Bakersfield, California

Lucky for us, we were in the Bakersfield area of California a couple of summers before the big earthquake. Obviously the area will need an influx of money in the coming years, so why not visit the historic Padre Hotel there on your way to seeing the Sequoias or driving south to a California beach.

The Padre Hotel was built in 1928 and has been recently renovated. The Padre hosts three different bars: the classy Prospect, the working man’s Brimstone, and the second-floor, outdoor Prairie Fire. If you get to the hotel late or on a week day, likely only Brimstone will be open, but that’s fine because Brimstone is a lot less stuffy and you’ll probably have a bartender who can pour all of Prospect’s drinks anyway.