitely head there if you're in town! Martin found a restaurant called Saucey Mamma's and it was dog-friendly too. We sat outside in the patio and had pizza, buffalo wings and chicken parmesan - oh and you know it, a pitcher of beer. This place was delicious and I 100% recommend it! The ambiance was fun too and loved that the TV's were on all around the restaurant and bar showing college football. I know Martin and I will definitely come back here next time we're in town!

Places We Explored

While there, we first of all felt like we explored Sugarloaf a bit since we were staying there. On our second day, we took a stroll through Pine Knot Trail, which I believe is only about a mile and change long, but I could be wrong! When Martin and I went to Big Bear last November, we took a stroll through this same trail and Martin tried proposing like ten times but I was so distracted by nature that I oversaw everything lol. This time around, I was very much aware of Martin's presence and definitely enjoyed the walk and view of the lake. Afterwards, we went down closer to the lake and tried getting Nacho to take a dip, but per usual, he wasn't really into it haha.

The following day, we went down to Boulder Bay Park to show Nacho where his mom and dad got engaged. This place is so special to us now and holds such a fond memory that Martin and I plan to always visit this park as much as possible. Although this place is super romantic for us, Nacho really enjoyed it because it was the first time OVER THE WHOLE WEEKEND where he did his number one and two - if you know what I mean. Poor little guy was holding it all weekend or simply looking for grass, so if you're traveling with dogs, try to look for the nearest spot with grass to help them go! He seriously just needed that because as soon as we got off of the car, the nile river itself exploded from his body haha. What a way to add more memory to this place, right?

Anyway, hope you guys liked this recap! If you're in the area, you have have have to visit Big Bear. It's such a pretty little forest oasis that can't be missed. I'll chat with you guys soon!

Xo,

Melissa Victoria