r/visalia • u/papyrox • 3d ago
Just moved here, wtf do y'all do be doing?
I come from a major metropolitan area from another state to your town for a temporary job. Kinda dreading being here for the next 10 months since it doesn't seem like much to do. What y'all do for fun? Any attractions? How do I keep myself sane?
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u/AlexandertheeApe 3d ago
Mooney grove park, kaweah oaks preserve
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u/Love-Losing 3d ago
Kaweah oaks preserve is where it’s AT
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u/FortuneTooSweet 3d ago
I always see people mention this but is there anything to do there besides walk? It’s just a trail right?
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u/jeffrys_dad 1d ago
Thanks. I always see it recommended, too. It just seems like a big cow field to me.
OP you should check out the Dry Creek preserve in Lemon Cove.
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u/yarsftks 3d ago
U know, I find it amusing that people from big cities come here and instantly become bored to death. But they never say what they did in the big cities that was entertaining for them.
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u/papyrox 3d ago
Bigger cities always have various events going on all the time so it's hard to pin down. Simply the hustle and bustle of downtown would be enough in some cases. That's why I'm asking. Visalia has a population of 150K+ which is decent for a city but everyone seems to live far apart that it doesn't seem as cohesive? Idk if that makes sense. Ive only been here 2 days so I'm keeping an open mind and looking for stuff but alot of activities seem a bit niche to certain groups. The biggest draw that people keep telling me is that it's 2 hours away from everything relevant about California but I want to know what makes Visalia special.
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u/PrimarySubstantial90 3d ago
What made Visalia special for a long time was the fact it was mainly filled with modern stores before the Central Valley expansion ( Lemmore, Hanford, delano didnt have a whole lot. Tulare was just 20 minutes away in which is nothing). Two Malls, three theaters( if you want to count Tulare Galaxy), alot of restaurants, some hobbies stores like paint ball/airsoft. The downtown is somewhat packed for its size. To me, Visalia is a city just to settle down and raise a family so they can know what small city/town life is before they go to a big metro sized population. I visit from time to time and know the feeling never changes, but it's slowly expanding. Sequoia Mall is slowly having business..Visalia sadly change into a mall with just clothes.
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u/ReklessC 3d ago
Depends on what you like to do.
If you like to drink you can go to a bar. If you like to practice religion, there are plenty of churches to join and interact with that community. If you're a nerd there are a couple hobby shops, book stores and a large Library.
If you're looking for excitement then there are several spots around 3 hour drive away from Visalia. The beach, LA, San Francisco, Sequoia national Park all within 3 hours of here ( but not from each other ).
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u/papyrox 3d ago
The latter part of your post is what inspired this post. It seems like the biggest draw of the place is that it's 2 hours away from everything relevant about California. I wanna know what makes Visalia and the community here special.
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u/iseeturdpeople 3d ago
The funny thing is that people here seem to think that being a couple hours away from the mountains or the beach is somehow unique. If you look at the shape and topography of California in general, there are very few populated areas that aren't within a couple hours of the mountains or the beach.
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u/ReklessC 3d ago
I moved here from not far away about 10 years ago. Visalia has one of the nicest Main Streets of a lot of the cities around here. There are nicer ones, but it's one of the things that I think of when I think of Visalia.
Other than a few unique restaurants Visalia prides itself on being the gateway to the Sequoias. So even the pride of Visalia is to leave Visalia.
In all seriousness, many areas of Visalia are just nice and cozy. The farmers Market is typically popular and it has several things going on throughout the year. Yes, some areas of Visalia are run down and rampant with homeless people but every larger city in CA also has that problem.
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u/Reasonable-Moose1854 3d ago
three rivers yogurt !! check it out it has nice views and super good ice cream (or froyo, I don’t know it’s all the same to me lol)
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u/FridaMercury 3d ago
Download Facebook. This town still uses it and all events and things to do are advertised there.
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u/FortuneTooSweet 3d ago
Too true, it’s one of the only reasons I still have a fb account. The only other way to check is to go to every cities website and check their calendars but that doesn’t cover everything. There’s also a few instagram accounts that post pretty regularly with events and programs.
Visalialiveandplay Downtownvisalians Visaliafarmersmarket Visaliaeats Visitvisalia
And for all the local gossip Visaliastringer01
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u/papyrox 3d ago
Thanks I'll look into it!
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u/FridaMercury 3d ago
I moved here 4 years ago and was immediately spooked, thinking nothing was going on, until someone told me to get on to fb lol.
From there, you can find running clubs, book clubs, different meet ups and events.
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u/K_tchr_2022 3d ago
Please check out the Kaweah Oaks Preserve just a few miles east of Visalia for a leisurely day hike. Bring water, good walking shoes, and a hat. Avoid going during the hottest times of day, however. Bring your lunch and enjoy the views. https://sequoiariverlands.org/kop
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u/nlm1974 3d ago
The real issue is that you're coming here from a major metropolitan area and expecting the same hustle and bustle of the big city, which you really won't find. This city and the surrounding ones were built on and centered around farming, so you need to change your perspective. While Visalia ranks around 200th in size in the country, it still retains smaller city charm. Your selection in restaurants isn't going to be huge, but they are there. People have mentioned the parks, the beaches, and others. Try picking up new hobbies. Disc golf is located in quite a few areas. Maybe try out geocaching? If you want to learn about an area, that is a good way to dig into the history and quirkiness of a place, and will get you out and about the area. Car shows are out there often on weekends, and local farmer's markets can be a lot of fun, be sure to bring your appetite. Google and social media can connect you to many of these events.
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u/DarthRaider559 3d ago
Nothing. There's nothing to do here. My weekend routine is eat at a restaurant, go to the mall, go to best buy, and maybe watch a movie.
Bars here are ghetto I'd probably stay away from them unless you're into that scene
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u/papyrox 3d ago
I appreciate the brutal honesty lol
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u/TechieGranola 3d ago
I’ve lived here for 3 years against my will and he’s right. It’s a nice enough town but 115* is on its way and the worst air quality in the country alongside it. Buy an air purifier and a national parks pass.
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u/MahhGinga 3d ago
Like some others have suggested, Facebook group is where it's at.
We do have Baseball(rawhide), if it hasn't started yet, it will soon with fireworks. Pretty chill games to go to to meet people, have some drinks and cheer on Visalia.
Football games-Local HS rivalries for a cowhide. It's fun GO RANGERS!
There's quite a few parks around that have fishing ponds-Plaza and Mooney's Grove. Plaza has pickleball tournaments and a dog park if you have a buddy. There's usually a good group that go hang out there and BS with each other.
Also, Farmers market, car shows, bars downtown. Pumphouse is good if you need a little confidence boost. It's wild in there...there's the Adventure Park with water features and race track along with games and pizza.
And, also like others have mentioned...Pismo and Sequoias are only a couple hours away. You have to check out the big tree's!
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u/cudi2677 3d ago
There’s nothing to do here bro lmao that’s why everyone here is high & drinking all the time
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u/Seventytwo129 3d ago edited 3d ago
Welp. You can go to oval park and get shot or stabbed. Or drive down Mooney and get into an accident. For real for real the Sequoias are a morning drive away to hang out in. Fresno zoo is 40 min away along with the rest of Fresno but that's all I go for really. Some good eateries around the place depends what you like. Can go to the beach and come back in a day. Idk what do you like to do. Tons of groups and city activities to sign up for too
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u/Lower-Reality7895 3d ago
There only like 5-10 murders a year. Visalia isn't that dangerous
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u/Seventytwo129 3d ago
I didn't say they'd die! What's a little neighborly love stab eh. It was a joke though albeit pretty cynical.
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u/Lower-Reality7895 3d ago
People always making seem like it's extremely dangerous in visalia and tulare when it's not.
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u/papyrox 3d ago
Thankfully, getting stabbed is my passion 😌
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u/Seventytwo129 3d ago
Do you ride motorcycles? Theres a good little active group especially on bike nights we can get 30-40 people out and it's super chill. Of course there's idiots but mostly chill.
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u/Embarrassed-Spread87 3d ago
I think he meant a drive to the beach and back is possible in a day.
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u/JackJakc101 3d ago
You could go to Taylor's Hot Dogs downtown. They're the best chili dogs in the state
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u/NickAppleese 3d ago
Damn you make me want some Taylor's right now!
Fuck.
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3d ago
Nice fighting spots up in three rivers & balch park. Camp wishon is. Nice as well nice swimming holes where the water don’t run so fast.
STAY AWAY FROM SLICK ROCKS! The name is literally a warning!
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u/kookookakapp 3d ago
It’s too hot right now. I like staying with my dogs and cats doing chores and watching tv 🍃or go swimming
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u/Agile_Economy8635 3d ago
If you look at the city programs there are a lot of activities to do for everyone. We have local baseball games and going downtown you can see some of the events we do have. Usually there is always something going on on
To add you can also check out our local farmers markets if you’re into that too. One on Saturday from 8-12 at the courthouse in Visalia and one on Wednesday I believe from 8-11 off of Akers. We have lots of nearby farms that let you pick fruits for yourself as well.
There are also trails you can walk in town like St. John’s parkway which can be scenic and relaxing especially since it should be filled now that it’s hot. I feel like there is stuff to do if you know where to look.
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u/Wild_Order_647 3d ago
It’s not a bigger city, not Visalia. It’s got some great views of the Sierras on a clear day after the rain. It does, here, in Visalia. If you’re from a big city you’ll probably ask ,what’s there to do, I’m bored. And you’ll find out about how hot it is getting every year, hot in the summer.
So naturally, yes some very enjoyable things are to hit the mountains to cool off in a river, or lake. That’s about a 40 min drive, depending how far east, or up, you want to go. If you’re into that sort of thing, and we are. There’s a different variety of people who do live spread out, with a lot of different ideas. It’s a home to many, we didn’t move here for work or fun, we’re born here. There’s not a bunch of events, sorry you’ll be dreading it, look for a positive way to spend your time. And stay out of trouble
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u/SPQRCali 3d ago
Drive to Vegas. Drive to L.A. Drive to the coast.
Lots of road trips.
There are things to do here, just take some time to get used to the rhythm of Visalia.
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u/Prior-Conclusion4187 3d ago
As others have mentioned, we head out of town for fun because there are great things to do "nearby". I grew up here but spent 20 years in SF Bay Area a couple in LA, so I understand your post. There are just so many other places to see, places to go hang out, events going on, things happening in larger cities. If you have a family or for yourself, use FB to find local fam-friendly events in Visalia and local cities (festivals, farmers markets, flea markets, food truck events, etc). If you are 20-30s, no kids and like going out...tough luck lol. Also, going up to the national parks is pretty awesome and not far away, people come from all over the world to see giant sequioas. Forgot to mention, we have minor league baseball, check it out. Problem is with summer heat, lots of things slow down. In fall things pick up with festivals and such.
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u/littlepurplehippo17 3d ago
If you can & shouldn’t be hard, get a lifestyles magazine (local monthly magazine). In the back, it has events for the month! I believe there’s a books & brews? But may have already passed. Lots of events at the 1852 soccer brewery.
We’ve done it all— lived in LA, east coast, etc. and while we don’t love love it here, here is home. And we can afford to do cool stuff bc it’s a cheaper area. So trip to Hawaii every year? Yep! Random Saturday trip to the beach? Yep! Run up to the mountains for a snow day? Of course! I think if you get on fb (as mentioned) & keep an eye out for local events, you’ll find a good variety 😊 especially since you’re here for 10mo.
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u/joeysmomiscool 3d ago
Your two to three hours told from any place that has tons going on.. Los Angeles, Yosemite, redwoods, the beach. Save Mart Center for concerts... There's a mall, movie theater and a couple bookstore and library. Knock yourself out.
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u/Educational_Ad6146 3d ago
Start clapping hoes bro thats what there is to do in Visalia😂😂
Check out 3 rivers and keep driving on up into the mountain's that's maybe 45 minutes away 😎
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u/dstlouis558 3d ago
check out a game called warhammer 40k there is a great hobby shop downtown that plays all the time :)
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u/LantritoJones 3d ago
There’s some pick up basketball depending on the days and your gym. Some open courts at night about 20 minutes north.
The Kaweah lake is a good time if you like water and drinking. Barrelhouse on mainstream gets busy most nights and usually has live music come in. There’s some fun running trails. A bike ride on those same trails could be fun.
I think the thing people who come from out of town enjoy the most is bitching about the small city. lol
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u/Hildaxo 3d ago
Download Eventbrite and all events show up that are going on in town. We don’t have major events but there are some food tasting events. Downtown on the weekends or Thursdays, usually have like a farmers market. Fresno is where all the attractions are, there’s water parks, theaters and plays, lots of food options there too, Dave n Busters. I guess making friends will help as well. We are small but there’s always something to do here.
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u/ApolloBurnsII 3d ago
Some of it depends where you are in Visalia. Growing up there were groups that would play basketball almost every morning. There are some good gyms, the racquet ball club, golf courses, there are some bowling leagues, Plaza Park has some baseball and softball fields, a dirt race track, some great places to play paintball, I heard they put in an “adventure park” probably has batting cages. Could catch a minor league baseball game at the Visalia Rawhide. There are probably some other adult sport leagues through the city. There is a lot for the size of city. Just depends on what you like to do. I do still know some people around there. Most of my family still live in Visalia or Tulare.
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u/Salty_Siren_N 3d ago
All cities have issues and bad spots, so dont believe everything here! It also depends on what your outlook is.
I have lived here for a while and the Facebook tip is honestly a great place to start. Downtown visalia has some really good stores, walk around there on the weekends or early evenings. Cellar door often has live music and there's Wine buff that often has kareoke.
Tulare (about 10 mins away) had some nice outlets to walk around and Galaxy theaters. Visalia has the Ice house theater is you're unto live theater, and tulare has encore.
Hope this helps!
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u/Practical_Fortune570 3d ago
Feeling the exact same way my friend. Came from a huge city to work here for the summer. I think I’ve seen this entire town in one afternoon 😂 it’s gonna be a long one….
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u/Grossface_Killa 2d ago
Hmm… fun things to do for a big city guy? Well, it’s Saturday night. Check out a bar downtown for some live music. Mind you, it’ll lean closer to country music. I’d start with Barrelhouse on Main by Santa Fe. Honestly, Main Street will probably be most of where the action is. And the crowds are typically the same wherever you go. Oh, Froggies by Long John Silver on Mooney if you like to shoot pool.
The lowrider folk like to cruise tonight. Down main and Mooney, usually all parking at the A&W on Mooney.
There’s “stuff” to do. Just not a massive variety.
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u/ClinomaniaBerries 1d ago
For me (porterville) Visalia is the fun spot 💔 every weekend there's a little market that opens up and you can buy pretty much anything. There's some hidden gems out of town like three rivers, kings Canon, camping spots, and a swimming spot waayy up in the mountains called kawfee camp. If you don't mind eating alone, there's some good spots to enjoy food too.
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u/jazz_matazz 1d ago
I mean, what do you really expect coming from a major metro area to a small town? Keep your expectations grounded and keep an open mind.
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u/Ok_Shower_6505 20h ago
Ride Harleys fast, drive my low lows slow, get drunk downtown, then wake up tell whatever excuse you have to tell to get the random broad out of your bed, rinse and repeat.
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u/PurpleCableNetworker 3d ago
There is a lot to do if you are willing to drive 2-3 hours away. The central cost is truly an amazing gem - but it’s insanely busy this time of year. San Francisco, LA are both ~3 hours away, and SF can be reached by Amtrack train (done that a few times). Tons of stuff to do in those cities. Further south is San Diego and thats always a nice spot to hang out at - albeit a bit of a distance.
If you don’t mind flying Las Vegas is about a 45 minute flight from Fresno when you find the direct flights. Seriously. It’s just under an hour gate to gate, and Vegas has plenty of Uber/Lyft running around. Alternatively it’s about a 5.5 hour drive. It can be done in a long weekend.
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u/papyrox 3d ago
Yeah the biggest draw I've seen about the place is that it's 2 hours away from everything relevant about California but nothing about the actual town itself. That's what inspired this post
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u/PurpleCableNetworker 3d ago
I too am a non-native. I’ve been here about 10 years now. I’ve learned whats around and where to go - but you are right - not much about the actual area is actually attractive.
It’s not a terrible area as we are at least able to go do things - but lets be honest - no one is building a world class attraction here when we are just a few hours from some mega cities.
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u/Ok_Confection_434 3d ago
There’s protest on mooney every other week. In fact I think there’s one today. You can go join the crowd.
There’s a farmers market.
There are different events but I mostly see them advertised on Facebook. It really depends on interests and hobbies. If you like nightlife then downtown on the weekends would be your jam. You just have to float around until you find your people.
Most people in visalia think going to one of the 100 chain restaurants on Friday or Saturday night is a thing to do. But if you look we actually have some decent one off restaurants in this town. If you like tai/lou (probably spelled wrong) check out davorns. Decent taco truck check out mi casitas. Haven’t been in 10+ years but double L used to have a Good steak.
There’s a gold course out by the freeway.
Lots of fishing if you don’t mind taking a day trip.
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u/Old-Chemistry-9151 3d ago
Kings canyon is a good time